Squelch problem

[Reggie]

Hi - i have a fixed Garmin 100 VHF in my RIB. The boat is second hand but new to me and the problem i have is that i can only receive and transmit when the squelch is actually turned on.
On previous radios i tune so the squelch is just tuned out and a clear signal is heard. If i do this with this radio then i hear and receive nothing - its possible my tranmissions are heard but I'd never know.

Any ideas if i am doingg something wrong? Its the same on all stations - with noisy squelch being heard i can tx and rx - tune it out and all goes quiet.

The other issue with the radio is that after about 20 minutes of being on the screen fogs up - fact of life or fault? Guessing fault but also guessing its not connected with above squelch problem.

Thanks v much, all help massively appreciated.

[ShinyShoe]

What aerial arrangement do you have? If you could convince yourself it's Ok, then transmit followed by MONI function if there is one or just open the SQL up after Tx. Not aware of SQL affect Tx.

It's either aerial or electronic.

Misting... Known issue with these radios IIRC.

[willk]

Without knowing if your transmissions are working then it's all a little vague - but it DOES sound as though your Squelch circuit is faulty. Basically, your squelch needs to be fully open for you to hear anything?

On the up side, every Garmin 100 I've had the (not) pleasure of using has fogged up within 20 minutes. Maybe now is the time to wig it out and go with an offering from Icom?

[Poly]

Who are you testing with? A handheld close by? And are you in an area with loads of potential VHF noise? How much do you have to turn up the squelch to get silence?

In terms of the misting you have moisture in the radio it's not ideal, and it's trapped in there. You can remove a screw or drill a hole and fit some silica gel (or better still a molecular serve if you know a friendly chemist/physicist) in there to absorb the moisure. You need to reseal the hole afterwards but it's already leaking somewhere!

As a safety critical bit of kit I'd replace it.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Reggie

Hi - i have a fixed Garmin 100 VHF in my RIB. The boat is second hand but new to me and the problem i have is that i can only receive and transmit when the squelch is actually turned on.
On previous radios i tune so the squelch is just tuned out and a clear signal is heard. If i do this with this radio then i hear and receive nothing - its possible my tranmissions are heard but I'd never know.

Any ideas if i am doingg something wrong? Its the same on all stations - with noisy squelch being heard i can tx and rx - tune it out and all goes quiet.

The other issue with the radio is that after about 20 minutes of being on the screen fogs up - fact of life or fault? Guessing fault but also guessing its not connected with above squelch problem.

Thanks v much, all help massively appreciated.

i had the same problem same radio spoke to Garmin sent it to them £70 for a re-con unit.i had two Garmin with condensation in them wouldn't buy another would go icom in future.

cheers

[Reggie]

thanks all - given the two issues it has then i think i'll swap it out as seems like its only a matter of time. I'm assuming the connectors on the back are generic and the same as ICOM or another type.
Advice much appreciated thanks.

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by Reggie

I'm assuming the connectors on the back are generic and the same as ICOM or another type.

Thanks you've cheared my Monday morning up with talk like that...

You can be 90% sure that Garmin have their own connectors and the atmosphere on your boat will be something like this:



To be sure we'd need some pictures I suspect.



However - the wires leading to those connectors will be fairly standard. So you'll have:

12V + (?Red, fused)
12V - (?Black)

Coax cable - it is more likely to be a universal fit but there are a couple of designs out there.

If you have a GPS that its linked to you can have anything from 1 to 4 wires carrying data. There is no standard colour code, but with some info (GPS Model, Radio Model) we can probably point you to which colours go where...