On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 21:27:16 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

I've had awful luck with VHF radios the last 15 years. I dunno why,
either, because I keep them out of the elements and I'm not a frequent
user.

Buying too cheap radios...? ;-)

Try

Sailor
Shipmate/Simrad
Furuno

in that order for my top 3 choices.


/Marcus

--
Marcus AAkesson
Gothenburg Callsigns: SM6XFN & SB4779
Sweden
Keep the world clean - no HTML in news or mail !

Paul Garcia wrote:
I might be missing something please help me understand. You stated you
wanted suggestions as to what is wrong, but you are going to be returning it
to Icom anyway. If you are going to send it back to Icom as you stated, why
do you care what people on here think might be wrong with it. If you really
wanted help on solving the problem, why tell people you are going to return
it to Icom anyway.


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
news:c3dhc2g=.99e9fbb540dac4ebb2f430ab099f4c84@106 8647547.cotse.net...
Paul Garcia wrote:

I have to ask the question. The man said he was not going to try to
fix the
radio himself, that he was going to send it to the service dept, why is
everyone trying to solve the problem? Especially since no one can
even look
at the radio.

This ability to solve problems with limited knowledge seems to go beyond
politics to electronics.


That's right, Paul. The radio is under warranty and I am not going to
void that warranty by taking it apart to look for...well, what? I don't
know. But I was hoping that someone here might have been able to shed
some light on the problem, someone who might have had some experience
with the electronics in these devices. I'd like to avoid the bother of
UPSing the radio to a warranty station.

I also have realized I really didn't check for the faults I am able to
check very scientifically. While we did attach another radio to the
existing antenna, we used an outside power supply to power it up. Maybe
I'll take another look at the wiring between the panel and the radio.

What is your area of expertise, Paul? Snotty newsgroup comments? You're
only a third-rater at that.




Try reading for content, Paul. It's there, in plain English.

--
Email sent to is never read.

Marcus AAkesson wrote:

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 17:10:56 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

I was "rafting up" with a friend in his boat, and while we were
negotiating the boat hookup, I tried to stay in touch with the VHF. He
could not hear anything at all when I transmitted at the one watt
setting, but could hear me with some signal breakup at the 25 watt
setting. We tried several channels; same results.

It's not the antenna or its fitting, as far as we can tell, because we
hooked up a spare VHF and it did fine.

Check the incoming power for oxidation or loose connections, anything
that causes a voltage drop when the TX load kicks in. Common problem
and easy to overlook.


/Marcus

Hope you are right. I will be checking those danged connections again.

--
Email sent to is never read.

WaIIy wrote:
On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 00:06:37 +0100, Marcus AAkesson
wrote:

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 21:27:16 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

I've had awful luck with VHF radios the last 15 years. I dunno why,
either, because I keep them out of the elements and I'm not a frequent
user.

Buying too cheap radios...? ;-)

You sure know your radios if you think Icom is a cheapie.

Try

Sailor
Shipmate/Simrad
Furuno

in that order for my top 3 choices.


/Marcus


Sailor has top of the line prices. I've never been much impressed by
Simrad stuff. There's nothing wrong with ICOM's stuff, nor am I
particularly worried about it in a coastal boat.

I've had problems with Standard Horizon radios for years, which is why I
went another route on this boat and the lobsta' boat.


--
Email sent to is never read.

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 17:10:56 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

I have an ICOM VHF, model IC-M502, new this past spring, and two
weekends ago, I noticed it was not transmitting properly.

I was "rafting up" with a friend in his boat, and while we were
negotiating the boat hookup, I tried to stay in touch with the VHF. He
could not hear anything at all when I transmitted at the one watt
setting, but could hear me with some signal breakup at the 25 watt
setting. We tried several channels; same results.

It's not the antenna or its fitting, as far as we can tell, because we
hooked up a spare VHF and it did fine.

The friend believes there may be some problem in the M502's mike. My VHF
radio electronics knowledge is minimal. I am going to send the radio
back to ICOM for a look-see and repairs, but I'd like a better
indication from the experts here as to what might be the problem.

Any ideas?

Thanks!



--


How does it transmit a mile away? Your only problem may have been
being *too* close to the other boat.....

On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 23:44:55 GMT, WaIIy
wrote:

You sure know your radios if you think Icom is a cheapie.

Well, duh, I know perfectly what they cost. While better and more
expensive than many other Asian brands, they are nowhere near
Sailor/Skanti and Shipmate/Simrad in neither quality nor price.

They have too small and fragile connectors, underdimensioned heat
sinks for extended TX periods, no telephone style handsets and no
duplex filters. And they are very rarely used on commercial ships.

However, i think that some of their waterproof handhelds are quite
good for their price.

But, I wouldn't rely on it for my safety, and VHF is a safety
equipment.


/Marcus

--
Marcus AAkesson
Gothenburg Callsigns: SM6XFN & SB4779
Sweden
Keep the world clean - no HTML in news or mail !

On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 18:51:30 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

Sailor has top of the line prices.

Sure, but what can I say, they rule the seas.....

