TonyMiles
N/A
I recently bought a new VTronix combined VHF aerial and wind indicator and fitted it while my mast was down for rigging replacement.
I carefully fitted it according to the supplied instructions and then mounted the Hawk wind vane.
Shortly afterwards the whole antenna unit fell off its bracket - the plastic threaded base that bolts onto the bracket had sheared off!
When I put the 2 parts together, there were 2 holes within the thread opposite each other. One was 6mm wide and the opposing one 8mm wide.
I immediately rang Shakespeare electronics who make the item to be told that they had had some other instances of this and they immediately offered to send me a new replacement which they did without further question.
Had this not broken when it did but some time after my mast was re-installed this would have been a major problem, particularly as I would have probably lost the antenna itself and not been able to discover the faulty manufacture, not to mention the unwarranted cost of a replacement and its installation.
So if you are about to install one of these, please check very carefully the threaded base that bolts onto the bracket and make sure you have a solid intact one without any holes in it. Losing your aerial at sea later could have dire consequences.
I carefully fitted it according to the supplied instructions and then mounted the Hawk wind vane.
Shortly afterwards the whole antenna unit fell off its bracket - the plastic threaded base that bolts onto the bracket had sheared off!
When I put the 2 parts together, there were 2 holes within the thread opposite each other. One was 6mm wide and the opposing one 8mm wide.
I immediately rang Shakespeare electronics who make the item to be told that they had had some other instances of this and they immediately offered to send me a new replacement which they did without further question.
Had this not broken when it did but some time after my mast was re-installed this would have been a major problem, particularly as I would have probably lost the antenna itself and not been able to discover the faulty manufacture, not to mention the unwarranted cost of a replacement and its installation.
So if you are about to install one of these, please check very carefully the threaded base that bolts onto the bracket and make sure you have a solid intact one without any holes in it. Losing your aerial at sea later could have dire consequences.
