Vhf speaker install

[Lt.Mike]

Picked up an external speaker for my vhf. Easy to install in this spot, even have two bolts under it in the dash doing nothing that line up perfect with its mounting bracket. Looks good there, would hear it clearly there, and it’s even protected under the windshield but there’s just one problem , it’s spinning the compass .
Damn.
Gonna have to put it under the helm.

 

[PDX-Boats]

That said serve you well. The built-in speakers just aren't effective.

 

[ROBERTH]

Test placement under the helm also with the compass. I was going to re-locate my 6" fusion speakers to under the helm, but they were affecting the compass when placed less than 6' away.
I mounted my VHF speaker on the hardtop aft, just behind my head when sitting at the wheel.

 

[Lt.Mike]

I think I’ve only used my compass once or twice for navigation maybe twice and that was in my prior boat so it’s there as more nautical decoration than anything else. Can’t write it off as it is back up for when the gps fails.
My stereo speakers are shielded, you’d think Standard would do the same. Now I’m wondering about something else, these are amplified, would the magnetic pull increase when it’s power is turned on?
The horizon standard radios internal speaker is kinda distorted if you turn it up to anything over a whisper.

 

[seasick]

Many external marine speakers are magnetically shielded to a point. In general, even shielded speakers should not be mounted very close to a compass.
To see if your speaker is shielded unbolt it an while keeping it about a foot away from the compass move it around in a circle and watch the needle. If it moves, your speaker is not magnetically shielded

 

[seasick]

I think I’ve only used my compass once or twice for navigation maybe twice and that was in my prior boat so it’s there as more nautical decoration than anything else. Can’t write it off as it is back up for when the gps fails.
My stereo speakers are shielded, you’d think Standard would do the same. Now I’m wondering about something else, these are amplified, would the magnetic pull increase when it’s power is turned on?
The horizon standard radios internal speaker is kinda distorted if you turn it up to anything over a whisper.

The fact they you very rarely use your compass is scary
I have two plotters on my small boat and I look at the compass all the time. Compass read magnetic north and my plotters are configured to read true north.
Mostly I used both compass and plotter headings to help me monitor drift while fishing.

 

[Lt.Mike]

The fact they you very rarely use your compass is scary
I have two plotters on my small boat and I look at the compass all the time. Compass read magnetic north and my plotters are configured to read true north.
Mostly I used both compass and plotter headings to help me monitor drift while fishing.

Fact is I don’t fish offshore, I have a 20’ boat. I’m not one of those indestructible guys that takes a cork to the mud hole or canyon.
If the shore is to my left I’m going north, to my right south. The ocean East, land west.
Don’t need a compass for that kind of fishing and if I did that’d be scary .
In fact the very few times I’ve used it was when I got socked in with a summer fog.
That does happen and for that reason I’m not removing the compass but have bought a second gimble mount to put the speaker under the helm away from it’s influence on the compass. I’ll use a couple 4 pin connectors to make it easy to move it down below if I need to use the compass.

 

[seasick]

The boat I am referring is 20 foot. I also only fish bays and near shore. Often I force myself to not look at the plotter and only at the compass to hopefully make me less dependent on the plotter. That is hard to do

 

[blindmullet]

A lot of my spots that are 30-50 miles out are due West. I use it all the time to get me to the coast on the way back. I keep my Garmins bottom machine on full screen to spot new bottom. Most of the tracks will very similar but always find something new.

 

[Lt.Mike]

The boat I am referring is 20 foot. I also only fish bays and near shore. Often I force myself to not look at the plotter and only at the compass to hopefully make me less dependent on the plotter. That is hard to do

My faruno’s gps hasn’t been used. I used reference points along the shore along with its sounder to target fish. I picked up a Simrad Go 9 this fall so my primative fishing techniques may change.
I am looking forward to using its sidescan. It’s plotter should be a lot easier to understand and use than the old Farunos.

 

[Fishtales]

I've got one in a starboard enclosure in the port radio box. A nice add to hear things better.