radar

Not sailing this weekend, due to family commitments on Saturday..... was intending to go to Beaulieu Boat Jumble Sunday, but parents can't have kids, and don't really want them out of bed at 05h00 on the day before school starts again, plus crap weather forecast, so going to give it a miss... Instead, we are going to go down to the boat Sunday and try and get the scanner fitted for the radar... Several decisions made ref fitting the thing... Firstly its going at the spreaders at the side of the mast.... on the front of the mast it would have been firstly too high (in order to clear the babystay) and secondly, with a 24" raydome, would have been a PITA with the genoa, and would probably have needed a protector rail to avoid it getting trashed.... I'm going to mount it on the starboard side, so that the deadzone is more likely to be in the area where I am stand on vessel... Secondly, I have bought 3 through hull glands (another £45).... the radar cable will enter the mast through one of these, meaning that I only need to drill a 12mm hole... it will exeit at deck level, with another gland (I can't get the cable easily through the bung inside the mast at deck level) It will then go through the coachroof using the third gland.... So all I need now is a handful of Monel rivets, some Duralac paste and a small switch rated high enough for the radar (10amps should do it).... Hopefully the chandlery will stock these (I know they have Monel rivets... I saw them a couple of weeks back)... if they are a bit expensive for the switches, I'll just wire it directly to get it set up and tested, and then put a switch in over the next couple of weekends..... So, its up the mast with a drill for me!