Poor VHF reception

[dbsea]

I am stumped by this. I have the Garmin VHF 200 radio, with the secondary unit on the flybridge. I believe it's wired in through my Garmin AIS 600. Often times I hear more static than anything else over the VHF. I have checked all the connections, etc. How should I go about troubleshooting this?

 

[HookedUp]

There could be several issues, but I had problems with LEDs and so have a lot of people. You can find a lot about it on the web, and this article helps: https://vesselvanguard.com/are-led-lights-causing-vhf-radio-interference/

 

[dbsea]

Thank you. I've made sure to replace all my light bulbs with the ones from Marine Beam to prevent this from happening, so I guess I need to move on to the next troubleshooting step...

 

[Texas Tuggernaut]

Our 2013 R27 came with a Garmin 200 VHF. It seemed to receive ok but frequently transmitted poorly. I sent it to Garmin to have the previous owner’s MMSI number removed so I could put in our number. I also ask them to bench test it. Sure enough, it failed.
I replaced it with a Standard Horizon GX2400 VHF-AIS which was about $399. It fit in the same hole in the dash and I now have an AIS receiver and a VHF that works.


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[fishheadbarandgrill]

Thank you. I've made sure to replace all my light bulbs with the ones from Marine Beam to prevent this from happening, so I guess I need to move on to the next troubleshooting step...

I have Marinebeam LEDs in my anchor and running lights. I have cheap Amazon LEDs in all other fixtures. The only interference I get on my VHF 200 radio is from the running lights. I suspect it is the stbd running light because it is closest to the radio and it contains three times as many LEDs as the closest interior Amazon LED. It's barely noticeable but did register when doing the USCG LED test.

 

[dbsea]

Our 2013 R27 came with a Garmin 200 VHF. It seemed to receive ok but frequently transmitted poorly. I sent it to Garmin to have the previous owner’s MMSI number removed so I could put in our number. I also ask them to bench test it. Sure enough, it failed.
I replaced it with a Standard Horizon GX2400 VHF-AIS which was about $399. It fit in the same hole in the dash and I now have an AIS receiver and a VHF that works.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

good to know, thank you. Mine has the opposite issue - I can transmit fine but it's a lot of static on receiving. My cruising buddy that we are with right now says it's just a line-of-sight issue, since I could hear him no problem. The Roche Harbor Marina attendants all use handhelds apparently and they don't travel far. I will check all of my connections and give it another shot and see what's up... I already have the Garmin AIS 600 on my boat and am happy with that, so I would probably change out to the ICOM radios, as they are supposed to be the best in class, if I decide I need to replace it.