I've never been much impressed by
Simrad stuff.

The Shipmate equipment is nice (Simrad bought Danish Shipmate). The
RS8300 and RS8400 line is very nice for yachts.

There's nothing wrong with ICOM's stuff,

....except Your's doesn't work right now... ;-)


/Marcus

--
Marcus AAkesson
Gothenburg Callsigns: SM6XFN & SB4779
Sweden
Keep the world clean - no HTML in news or mail !

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 17:10:56 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

I have an ICOM VHF, model IC-M502, new this past spring, and two
weekends ago, I noticed it was not transmitting properly.

I was "rafting up" with a friend in his boat, and while we were
negotiating the boat hookup, I tried to stay in touch with the VHF. He
could not hear anything at all when I transmitted at the one watt
setting, but could hear me with some signal breakup at the 25 watt
setting. We tried several channels; same results.

It's not the antenna or its fitting, as far as we can tell, because we
hooked up a spare VHF and it did fine.

The friend believes there may be some problem in the M502's mike. My VHF
radio electronics knowledge is minimal. I am going to send the radio
back to ICOM for a look-see and repairs, but I'd like a better
indication from the experts here as to what might be the problem.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

This is simple.

The ICOM VHF, model IC-M502 has a microchip that detects certain
speech signals and wave forms. I suspect you were grand-standing about
some political aspect, and the embedded micro chip filter kiced in.

I suspect that some extremest group designed and assembled that radio
to futher enrage the "enlightened". They need to silence you!

If you and your political buddies have an axe to grind, don't waste
valuable time posting here. Reach down deep into you pockets, and if
there are two round things haging, take your soap box and head on down
to your local park/marina (complete with bullhorn & flip charts) and
exercise your freedom of speech to enlighten the masses!

Here's the kicker. Isn't it frustrating that when you want to
discuss/read about boating issues, some jerk posts some political
cr*p, ..... but I know you'll understand. : )

Just a thought.

Harry Krause wrote:
Paul Garcia wrote:


I have to ask the question. The man said he was not going to try to

fix the

radio himself, that he was going to send it to the service dept, why is
everyone trying to solve the problem? Especially since no one can

even look

at the radio.

This ability to solve problems with limited knowledge seems to go beyond
politics to electronics.



That's right, Paul. The radio is under warranty and I am not going to
void that warranty by taking it apart to look for...well, what? I don't
know. But I was hoping that someone here might have been able to shed
some light on the problem, someone who might have had some experience
with the electronics in these devices. I'd like to avoid the bother of
UPSing the radio to a warranty station.

I also have realized I really didn't check for the faults I am able to
check very scientifically. While we did attach another radio to the
existing antenna, we used an outside power supply to power it up. Maybe
I'll take another look at the wiring between the panel and the radio.

What is your area of expertise, Paul? Snotty newsgroup comments? You're
only a third-rater at that.


Below are just some of his lies, he's making this BS radio story up
like all the otehrs we've had to endure over the years, pathetic
inadequate little turd that his is, because it makes him feel like he
might actually own a boat, which he doesn't & never has.

K

Here's just some of his prior lies (in his own words pasted);

I sold off nearly $3,000,000 in new motors and boats, depressing
the new boat
industry in southern Connecticut for an entire season. Everything was
sold...every
cotter pin, every quart of oil, 30 days after I started. For near
full-retail, too.


He had just under $1,000,000 on floor plan with a
syndicate of banks led by National Shawmut of Boston. He had been a
solid customer of that back for more than 20 years and they gave him
great rates.



As far as your other complaints, well, almost every president in my memory,
and I *remember* Truman, Eisenhower (who cheated on his wife), Kennedy,
Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush, lied and participated in
deceit to one degree or another, and on issues far more important than who
was giving them blow jobs.

Good lord. I met *every* president in the damned group except Bush, and I
worked once for his father.



My father used to pray that the north shore of LI Sound would be hit by
a mild hurricane. No
one injured, no on-shore property damaged, but lots of boats sunk.
Preferably early in July.


We had the Hatteras for two years. Last year, out of the cold clear, a
broker approached me with an offer to buy. Our continued Florida
lifestyle was somewhat up in the air, because the two breadwinners
hereabouts were about to be offered long-term but temporary assignments
they could not refuse in the Washington, D.C., area. So, after being
romanced a little, we sold the Hatt for almost precisely what we paid
for it. Not bad, after two full years of use. And I mean full years. So,
we didn't "make" any money off the Hatt, but we didn't lose any, either.
The proceeds were prudently invested.

The PWC was won as
a prize in a raffle.



Never mind that. Why does he have a Bilgeliner in front of his office?
Is it a display of "Boating Don'ts?"
Yeah, when we were in the boat biz, my father always had one or two

"around the back" that he was forced to take in trade. These were sold
as "as is, where is." He made sure the engine would start and run.
Beyond that, it was up to the prospective buyer to decide if he wanted
it. They moved off the lot pretty quickly, partially because my dad's
main store was on a highly trafficked commercial route with lots of
manufacturing and machining and aerospace plants near by. In those days,
workers at these places could fix anything.


