[C320-list] Pedestal ICOM command mike

[Pat Moriarty]

Mine was mounted the same way but I would not bet on it being legal. 
I don't think the radio is intrinsically (safe not explosion proof 
but not able to make a spark big enough to ignite the propane). This 
is a very fine legal line that in the valve industry I have run into before.

Pat #130


At 10:05 AM 3/4/2008, you wrote:
>Soooo much easier to mount it just under the lid for the propane tank.
>Straight run down to the interior VHF. Very accessible from the helm and a
>much easier install. If I remember correctly I did not need a cable
>extension though I could be wrong on that.
>Joe Barrett
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
>[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Bill
>Culbertson
>Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 10:09 AM
>To: c320-list at catalina320.com
>Subject: [C320-list] Pedestal ICOM command mike
>
>You'll definitely love having the command mike at the pedestal and as others
>have said it is definitely more complicated that other locations.  IMO it's
>worth it.
>
>What I did was somewhat less complicated than Allan. I'd read his first and
>decided to see if I could try the engine pod.  It worked so I stuck with it.
>What I did the same as Allan is to buy the extension as well as cut the
>cable.  I bought a terminal block same as he did and reconnected the cut
>ends via the terminal block except that I mounted mine under the aft berth
>next to the fresh water pump.
>
>What I did differently was run the cut cable end through the tube to the
>engine pod and mount the connector on that small flat section of the pod on
>the port side.  I clip the mike up high just under the sailing instruments.
>I had hoped that cutting the cable end would allow me to thread the cable up
>the engine pod stainless tube without further ado.  Turns out, it just won't
>go.  So I disconnected the engine wiring pulled it down into the aft cabin
>while messengered from the pod.  Then I inserted the cut cable end from
>inside the engine pod and threaded that down the tube into the aft cabin.
>When I ran out of cable, I had the connector end ready to mount into the
>hole in the pod I'd already drilled for it.
>
>Disconnecting the engine wiring sounds scary but actually there is a
>terminal block inside the pod connecting the incoming cable harness to the
>various engine instruments.  So you are really just undoing the wires from
>the harness side of the terminal block.  With one exception, they are all
>uniquely color coded and the color code of the harness wire exactly matches
>the color code of its mate on the terminal block.  I labeled the one which
>didn't match its mate.  So for reassembly, you need only match the cable
>harness wire color code to the wire left attached to the instrument side of
>the terminal block.
>
>Once the harness wires are disconnected, I gathered them together, tied the
>messenger line into place with a series of half hitches spaced an inch apart
>and then spiral wrapped the whole thing with electrical tape.  There was
>probably an 8" length that was taped.  My son helped me with him below in
>the aft cabin gently pulling the cable (I'd removed the access cover from
>the aft cabin roof) and me up in the cockpit pushing/feeding it into the
>tube.  I can't remember if I sent the command-mike cable down as part of
>this operation or if I fed it down separately after the engine cable harness
>was removed from the tube.
>Regardless, you end up with the engine cable in the aft cabin and the cut
>end of the command mike in the aft cabin.  I secured the radio cable and my
>son and I fed the engine cable back into the tube him pushing on the cable
>and me pulling on the messenger.  I think I slathered joy dishwashing
>detergent on the engine cable harness to ease the process since it was now
>rubbing against the command mike cable on its way back into the pod.  Once
>it was in the pod I unraveled the tape and messenger and reconnected each
>wire to its mate on the terminal block.
>
>For the mike cable, I ziptied it every 12-18" or so to existing wiring that
>was exiting the pedestal guard and fed it under the aft berth (easy).  As I
>said before, I mounted a terminal block to the board on which the fresh
>water pump is mounted and connected the free wires to that block.  I
>connected the other end of this cut cable to the terminal block and
>connected the connector to the 2nd intact 10' command mike cable from ICOM.
>I ran that one under the fridge and under the stove (access by removing the
>teak "thingy" under the
>stove) and fed up to the navpanel.  I've run lots of cabling from the
>navpanel to the under- the-stove area so that part was pretty familiar
>already.  One of those was a cat5 cable that I had managed to squeeze into
>the port-side of the pedestal as Al Ahlman recommends.
>I'd done that in an earlier wiring project.  That cable brings seatalk from
>the pedestal instruments back to an ST60 Multi unit on the navpanel
>
>One last note.  For mounting the mike itself to the pedestal I borrowed an
>idea either from this list or from a dock mate or from a sailing magazine.
>I bought a broom handle mount at the hardware store.  These clips expect
>something about 1" in diameter.  I screwed the broom handle clip to a small
>piece of plywood and screwed the mike connector to the opposite side of the
>plywood.  Now you just clip the mike to its connector and clip the broom
>handle clip directly to the 1" pedestal tube anywhere you like.  I tend to
>keep it just below the instruments.  But if I later put another navpod below
>the instruments for radar, I'll just clip it to another part of the pedestal
>tube.
>
>I have a bunch of pics of the process.  I should upload them to the website.
>
>  -bill
>  Harmony #859
>
>----- Original Message ----
>From: Chuck and Kathy <katchu at chartermi.net>
>To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
>Sent: Monday, March 3, 2008 6:38:39 PM
>Subject: Re: [C320-list] C320-list Digest, Vol 27, Issue 1
>
>Thanks for all the help.  Allen - I particularly appreciate knowing that the
>Icom cable won't fit without cutting it.  That will save me a lot of time.

Pat Moriarty
PSI Urethanes Inc
PH: 800-888-5156  Fax: 512-837-8733
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