too many wires

John Stahl · Post by **John Stahl** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 9:25 am

I have been working on cleaning up the mast step there are four wires going through the roof on the cabin to the mast. I want to consolidate the wires so there is one whole in the cabin and one plug to plug in.
The four wires are to the Lights, antenna weather vain and ???
Any suggestions

Capt. Bondo · Post by **Capt. Bondo** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:18 am

John, Your going to need to keep the radio antenna wire separate since that is a shielded coax cable and will need a shielded connector.

CaptainScott · Post by **CaptainScott** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:37 am

An interesting thought about that Coax,
Does the antenna really need to be at the top of the mast for your application? If not, maybe a VHF antenna on the stern rail would be adequate . . . . That would eliminate one of your wires.

You must remember that VHF along with FM is pretty much line of site. IF you coastal cruise close in to shore and only need a few miles range then the switch will probably be OK. However if you are further from shore or have any obstructions between your antenna and its destination then up the mast is for sure best.

On Lady Jo my VHF antenna is on the stern rail. It works perfectly fine for my needs in Puget Sound. On Destiny I have an antenna on top of the mast for the radio below and an antenna on the radar arch for the cocpit radio. It works perfect for ship to shore whne entering marinas and such.

Just a thought!

Scott

John Stahl · Post by **John Stahl** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 11:10 am

Is a VHS license still required?
The antenna jack is in good condition so I can keep it separite but that still leaves three wires coming through the roof. What can I do with them?

Andiron120 · Post by **Andiron120** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 2:45 pm

I picked up a very handy connector from Catalina Direct to cure that problem. The wires I had running up the mast consisted of a ground, forward deck light, steaming light, and an anchor light. That required a four prong connector and they had a good one that was low profile and water tight.

trev · Post by **trev** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 4:22 pm

I went with the 4 pin version of the connector in the link below. It is water tight and the connectors screw together. It also has a cap on the deck side for when the mast is down.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... sNum=10615

CaptainScott · Post by **CaptainScott** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 4:22 pm

A marine band VHF license is NOT required in the US however it is still required in Canada. Canada looks the other way for US sailors so no worries there.

Scott

mariner · Post by **mariner** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:14 pm

The question I have is regarding the exposed section of wire from the mast to the plug, what have people done? Do you get a round mast wire with four wire in it and just leave it exposed or are there other options for shielding the wire from uv and having a "professional" looking wire job. Thanks for the help.

trev · Post by **trev** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:54 pm

I ran 4 marine grade wires up the mast and used heat shrink tubing on the last foot coming out of the mast to the connector. Inside the boat most of the wiring is hidden, anywhere it is exposed I used flex loom. I would have preferred one wire like a 14/4 but it was a cost saving area and there is very little exposed wire.

Andiron120 · Post by **Andiron120** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 7:40 am

I did the same thing as trev with the heat shrink, but also added an extra layer of heat shrink where the wires passed through the mast. That is also, almost an identical connector to the one I used. Be sure to keep the connector close to the mast so as to keep it from being snaged by lines or steped on when working at the mast. I brought mine around and placed it just behind the mast step.

Capt. Bondo · Post by **Capt. Bondo** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 10:32 am

What!

Electrical tape in not professional looking.

Like the heat shrink idea, add that to the to-do list.
The rubber grommets where the wire goes through the mast are nice also.
Some other string noted using wire ties to bind the wires together in the mast, but leave the tails on to reduce the noise caused by the wires moving back and forth inside the mast.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 12:03 pm

One of my concerns (I rewired with a 4 wire run up the mast) is how to secure the wires so there is no stress on the connections. At the top of the mast the weight would be that of 110' of wire (4 wires X 25', + a pigtail.

I ran seperate wires but put them all inside a loom because of the screws from the spreaders, etc.

Paul

mariner · Post by **mariner** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 1:43 pm

I like the idea of using a 4 wire and a loom, I also have spreader lights, I'm just not sure how I'll be able to split the wires at the running lite , spreader etc. I just can't visualize it. It's almost like you need to lay out all the wires make all the connections and then use multiple pull lines to pull in the entire contraption at once... Any thoughts?

I have found this little thing that looks like it can be used at the bottom of the mast where the wire exit it if you don't use round mast wire.

http://shop.genuinedealz.com/Marine%20E ... 20Conduit/

Alanhod · Post by **Alanhod** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 2:30 pm

Jmckamey · Post by **Jmckamey** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 7:34 pm

Good idea with the zip ties and not cutting the ends. Never heard of that but can see how it would work. I've heard folks talk about using pipe insulating tubes to reduce wire to mast klang. Anyone else?

mariner · Post by **mariner** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 3:22 pm

check this bad boy out! I think that I will use this for my VHF.

http://www.scanstrut.com/products/produ ... KgodgzIcmw

http://www.amazon.com/Scanstrut-Mini-De ... B003D4EJLQ

If i can figure out where to get a nice clean round cable (4 wire) with sheath I think i will use one of these and have both the vhf and power go through the same connector and then plug in internally. I'll post pics when done....don't hold your breath!