[C320-list] Pedestal ICOM command mike

[Robert Seastream]

There's 12 VDC present in the propane locker already...for the tank  
solenoid.

Bob Seastream
Intuition # 906

On Mar 5, 2008, at 1:00 AM, Bruce Stanley wrote:

> 12volts in the propane locker.......... it sounds potentially  
> dangerous to
> me!?
>
> Bruce Stanley #1084
> Sydney Australia
>
> On Wed, Mar 5, 2008 at 11:34 AM, Allan S. Field <allan.field at comcast.net 
> >
> wrote:
>
>> I had it mounted under the lid to the propane tank for about 2  
>> years also.
>> I found that I was constantly knocking the mic off of the bracket and
>> always
>> had to be on the port side to talk as the cable is not that long.  I
>> always
>> felt as if I was going to pull the thing out of the mount.  That is  
>> why I
>> eventually went with the "harder" install and have never regretted  
>> the
>> work
>> that went into making it right for me.
>>
>> Allan S. Field
>> Sea Shadow - #808
>> Columbia, Md
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
>> [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Joe  
>> Barrett
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 11:06 AM
>> To: C320-List at catalina320.com
>> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Pedestal ICOM command mike
>>
>> 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.
>>
>>