Raymarine Radio Mount

JD · 09-13-2010, 07:04 AM

On the new boat the radio is mounted on the fly bridge low on the front edge of the dash board.* It is low and*parallel to the deck.* So*if you are seated in the helm seat or standing up to drive the boat you can not see the face of the radio.** It is impossible to see which channel you are on without some contortion of some type and that is a pain when coming into a dock and the dock master asks you to switch to 68 or what ever and you can't see the radio and drive the boat at the same time.

So the*question is, does anyone know if Raymarine or some one else make a face plate that will change the angle at which the radio is installed in the panel so that the face is at a say 45* angle.

Thanks

Tom.B · 09-13-2010, 08:20 AM

Why not use a factory bracket (yolk) and mount it vertically to the same surface so the faceplate faces the sky?

JD · 09-13-2010, 08:36 AM

That's a possibility but I would prefer it to be in the dash.* The other possibility is to put it at the lower helm and get a remote second full feature mic for the upper.

-- Edited by JD on Monday 13th of September 2010 08:36:58 AM

Codger2 · 09-13-2010, 08:48 AM

Quote:

JD wrote:"* The other possibility is to put it at the lower helm and get a remote second full feature mic for the upper."

I like this approach for a lot of reasons. (ie) Keeping the main radio out of the*******
elements, the new command mics are excellent, etc.

*

-- Edited by SeaHorse II on Monday 13th of September 2010 09:02:50 AM

JD · 09-13-2010, 09:22 AM

That may end up being the answer in the long run.

koliver · 09-13-2010, 08:49 PM

my old Standard Horizon has a tilted face, just for that type of mounting. It also has a "RAM" remote mike that has all of the controls on a waterproof unit that is all I have up top.
The newer units still have both features, and now you get DSC and can get AIS all in the one unit. If I needed a new radio, that's what I would get.

Marin · 09-13-2010, 09:03 PM

Quote:

JD wrote:

So*if you are seated in the helm seat or standing up to drive the boat you can not see the face of the radio.** It is impossible to see which channel you are on without some contortion of some type

We have a radio on the flying bridge but we never use it since we never drive from up there.* But in the main cabin we decided it could be handy to be able to control, answer, and talk on*the lower helm station*radio from the L-settee at the aft end of the cabin as well as at the helm station itself.* So we bought an Icom Command Mic (which obviously works with the main radio) and mounted it on the main cabin aft bulkhead where it is easily visible and reachable from the L-settee.* We ran the connecting cable*across the engine room overhead.

So if your flying bridge radio is too hard to see while operating the boat and remounting it is difficult, if it will take a remote command-type*mic you could simply do that.* There is no law that says a remote mike has to be remote.

I don't know what your flying bridge configuration is like, but on a GB there are a couple of doors in the aft face of the consol to give access to the storage space inside the consol.* The position of these doors changed over the years, but on our boat there is one immediately starboard of the helm.* We mounted the flying bridge radio vertically*to the inside of this door using the supplied yoke mount with the radio mounted in it backwards.* So when the door is latched open the display is oriented correctly to the helm and aimed up.* When the door is closed, the radio is out of sight inside the consol.* If your boat has*a similar door it might provide another place to mount a radio in such a way as to be readable whether your sitting down or standing up.

-- Edited by Marin on Monday 13th of September 2010 09:13:20 PM

Steve · 09-14-2010, 05:18 AM

My flying bridge radio is mounted vertically on the console, positioned where I can see and, reach it well standing or seated. I cover it with a towel when I wash the boat to keep water out of the speaker.
The boat came with a ratty wired remote mic for the main radio, but I like to have two "full" radios plus a hand held on board, there is LOTS of commercial traffic on our section of the GICWW.
Steve W.