VHF RAY90 replacing RAY230E - thoughts on new setup

[skippeer]

I have a sailing yacht build 2002 with 2 VHF handsets; one at the navstation and one at the helm.

2-3 years ago failed the cord cable to the handset in the cockpit, I believe the rubber was "killed" by sun due to wrong selection of rubber.....
I tried to get the cord replaced but no spareparts available.

During 2022 did I notice similar issues with the cord for the handset at the navstation.
It's time for a replacement due to aging rubber.

I like the black box VHF design but initially did I look for non-Raymarine stations like ICOM.
After reading review of RAY90 written by "panbo" did I focus on Raymarine again.

Wired / Wireless second handset?
As many other sailors do I try to find solutions with lowest power consumption.
I checked the consumption of the wireless hub and wireless active speaker both has according to technical data a current consumption of around 1 A ==>> No wireless.

Embedded AIS ?
Compared RAY91 with embedded AIS with a solution based on RAY90 + AIS 100 Splitter (installed 2016) + AIS 650 (installed 2016).
Probably will RAY91 consume less power but the price tag is a bit too high for me with a Scottish mindset (even if I am a Swede )

External Speaker watt at the helm?
RAY230E Monitor Speaker Amplifier : A 5W/4W output TDA1905 (IC802) is used for the speaker amplifier to implement an
output of 2W/4W.
RAY90 Max speaker power output 5 W (8 Ω)

My current believe is that I shall go with RAY90 + second handset kit (RayMic, passive speaker, 10 m extension cable).

Anyone done this "journey" and can share some experience if the passive speaker is good enough in the cockpit even in windy conditions?

 

[KompetentKrew]

I went for the B&G V100, but chose the non-AIS model in the end as it was cheaper to buy this and a class B+ em-trak AIS transponder than it was to buy the AIS version of the B&G VHF (V100S).

The B&G V100 / V100S has separate antenna connections for the VHF and AIS antennas, so you need a second antenna or a separate VHF splitter. Whereas the em-trak I bought has a built-in splitter and a class B+ AIS transponder (in contrast to the V100S's transponder which is only class B).

I don't remember if I considered the Raymarine - the arrangement with the separate wireless speakers strikes me as very odd.

I think I find the B&G's handsets more pleasing, and they are complete units in that. they contain both speaker and mic. There is also an external speaker. I found B&G's support very helpful - they told me "internal speaker on the handsets can be very loud but might not be loud enough for you to hear if someone is calling you through VHF depending on ambient noise…" and that "you can use any 4ohm 8Watts speaker" for the external one. They suggested this speaker as an alternative to the supplied one, and it is also available in white.

I've not tested the V100 yet. I'm afraid I can't comment on power consumption as I'm not as concerned about it as you seem to be.

 

[harvey38]

I installed a Standard Horizon 1850 unit, non AIS but has a wired, full functionality mic. Cracking bit of kit, easy to use, easy to operate, very good audio.

 

[Schuss39]

I fitted the Ray90 a couple of years ago. One handset at the nav station and at the cockpit steering wheel.

The difficult part of this installation was the 10 meter extension cable which links the two locations. To state it was a buzzer of a job ......... The 10m cable has two different sized plugs on the ends. Hence ensure you plan your extension cable route in great detail. Do not cut the cable.

I already had a "waterproof speaker" in the cockpit which I did not replace. Used the passive speaker at the nav station.

The radio from either handsets & speakers works a treat. I also installed the AIS700 which has the builtin splitter. No issues with this either. I remove the cockpit handset from the cockpit when the boat gets shut up, prevents some of the uv killing the cable! A 30 second job.

Good luck.