Testing VHF Coax cable

[SV Someday Came]

Originally Posted by Tellie

What's that plate riveted on just above the cable exiting the mast? If that's some sort of opening to the base of the mast take it off and you probably will get a good view of what's floating around in there. If it is, it would sure make the job of dropping a weighted fish line down from the top and grabbing it there easy. If you don't have one already a good heavy 1/4" pop rivet gun with an assortment of aluminum and S/S rivets is a great addition to the tool box to re attach the plate. You can pick these up fairly cheap and it'll pay for itself the first time you use it.

Tellie:

That plate is an old aluminum placcard with some illegible writing on it. The GREAT news is that Willard Marine gave a copy of the orginal electrical schematic of my boat. Turns out they did not shred all the Willard blueprints like they orginally thought. Hmmmm.... I wonder if it would be bad form to post the wiring schematic?

Anyway, I was thinking maybe Willard brought the wires down the mast, turned the corner, and did a junction box before heading to the electrical panel. Unfortunately, the schematic shows a straight run down the mast to the electrical panel. However, I am hoping the wires turn and run through the bathroom molding -- there is a larger than normal piece of molding along the ceiling that looks like it might hold the mast wires. If so, I am going to cut into a wire and see what condition it is in. Of course, it wont tell me squat about what the wire is like at the top of the mast, but I can at least see if 33 years of corrosion has traveled 34 feet of wire.

Michael

Michael