# VHF Radio won't transmit



## scurvy (Jul 24, 2006)

Hey everyone,

I was out on the boat yesterday working on the engine and when I had finished I tried to hail the launch, but got no response, I tried the hailing channel a few times more, but again no response...I tried several other channels to see if perhaps that channel was tied up due to a club race that was going on and the launch was very busy, but again...nothing. 

After getting the launches attention with a few blasts of the air horn, I asked if we might try to go back to channel 68 and see if he could hear my transmission...he could not, but I could receive his clear as a bell?

When I depress the bar on the handset, the static/squelch cuts out as though it is making (or at least attempting) a transmission...

Any idea what might be plaguing my aging VHF Radio??? Time to get a new one?

Chris


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Well...first thing to check is if the TX light is coming on the front panel of your radio when you press the transmit button to talk. If not...time for a new radio. 
If it is coming on...chances are it is an antenna/wire corrosion issue. If you have acess to someone with an SWR meter, you can check the output of the radio and the quality of your antenna connection. Alternatively...you can buy a spare emergency VHF antenna (a good idea to have anyway) and hook it up to your radio and see if others can hear you. That will identify if the problem is radio or antenna system. 
The shakespeare emergency vhf antenna is available here for $44.


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## SEMIJim (Jun 9, 2007)

scurvy said:


> After getting the launches attention with a few blasts of the air horn, I asked if we might try to go back to channel 68 and see if he could hear my transmission...he could not, but I could receive his clear as a bell?


May or may not be informative. Doesn't really take much to receive. You could stick a coat hanger out the back and it would receive over that distance. But the transmitter, depending on design, may dislike something like that sufficiently that it would simply refuse to use it. (In layman's terms.)



scurvy said:


> When I depress the bar on the handset, the static/squelch cuts out as though it is making (or at least attempting) a transmission...


Well, we know the microphone switch is working and the radio is "seeing" it.



scurvy said:


> Any idea what might be plaguing my aging VHF Radio??? Time to get a new one?


When you press the transmit button, do listeners hear their squelch break, but simply no audio, or are you not even breaking their squelch? If the former: Bad microphone or coiled cord would be the most likely suspects. Issue in the radio's electronics my second guess.

If you're really not transmitting even a dead carrier, either the radio's transmitter section is kaput or _possibly_ the transmission line (coax) or antenna are so out-of-whack the transmitter refuses to transmit out of a desire for self-preservation.

Got any Ham Radio friends? A competent Ham (no longer a guarantee, alas ) should be able to suss it out in short order.

If it is the radio: As to whether it's worth repairing or you're better-off replacing, well, that's a judgement call. If it were me, having a GPS capable of chatting with the newer radios--capable of both sending and receiving MOB and other digital distress data, and I could afford to do it, I think it'd be a good excuse to upgrade .

Jim


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## scurvy (Jul 24, 2006)

Great Suggestions!!!

I replaced all the coax cables and connectors, but the old antenna stayed. May or may not be the culprit, but the radio is a vintage Uniden (c. 1980). Probably time for a new one, but she was a good one while she worked!

An antenna replacement could be in order, but at this stage in the game would require a trip up the mast (Drat!)  

Looking into some hand helds as I write this...
Thanks again for the suggestions and information
Chris


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## SEMIJim (Jun 9, 2007)

cam's suggestion of trying another antenna was a good one. (I hadn't thought of that.) If you don't want to buy a test/backup antenna, perhaps a friend on another boat will let you try hooking-up your radio there, for a test?

Jim


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## scurvy (Jul 24, 2006)

SEMIJim said:


> cam's suggestion of trying another antenna was a good one. (I hadn't thought of that.) If you don't want to buy a test/backup antenna, perhaps a friend on another boat will let you try hooking-up your radio there, for a test?
> 
> Jim


Good Thinking!!!! 
I will try that first....
Chris


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## TSteele65 (Oct 19, 2006)

If it's 27 yrs old, I'd replace it as a matter of course. You can get Uniden Solara for under $100.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Umm.. have you tried using an SWR meter to see if the antenna is connected properly and that the radio is actually transmitting, and what power level it is transmitting at? BTW, if it is an older radio and the antenna is not connected properly, and you tried to transmit, you may have fried the transmitter. IIRC, that was a possibility with older VHF units.


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## scurvy (Jul 24, 2006)

I think it is time to deep six the radio. Already looking into a new hand held unit. 
Thanks for all the advice and great ideas...still will carry out a few of these suggestions just in case this ever happens again...I have only owned two radios before...this being the second (never had this happen). I have learned a lot through this post. Thanks again for all the help with my dilemma!

Chris


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Scurvy-

I'd seriously reconsider getting just a handheld unit. The handheld units, while very convenient, do have the problem that they are much more limited in range and power. Also, most of the handhelds, excepting a few by SH and Uniden, don't support DSC, and the ones that do only support the emergency features of DSC. 

And while you're at it.. replace the antenna.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Chris-
Absolutely not. If your antenna is faulty, or the antenna connection is faulty, or there's a bad connection to the antenna--you'll just have the same problems with a new radio, and perhaps fry it as well.

