Radar wiring plug?

[sweetwater]

Come the end of the season when my boat is hauled home, I need to take the radar off the boat for clearance issues. I have to open it up and disconnect all the wires and feed them out of the radar dome so I can remove the dome. Is there waterproof multi plug available that I can install outside the dome, so I just have to unplug, unbolt and remove? The radar is a Furuno unit. Thanks for any thoughts..

[RobS]

Not to my knowledge and I strongly doubt it as you cannot cut into the radar cable. Yes, you can pull the top off of the dome and disconnect the radar cable and pull it out of the bottom half of the dome and then unbolt the dome and remove it from the arch. Maybe a 20 minute process. Did it when I installed my Scan Strut tower a couple seasons back.

[mhanna]

I do not think that a electrical "coupler" could be added because the wires supporting the dome are cut to a certain length and have certain electrical parameters on most systems. I would guess because of a highly synchronized timing need between the dome and the display.

I have a new Simrad dome that is Ethernet and the connector is on the outside of the dome, it twist locks off. But I dont think you wish to forklift out all of your electronics....

Be careful with those tiny wires, I did this a few times on my older Ray system and had to replace the connector / wires after doing that a few times.

Matt

[sweetwater]

Thanks guys, Thats what I was concerned with... Loosing voltage and signal at the connections. Im just afraid to keep opening the dome and messing with the wires. There just seems to be no other way to get the dome down, its too short wired to lay to the side.

[RobS]

Can you pull more cable out of the arch? We did when installing my tower, took a little umph but not too bad.

[Pitou]

Is there waterproof multi plug available that I can install outside the dome, so I just have to unplug, unbolt and remove? The radar is a Furuno unit. Thanks for any thoughts..

I had my local marine electronics dealer install a waterproof plug outside of my Simrad for the same reason ... travel lift can't back off past my mast when set upon the storage stands. The antenna mast comes down every year. Everything on my mast has a plug'n play plug. They've done this for someone else in tha yard too who has Raymarine. When I asked about a plug/coupling the unhesitated answer was "sure, we install these all the time for guys with masts that need to come down". I will say that the coupling is pretty large and bulky, but for me I can hide it pretty easily up inside the base of the mast post.

Check out your local marine electronics dealer, they maybe able to help if Rob's solution doesn't work for you.

[RobS]

Here's a shot of the Furuno radar wiring harness from when I had it apart for the tower. Click on the image to enlarge it. I am pretty sure Raven is equipped with the same dome. That's a lot of wiring to cut and put together in a connector. Sure, it "can" be done, perhaps the radar tuning/timing adjustment would need to be adjusted, but it would not be a pretty connector and with a standard pipe arch setup where would you hide the connector. If you could pull enough cable out of the arch to make a connector I would think you could simply use that extra cable to move the dome down without disconnecting. Maybe Simrad has less wires and that's why the Furuno radar is so much better

[sweetwater]

Thanks Rob, Looks like I am limited to the two beer task of removing the wiring every year. Thank you for the photo..

[RobS]

No chance on pulling out more cable? there's surely a lot of slack coiled up behind the side panel?

[sweetwater]

It seems tight, have not had luck getting it pulled further out.
Kevin... Thank you, there is a electronics installer at my marina on once and a while, I will see if he has something available.

[RobS]

I agree, check with some installers, Furuno dealers, etc. If no luck it may be an excuse to get together for a beer..

[Pitou]

If no luck it may be an excuse to get together for a beer..

Typical boater ... You should see the crew that shows up at the yard "to help" at commissioning and decommissioning time. Next you'll be starting a book club.

[sweetwater]

You guys never need an excuse to get a beer on my boat... Come by anytime!!!