Splicing GPS antenna cable

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Anonymous

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I am installing a GPA-019 antenna to a GP-1850DF chartplotter/sonar. I bought this equipment used and the antenna cable came up about 6 feet short for my installation. It has been cut off before to about 18 feet. What kind of cable do I need to extend this? Also can anyone recommend a source for the splice of the old to new cable connection, as well as a new tnc connector for the back of the GP-1850DF? Thanks for your help.
 
I got no response here so I figured I would try a repair. Here is what I did for anyone who might have to extend a cable. I got a TNC connector and splice kit that screw on and do not require solder from local radio shack. I spliced on a piece of old coax cable from a VHF antenna and installed the new TNC connector. After testing I installed heat shrink tubing over all the connections and tested out on the water. All is well and functioning as expected.
 
Sorry for the lack of response, but it looks like you have the job done well. For the benefit of others, the cable that is used with our GPS antennas is a Japanese metric spec (RG10) which is not available in the US. You can use RG58 (50 ohm) cable to extend to a max length of 30 meters (~100 feet). It is not the exact size of the RG10, but it'll work if you use the TNC & barrel connectors that are available in the US. The important part is to ensure continuity with the cable shielding (see picture below). Also, waterproofing at the connection points is a good idea to help ensure the cable integrity. Furuno USA does sell the Japanese spec TNC connector, barrel connector and extension for a GPS antenna. The extension is 15 meters (part number 001-173-110-10) which has a TNC connector on both ends. One end connects directly to the GPS processor and the other end will need a barrel connector to connect to the existing GPS antenna cable's TNC connector (part number TNC-FML-FML). If the connector on your GPS antenna cable is bad, it can be replaced with a new TNC connector (part number 000-133-186).
 

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  • GPS Antenna TNC connector.JPG
    GPS Antenna TNC connector.JPG
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Thanks Reaper, I only added about 6 feet of cable. So far so good with my repair. I took a handheld gps along and everything matched. If I have any trouble with it I will know what to get now.
 
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