The difficulty of cable passages in boat renovation
One of the problems in the renovation of a boat is the passage of new cables. Indeed, when a shipyard builds a new boat, whether it is a sailboat or a motorboat, it carries out all the technical installation (electrical cables, plumbing pipes, various sheaths) before mounting the fittings and finishing by bridging.
When renovating or installing new equipment, it is important to think about how to run new wires without disturbing existing installations. To run bare wire, it is advisable to use an electrician's needle that serves as a grommet (a guide) for the new wire. Everything is fine - or almost - when the wire is bare, but what if it already has a plug on the end?
This is often the case for VHF connections. The cable provided, a coaxial, is delivered with a large BNC plug at its end to connect to the device or at the other end to the antenna. Often the cable is only a few millimeters in diameter (between 5 and 8 mm) while the much larger plug is nearly 20 mm! Not easy to get through, especially when crossing the bridge which requires a good seal.
Reconnecting a VHF antenna
The first solution is to cut the wire and to come and reinstall a new outlet . But the connection must be done properly to avoid losing power to your device. This requires some skill and soldering. Simpler is the solution from Glomeasy (a brand of Glomex, an Italian antenna supplier).
With Glomeasy, you get an entire system ready to use. The coaxial wires are already crimped with tiny plugs, barely larger than the wire itself. Once the wire is in place, after clearing the obstacles of the partitions and the bridge, you screw on the right plug that will fit on your equipment.
An affordable system
I tested the product to install an antenna on top of my speedboat, which is connected to the AIS on board the boat. So I ordered :
- A VHF antenna 1,20 m : 44,78 euros
- A base for antenna : 18,00 euros
- A stainless steel ball joint : 69,50 euros
- A 3 m coaxial cable : 22,15 euros
- One PL259 adapter : 8,52 euros
Total : 162,95 euros HT
This price is understandable, because I ordered a stainless steel articulated ball joint which almost doubles the price. There are fixed or even articulated ball joints in Nylon for less than 20 euros. I also chose a 3 m cable, but there are several lengths up to 25 m, which could be useful for an installation at the top of the mast of a sailboat.
After the investment, it is especially the ease of installation that is to be taken into account. It was done quickly since once the cable was in place, I just had to tighten the connectors. The cable is screwed directly to the antenna and at the other end it is screwed to the adapter that comes in my AIS. Simple, fast and clean. On my boat, the watertightness on the roof is ensured under the ball joint of the antenna, thus avoiding a watertight gland.
Glomeasy products are distributed to shipchandlers by VDM-Reya.