See if you can test out your radio, in a radio shop or chandlery or with someone else's boat where you know the antenna is good. Or try the $44 emergency antenna, it's something you can always keep on the boat since antennas up the mast often fail anyhow.

Some radio shops might even check the radio out for you (to see if it is transmitting at all) for nothing if you come in when things are slow, it only takes a couple of minutes.


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## BeneteauMark (Nov 7, 2002)

I second the motion to check the antenna with an SWR meter. If you end up replacing your radio, I'd suggest Icom. While Uniden is also a good name, Icom's been around a while and I've had the best luck with their products of the ones I've owned. They make ham gear as well as marine radios, and hams can be a fussy bunch.

Mark
Lake St. Clair, MI


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## SEMIJim (Jun 9, 2007)

Scurvy,

Agree w/what SD said: Re: Hand-held vs. mounted radio wrt range. I'd maybe have a hand-held as a backup, but never as my primary.

To all suggesting he check his antenna with an SWR meter: That'll only work if his transmitter is actually transmitting anything . If the antenna system _is_ at fault, it sounds like it's so bad either his transmitter is immediately shutting-down to protect itself or its fried.

Scurvy, you might also check the thread entitled "VHF Problem," in this sub-forum. (I tried to post a link, but the posting software wouldn't render it properly.) It was about a disfunctional antenna.

Good luck!

Jim


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## scurvy (Jul 24, 2006)

sailingdog said:


> Scurvy-
> 
> I'd seriously reconsider getting just a handheld unit. The handheld units, while very convenient, do have the problem that they are much more limited in range and power. Also, most of the handhelds, excepting a few by SH and Uniden, don't support DSC, and the ones that do only support the emergency features of DSC.


Thanks Sailingdog! Already considered that. For the next few years, we will be doing daysails and overnights coastal cruising....no more than 4-5 miles out. We have three children, two under the age of 3, so it will more than likely be limited to day trips in the bay. I will save the pennies in the meantime and get a better Built-in VHF unit that does support DSC, etc...

Just need a quick and inexpensive fix to get us through the season.


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## scurvy (Jul 24, 2006)

SEMIJim said:


> Scurvy,
> 
> Agree w/what SD said: Re: Hand-held vs. mounted radio wrt range. I'd maybe have a hand-held as a backup, but never as my primary.
> 
> To all suggesting he check his antenna with an SWR meter: That'll only work if his transmitter is actually transmitting anything . If the antenna system _is_ at fault, it sounds like it's so bad either his transmitter is immediately shutting-down to protect itself or its fried. Good luck! Jim


Thanks Jim,
Just purchased a new antenna and will run up the mast this weekend. The antenna may have been damaged when the mast was stepped? Everything seemed to be working fine before she went into the water???

Thanks 
Chris


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Glad to help Scurvy... have a couple of oranges on me...


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## Everlong (Nov 20, 2006)

antenna can not be faulty, if anything, its the wiring, the first thing i would do, is hookup (or just hold it there) an automotive bulb 12v 20w(?) where the plug from the antenna goes on your radio, and pres transmit (TX) on your radio, see if the bulb lights up, that should not be done over longer period of times that a fraction of the second. If it does, it will tell you that your radio is transmitting. Get a coat hanger just like somebody suggested here, and see if you can talk to someone using that Check the wiring, plugs, solder points etc on the cable. Sometimes its also possible for the radio to get missaligned, but i doubt that it would get that bad, and your buddy wouldnt hear you at all.


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## scurvy (Jul 24, 2006)

Everlong said:


> antenna can not be faulty, if anything, its the wiring, the first thing i would do, is hookup (or just hold it there) an automotive bulb 12v 20w(?) where the plug from the antenna goes on your radio, and pres transmit (TX) on your radio, see if the bulb lights up, that should not be done over longer period of times that a fraction of the second.


Hi Everlong!

WOW...really??? I have never heard of this method. I will back check all the connections, though they all seemed to be pretty good, but I will take them apart and readjust to make sure. How can you be so sure that it isn't the antenna? Just curoius...?

Chris


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Antennas almost never go "bad" what goes bd is the connection between them and your radio...at the ends or through moisture leaching in under the cable cover over time and destroying the electrical conductivity of the cable. Do NOT install your new antenna until you have checked out the other stuff I and others have advised. You will more than likely want to get your $$ back.


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## scurvy (Jul 24, 2006)

camaraderie said:


> Antennas almost never go "bad" what goes bd is the connection between them and your radio...at the ends or through moisture leaching in under the cable cover over time and destroying the electrical conductivity of the cable.


The only section that was not replaced was the bit of coax that runs
from the radio to the connection at the mast. Perhaps this has gone bad, or the 
connectors are not compatible (too old or corroded) though I visually inspected them earlier and they seemed fine? I can always replace the coax that connects the antenna to the unit.

I need to find someone at the club that will let me test out on their system to see if in fact it is either the connection(s) on my end, or that the radio is shot. Will take it from there. I will hold off on the antenna, but will hold on to it for the future (got a sweet deal on it, so no biggy!)

Chris


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