RAY 54 VHF RADIO

[Lobo]

I thought the following might be of interest to some of you regarding the Ray54 VHF radio.

I also didn't get along with the location, so I moved it so that it now hangs from the overhead, just starboard of centre. I can now see it more clearly. Removal was quite easy -- it is held in only with caulking and careful work with an exacto knife cuts through the caulking and out it comes. Routing the antenna cord involved removing the behind-sink cabinet and trim holding the curtain beside the helm. Interesting and fun -- amazing what is hidden back there. To get the antenna cable from its behind-the-dash location to the wall cabinet, I removed the voltage regulator and pulled carefully. There was enough room for the cable and end knob to be pulled through.

I was annoyed with the BEEPS that the radio makes so until now, I usually used a hand-held. Today I hooked the VHF into my GPS and now that the two are talking to each other, the BEEPS have stopped! Those BEEPS tell you that the VHF is not getting GPS information.

I have an after-market chartplotter/radar as well as a 3 year old Garmin GPS76 handheld. I've had such good service from that Garmin that I decided to hook the VHF into it instead of my fancy chartplotter.

I am hoping to see some other R25 owners at the Seattle Boat Show.

Dave Trace
"LOBO"
Victoria BC

 

[K7MXE]

Yes it will beep till the gps finds the location and then quiet. I wanted the DSC feature to
work but with the new AIS it turned into a major hassle. Looking it over I wish I had just
hooked up a extra gps unit to the Ray 54 and not routed it to the chart plotter. Good radio
and not overpriced for what it does. Bob Heselberg Eatonville Wa