Actually, Dipper, I don't think my father ever saw a Bayliner. But he still
called bumpers bumpers.
--



Bayliner wined and dined my father a half dozen times to entice him
into becoming its dealer. His operation was the largest small boat
dealership in its area of New England, and for 30 years, he was the
*exclusive* Evinrude dealer in a densely populated coastal county. He
also handled Mercuries. He never liked Bayliners, and referred to them
as "jerry-built."


From 1947 until he died, he sold more than 500 outboard motors a
year from his stores, accounting for a reasonably high percentage of *all*
outboards sold in his home state for those years.


This is a killer. My father was in the boat business dating back to
right after
the Big War. When he died and I was looking through his warehouse, I found
wrapped in a nuclear fall-out bag (no kidding), a brand-new 1949
Evinrude 8015
50 hp outboard. The motor was a gift to my father from Evinrude for
winning some
outboard stock utility or hydroplane race.

I gave the motor to a friend of my dad's, who worked at the shop as head
mechanic. I don't believe he ever used it and I'm sure it is still
brand-new. I
have no idea who might own it now.



He also built
boats, and I worked on a few, both wood, glass covered wood and
all fiberglass. After he died, however, we sold the biz and I've
just been an occasional boat owner.


Besides, I worked off and on in the
boat business and inherited it when he died. So, as I said, I'm
knee-deep in boat heritage.


Oh,
and I had some friends who died in the service, too, but it wasn't for
what they believed in. They were drafted, shipped to Vietnam and came
back in body bags.


During the war, he turned out experimental brass shell casings
for the
Army and hopped up outboards for the Navy, which wanted to use them on
smaller
landing craft. I had photos at one time of my father with Ole Evinrude
himself.
My mother knew one of Evinrude's wives...she was a minor movie star or
singer...I forgot which. Maybe both.



Have you ever sailed from San Francisco to Hawaii? I have.
Have you ever rounded Cape Horn? I have, twice.
Have you ever transited the Panama Canal? I have.
Have you owned more than 20 boats in your lifetime? I have.
Have you ever sailed large boats competitively? I have.
Have you ever been hundreds of miles from land in a powerboat under your
command? I have.


My father and his chief mechanic once crossed the Atlantic in winter in
a 22'
boat powered by twin outboards. Yes, it is possible, even the fuel. Got a
"fireboat" welcome in NYC.




Here are some:

Hatteras 43' sportfish
Swan 41' racing/cruising sloop
Morgan 33
O'Day 30
Cruisers, Inc., Mackinac 22
Century Coronado
Bill Luders 16, as sweet a sailboat as ever caught a breeze.
Century 19' wood lapstrake with side wheel steering
Cruisers, Inc. 18' and 16' wood lapstrakes
Wolverines. Molded plywood. Gorgeous. Several. 14,15,17 footers with various
Evinrudes
Lighting class sailboat
Botved Coronet with twin 50 hp Evinrudes. Interesting boat.
Aristocraft (a piece of junk...13', fast, held together with spit)
Alcort Sunfish
Ancarrow Marine Aquiflyer. 22' footer with two Caddy Crusaders.
Guaranteed 60
mph. In the late 1950's.
Skimmar brand skiff
Arkansas Traveler fiberglass bowrider (I think it was a bowrider)
Dyer Dhow
Su-Mark round bilge runabout, fiberglass
Penn Yan runabouts. Wood.
Old Town wood and canvas canoe
Old Town sailing canoe...different than above canoe



Sometime in the early 1960s, I was driving back from Ft. Leonard Wood to
Kansas City in a nice old MGA I owned at the time. About halfway home it
started raining heavily, I turned on the wipers, and EVERY SINGLE
electrical accessory and light in the car flashed on, there was a large
popping sound and it all blew out at once. And the car caught fire. I
pulled over to the side of the road, watched the fire, removed my
license plate and hitched on home. For all I know, that old MGA is still
there.

Sure was a pretty little car.

On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 18:24:58 -0500, Harry Krause wrote:

Marcus AAkesson wrote:

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 17:10:56 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

I was "rafting up" with a friend in his boat, and while we were
negotiating the boat hookup, I tried to stay in touch with the VHF. He
could not hear anything at all when I transmitted at the one watt
setting, but could hear me with some signal breakup at the 25 watt
setting. We tried several channels; same results.

It's not the antenna or its fitting, as far as we can tell, because we
hooked up a spare VHF and it did fine.

Check the incoming power for oxidation or loose connections, anything
that causes a voltage drop when the TX load kicks in. Common problem
and easy to overlook.


/Marcus

Hope you are right. I will be checking those danged connections again.

Harry, have you checked the output with an SWR meter? They can be had at radio
shack for about $20. I got one for $5, but it was the last one and it did not
have instructions. You can find info on the internet for their use. Also, my
last radio had a wire broken right next to the hand mike. The break was inside
the insulation so I couldn't see it. I found it accidentally by wiggling the
wire when I had the mike in my hand.

It is really nice having an on topic discussion!!!!!!

John
On the 'Poco Loco' out of Deale, MD