Silva S15 VHF issue - probably terminal, but any ideas?

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bluedragon

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Worked fine last season. First time on after the winter and neither the squelch or volume is adjustable from the front buttons and channel only selectable from the handset mike, not the set itself. It seems to receive OK (inc.Navtex) and probably transmits...but with no squelch and volume stuck at half, it's basically unusable (continuous noise until there is a received transmission). I've tried contacting Silva support, but they don't exist anymore and the set is obsolete. Any bright ideas before it gets junked and I buy a new Icom? It would seem to be a corruption of the firmware rather than anything mechanical, but there doesn't seem to be any "reset" option.
 
Quite possibly damp inside. I had a similar problem with a handheld left in a locker over the winter. Suggest you disconnect it and if possible remove part of the casing, then leave in an airing cupboard for a week or so. My handheld was fine after doing this.
 
Yep, put it somewhere warm and dry for a few days.

Would suggest the Standard Horizon GX1500E or GX3000E if you need to replace it.

My Silva S15 still functioning so I cant replace it at the moment. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Mine had condensation in the front panel for a day or two earlier in the month, but its gone now.
 
I spoke to the current Silva agent (Plastimo, I think) on 01506 406288 a month ago and got expert advice...

Isn't there a plug in the back you can remove to allow ot to ventilate? The manual is available f.o.c. on the net.
 
Thanks for the contact number.

The good news is that following the advice here I have removed the ventilator screw and left the radio switched on for most of the day...as it warmed-up I noticed the functionality come back. It now seems to be OK. So fingers crossed it stays that way!!

Many thanks to all for the ideas.
 
I think Silva are called Nexus and they are based in Livingston. The number you have seems correct. I had 3 S15's all faulty caused by water ingress. These units are supposed to be waterproof to 3 feet of submersion! Anyway Silva were extrememly decent when it came to customer service and replaced the set on each occassion. I eventually ended up with a Nexus replacement, as Silva was no longer the brand they were selling. It is obviously the same/similar radio with a different case/colour but the insides might be improved. To be honest I thought the company was great, but the product is unfortunately not up to the required standard for outside use IMHO. I later sold the boat. Guess what the new boat has installed? Yup an S15! However as it's inside it works fine, although it's not the most intuitive set I have used. there is obviously a lot of firmware updating done on them as the set I have operates differently than than the ones I had before i.e. you can't simply key in the required channel number on the fist mike, which seems a stupid oversight given that the keys are all there. Also everytime I power it on, I get deafening background noise, which after a few seconds subsides to a less deafening racket. I have to press "SQ" then use the up arrow key and it calms down. It doesn't remember the setting and I have to go through this everytime it's switched on, which is tedious.
 
That's one of the problems I had after the winter. The squelch had reset itself to zero and the button wouldn't operate. It's been OK the last few days (squelch holds its setting) but now the SQ anf F buttons have become troublesome again /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I didn't know the S15 had a backup battery. That's definitely worth changing I think in any case.

As mine is now 4-years old, I'm not hopeful I'll get any exchange unit out of Silva.
 
Took it apart today. No sign of a battery on the circuit board, but two big capacitors that might be providing backup power?? Would they hold a charge long enough (months)?
 
I doubt the design would have changed that much, IIRC the battery is on the 'underside' of the PCB, have you taken it out and checked on both sides?
 
No I didn't...you might be right.

I'ts clear now my keypad problem is the SQ key not working when the set has warmed-up. Had a look but the dome contacts are all fixed onto the PCB, with surface-mount components attached on the back...so very difficult to do anything here. I guess I'll just have to put up with it and hope I don't have to alter the squelch whilst on passage. Or it's a new radio...
 
I faced the same dilemma, it irritated the [--word removed--] out of me having to reset the squelch, navtex settings etc. every time I turned it on so went for broke with the intention of buying a new one if my bodging failed..!
 
Oilyrag - your problem does sound like the battery backup had failed. The loss of all settings is what happened to me when I switched-on for the first time after winter, but I didn't have these issues before. At the moment it's holding the settings OK. My SQ key problem is something different again though, I fear.
 
Yes it was. Exactly the same symptoms, i.e. working fine at end of season, taken home for the winter, and problem arose when re-installed for the new season. Personally, I don't believe in co-incidences and therefore, and in my experience, I reckon that the problems with your set are related to a failed battery.
For the sake of a couple of quid for a new battery you've not got anything to lose by replacing it.
Regards
Oily
 
I've had some issues with my S15. For some reason I found that I could transmit and recieve on ch16, but on any working channel, or channel 80, where I had to call up my marina lock, I could not transmit anything. I couldnt receive anything from the marina, but I could hear other people calling the marina. It was all very odd... I did some searching and found THIS thread. I carried out the reset and it works like new again now...
 
My S15 lights up but does not receive. Navtex seems to work. I opened it and found a corroded 2-cell battery pack. One cell had about 1.2V on it, while the rusty one had close to 0V. It was unbranded, covered in green plastic and labelled 120mAhrs. Anybody know what this battery is and where you can get one?
Shame to bin it, because it worked fine for a long time, and I have the Navtex and GPS all wired up
 
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