Welcome to the Panbo Marine Technology Forums.
Notifications
Clear all
General Marine Electronics
2
Posts
2
Users
0
Reactions
739
Views
Topic starter
May 18, 2024 10:38 am
I have a Raymarine 240 vhf radio. The problem I am having is I have to turn to squelch to the lowest level to receive a transmission. Even on the lowest squelch I am only receiving nearby signals. AIS is also only seeing close by vessels. Even the weather channels only comes in if I turn the squelch to zero. I have a shared antenna between the vhf and AIS. Is this an antenna or a transceiver problem?
April 28, 2025 11:40 pm
First suspect would be antenna and coax feedline. You could easily check by plugging another antenna in, wouldn't have to be mounted up or anything. If it works better than your existing antenna, then it is proving your old setup is not good.
Low squelch setting could indicate you're not picking up electronic noise due to bad feedline. Recommend a marine grade coax - there really is a difference, the tinned strands don't corrode as fast as bare copper in "landlubber coax". RG-8X (5/16" OD) is lower loss than RG-58 (just under 1/4" OD). Foam dielectric (inner insulation) is also lower loss than solid milky plastic. And the screw-on or setscrew connectors are not (IMHO) as good as the soldered on ones. See if you have a Ham Radio friend who can help you with the connector.
