Antenna Connections, Antenna Mounting Suggestions | Raymarine Ray54

8	Ray54 VHF Radio

2.7 Antenna Connections

The coaxial VHF antenna cable connects to the Ray54 antenna jack on the rear panel using a PL259 VHF type connector. The antenna cable length can be critical to performance. If you are uncertain, contact a professional installer or call Raymarine Product Support. If a longer cable length is required, RG-8x (50 ohm) marine coaxial cable or equivalent cable can be used for runs up to a maximum of 50 feet. If the distance required is even greater, Raymarine recommends using low loss RG-213 or equivalent cable for the entire run to avoid excessive losses in power output.

If the antenna RF connector is likely to be exposed to the marine environment, a protective coating of grease (Dow Corning DC-4 or similar) can be applied to the connector before connecting it to the radio. Any other extensions or adapters in the cable run should also be protected by silicon grease and then wrapped with a waterproofing tape.

Antenna Mounting Suggestions

Mounting the VHF antenna properly is very important because it will directly affect the performance of your VHF radio. Use a VHF antenna designed for marine vessels.

Since VHF transmission is essentially line-of-sight, mount the antenna at a location on the vessel that is free of obstruction to obtain maximum range.

If you must extend the length of the coaxial cable between the antenna and the radio, use a coaxial cable designed for the least amount of power loss over the entire cable length.

Antenna Mounting and EME Exposure

For optimal radio performance and minimal human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic energy, make sure the antenna is:

•connected to the radio before transmitting

•properly mounted

•located where it will be away from people

•located at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) from the radio

Image 18

Raymarine Ray54 manual Antenna Connections, Antenna Mounting Suggestions, Antenna Mounting and EME Exposure

Contents

Ray54 Page Introduction WarrantyAbout this Handbook Conventions Used Station License Important InformationFCC Notice Operator License Maritime Mobile Service Identity Mmsi Industry Canada Antenna Mounting and EME Exposure Safe Compass DistanceEMC Conformance Contents CLEAR/WX Distress Digital Selective Calling DSC How to Contact Raymarine Features IntroductionRay54 Fixed Station VHF Radio Digital Selective Calling DSC Installation Unpacking and InspectionEquipment Supplied Planning the Installation Typical Mounting MethodsFlush Mounting Typical Mounting Methods Power Connections Wiring Connections External Speaker Connections GroundingGPS/NMEA Data Antenna Connections Antenna Mounting SuggestionsAntenna Mounting and EME Exposure Getting Started Keypad and Rotary Knobs Microphone Keys Main Unit Rotary KeysMain Unit Push Keys PTT MicrophoneMain Unit 16/9 CALL/MENU HILO/USER LCD Display 12 /9 Battery Low HI/LO TX PowerLocal Local/Distant Mode User Favorite Channel Mode I C Channel Set WX Weather ChannelAlert Weather Alert Simplex Channel Setting the Squelch Turning the Power on and OFFSetting the Volume Setting the Power Output Overriding the Low Output Power Restriction On the microphone Setting the ChannelSelecting a Weather Channel On the main unit Selecting the Priority Channel Weather Alert Operation Selecting the Secondary Priority Channel Reprograming the Secondary Priority Channel Using the Scan Modes Transmitting All Scan Saved Memory Scan Priority All Scan Adding Channels to Memory Priority Saved Scan General Operations Using the Monitor Modes Dual Watch Tri Watch User Channel Mode Menu Mode OperationDSC Call Operation Digital Selective Calling DSC Group DSC Call FunctionIndividual ALL Ships Position RequestRX Call LOG Individual Calls Making DSC Calls to Coast StationsTransmitting an Individual Call If using Manual Mmsi ID entry Ray54 VHF Radio To cancel the mode without sending ACK Receiving Individual Calls Group Calls Transmitting a Group Call Digital Selective Calling DSC Receiving Group Calls To ignore the Group Call All Ships Calls Transmitting an All Ships Call Receiving an All Ships Call To decline the All Ships Call Distress Calls Sending a Distress Call Undesignated Quick Distress Call Designated Distress Call To cancel the automatic Distress resend press CLEAR/WX Cancelling a Distress Call Made in Error Receiving a Distress Call Receiving a Distress ACK Sent from a Coast Station Receiving a Distress Relay Sent by Another Station Position Request Specifying the Target Vessel If using Manual Mmsi ID entry When no reply is received within 3 minutes Retrieving the Last Received Position Data Call Log Receiving a Position Request From Another Station Making a Call from a Call Log Entry Saving an Mmsi ID Number from a Call Log Entry Press and hold the SCAN/SAVE key DSC Distress Log Menu Settings Menu Function Using the Microphone Keys to Make Selections DSC Phonebook Adding an Entry Use same procedure to enter the Mmsi characters Editing an Existing Entry Deleting an Existing Entry Backlight Adjustment Contrast AdjustmentLocal / Distant GPS/Time Setup When GPS Information Not Available Rotate the CH knob to scroll through the selections Settings Menu Settings Time Offset Latitude/Longitude DisplayTime Display Time Format Radio Setup Band Ring Volume Channel CH NameKey Beep DSC Setup My Mmsi ID Group Mmsi Setup Group Name Menu Settings Editing an Existing Entry Position Reply Automatic Channel Changing for Incoming Calls Procedure When Enabled Procedure When Disabled Resetting Factory Defaults Product Repair and Service Customer ServiceHow to Contact Raymarine On the Internet Accessories and Parts Technical Support Appendix a Specifications GeneralPLL Receiver Transmitter Appendix B Channel List Marine VHF Channels and FrequenciesXmit RCV 86Ray54 VHF Radio Freq Use 82A AC, GL Canadian Marine VHF Channels and FrequenciesWC, EC PC, AC, GL 156.750 All areas AC, GL, PC 90Ray54 VHF Radio EC, PC 156.875 Area of Operation AC, GL, NL International Marine VHF Channels & Frequencies 94Ray54 VHF Radio 161.925 WX Channels North America only Appendix C Glossary VOL VHF Index Numerics Mmsi 101 102