[C320-list] Pedestal ICOM command mike

[Allan S. Field]

And here is a pix of Sea Shadow's RAM mic - very clean install.  Note that
the Lewmar folding wheel no longer is on the boat.
http://www.catalina320.com/gallery/album55/Picture_180


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
crashley at gte.net
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 10:23 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Pedestal ICOM command mike

Here's a photo of my mounting of the remote VHF mic on the engine pod 
without having to run wires up the pedastal. The wires from the VHF run down

the port side (where most of the wiring goes) through the storage 
compartment and under the port cockpit bench. The only issue is you have to 
step over the wire but it's hard to walk aroud the wheel anyway. (I bought 
my boat used and it was already installed this way.)

http://www.catalina320.com/gallery/album99/2008_0305_03

CRA
Rosebus #882

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Barrett" <joe at dolphinmortgage.com>
To: <C320-List at catalina320.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 7:47 AM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Pedestal ICOM command mike


> Mine mounts under the Propane Lid and winds thru the Lazerette. Never 
> enters
> the Propane locker.
> Joe Barrett
>
>
> ------------------------------------
> Dolphin Commercial Capital
> Joseph T. Barrett jr.
> President
> joe at dolphinmortgage.com
> 9010 Strada Stell Court
> Suite 209
> Naples, Florida 34109
>
> In The Vanderbilt Galleria
> tel: 239-597-2266
> tel2:1-800-264-4119
> fax: 239-597-7276
> mobile: 239-777-1880
> www.dolphincommercialcapital.com
> ------------------------------------
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
> [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Bruce 
> Stanley
> Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 1:00 AM
> To: C320-List at catalina320.com
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Pedestal ICOM command mike
>
> 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.
>>
>>
>
>