Yorkshire Exile
Well-Known Member
Hi all
Some help please from the radio and electronic experts out there. [Having re-read this post I realise it's very dull so only continue if you have nothing better to do)
I inherited a Lowrance Link 5 VHF with my boat. The internal speaker is incorporated into the microphone handset. Reception was quite poor but was improved when I got the connector at the foot of the mast renewed. However when the engine is on it's still more or less impossible to hear anything intelligible from the speaker. Another interesting point is that although the squelch control works the volume control seemed to have no noticeable effect.
I have now connected an external speaker fitted in the cockpit. The oh so useful manual told me to connect the white wire to the +tve speaker cable and the bare wire to the -tve speaker cable. In reality the radio speaker connection has one white insulated and one blue insulated wire surrounded by a bare copper net sheath. I connected one speaker wire to the white cable and the other to the bare copper sheath. It works.
So Q.1 What are these wires and what connections should be made?
I've fitted a simple in line on/off switch. The manual tells me that the connection to the speaker should be made before powering on the radio. Q.2 Does this mean that turning the speaker on/off whilst the radio is on could cause damage?
Since connecting the external speaker my Lowrance Link 5 appears to have discovered some electronic form of Viagra. Both the external speaker and internal speaker blast out at terrific volume. And the volume control not only works but has to be used to reduce the din. Q.3 Why, why, why?
Thanks for getting to the end.
Some help please from the radio and electronic experts out there. [Having re-read this post I realise it's very dull so only continue if you have nothing better to do)
I inherited a Lowrance Link 5 VHF with my boat. The internal speaker is incorporated into the microphone handset. Reception was quite poor but was improved when I got the connector at the foot of the mast renewed. However when the engine is on it's still more or less impossible to hear anything intelligible from the speaker. Another interesting point is that although the squelch control works the volume control seemed to have no noticeable effect.
I have now connected an external speaker fitted in the cockpit. The oh so useful manual told me to connect the white wire to the +tve speaker cable and the bare wire to the -tve speaker cable. In reality the radio speaker connection has one white insulated and one blue insulated wire surrounded by a bare copper net sheath. I connected one speaker wire to the white cable and the other to the bare copper sheath. It works.
So Q.1 What are these wires and what connections should be made?
I've fitted a simple in line on/off switch. The manual tells me that the connection to the speaker should be made before powering on the radio. Q.2 Does this mean that turning the speaker on/off whilst the radio is on could cause damage?
Since connecting the external speaker my Lowrance Link 5 appears to have discovered some electronic form of Viagra. Both the external speaker and internal speaker blast out at terrific volume. And the volume control not only works but has to be used to reduce the din. Q.3 Why, why, why?
Thanks for getting to the end.