Radar Cable

[superheat6k]

The radar radome cable on my new boat passes up a somewhat restricted port hole in the base of thee stub mast. This really needs re-routing.

Can I simply cut and rejoin a radome link cable, as I assume at least some of it is special RF.

It is a Furuno set about 30 years old.

 

[kacecar]

I have a similarly old Furuno radar fitted to the mast of my boat and the cable has always been split at the base. The mast has to come down sometimes (numerous reasons) and it's a real PITA having to reconnect everything when it goes back up - but it can be done. The core of the small coaxial cable inside the radar cable (along with about a dozen other wires) is particularly fragile and it's reconnection is always the most difficult - indeed, it needs careful handling throughout the disconnection and reconnection processes. In my installation I'll have to extend that coaxial cable at some point soon - not looking forward to that at all!

 

[The Q]

If you are regularly connecting and disconnecting cables like that you are better off fitting proper plugs and sockets at that point and putting them inside a waterproof connector box.
A little one I worked on earlier.

 

[Boathook]

The radar radome cable on my new boat passes up a somewhat restricted port hole in the base of thee stub mast. This really needs re-routing.

Can I simply cut and rejoin a radome link cable, as I assume at least some of it is special RF.

It is a Furuno set about 30 years old.

Would the cable plug on the back display go back up through the existing hole? When I purchased my Furuno years ago the instructions said don't cut the cable. I rang Furuno and they said it can be cut but some of the cables are very small (as mentioned by Kacecar) and easily damaged. Luckily I managed to run the cable for mine without cutting as the plug was quite a small diameter. If I have to cut the cable I would use WAGO 221 connectors for re-joining the cable.

 

[Graham376]

I cut our Furuno cable and joined below deck with block connector. As said above, be careful with the very thin coax cable.

 

[superheat6k]

Thanks.

I am happy with fine cable jointing techniques, just do not fancy pulling back the cable all the way from the set.

I am looking to entirely replace the stub mast and will re-route the cables from a dedicated connection box (not quite as large as illustrated !!!), with a side entry into the new stub mast, close to the new pivot point to minimise cable movements as the mast is lowered and raised.

 

[Forty_Two]

No problem, i did exactly this when i installed my Furuno 34 years ago. Just make sure the cables either side of the joiner are well clamped. I have had zero problems apart from a drive belt in the radome.