DSC/VHF with telephone handset

[prv]

As you say, Sailors occupy too much valuable real estate, on a cruising yacht.

Sailor VHFs aren't significantly different in size to any other brand:



They are too expensive for cruising yachts, though, being certified and marketed for commercial shipping.

However, on a handset, there is only a 'squeeze to transmit' and a speaker connection.

Just looking at Standard Horizon's current range for an example, all their fist mics include three or four control buttons, beside the PTT, speaker, and microphone.

obtain the right plug from the makers

The majority of VHF sets have the fist mic hard-wired to the front panel, and on those that don't I suspect the manufacturers are unlikely to sell you a bare plug so that you can meddle with the system they've had type-approved and may have to support if you bugger it up. (I'm sure you won't bugger it up, or claim free tech support if you did, but they don't know that.) Depending how much in-house R&D they do, they may not even have any such plugs to hand, all component stock being held by the assembly contractor in the far east.

The best bet is probably to buy a radio with an alternate mic connection on the back, and dismantle the mic that came with it - both to identify the cable cores and to obtain the correct plug. Maybe check that a replacement mic is offered as a spare if you're concerned about screwing up the job. Alternatively, buy a second-station extension cable and butcher that. In either case you'll have to hope it still works without the serial link to the buttons and (for second stations) display connected. I think there's a reasonable chance it would do, from what I remember of a Raymarine tech description and a brief chat with a colleague who once reverse-engineered an Icom second-station link.

Pete

 

[Gary Fox]

That's very infornative thanks, I'm a bit behind the times; my Sailor VHF is a big green metal box!