Has anyone ever replace the radio cable through the mast?

I tried to pull it through the mast top, but not an inch of movement, the other way down the same result.

I suppose the cable sticks together with the other one - they have been living together for almost 30 years now - or is there any other obstacle I haven´t thought of yet?

Or should I let a new cable down beside the internal pipe, freely through the mast where it could be damaged by the haliyards?

Do I have to remove the mast foot (unnecessary to mention that the screws also cannot be moved).

Gerold

Gerold

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Hello Gerold

I replaced the VHF aerial cable on Aztec, it had a Proctor mast, some time ago (about 2003).

I am having dificulty remembering but I seem to remember it pulled through. There is a possibility they are taped together when they were fitted.

I may have replaced the masthead light cable as well and used this to help pull on. There is a conduit the cables run in and they may have become wrapped around each other.

You should be able to do it without removing the foot. I tried to remove the foot and one of the screws sheared so I gave up.

I seem to remember that I soldered and taped the new cable to the old (VHF & masthead light) and pushed a meter or so of the new cable into the holes at the bottom of the mast them pulled up from the top end.

My mast broke in 2004 and is now replaced with a Sailspar one.

Mike Edwards

Seal 28 "Aztec"

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Thank you, Mike, for the information. I haven´t thought of the possibility that they could have been taped together, in my case there are 4 cables leading up (VHF, steam light and deck light, trinity and anchor light and a small cable for the windex). I could try to replace them all together, but how to get the steam light cable at half way out of the mast through that small hole??? Perhaps I have to widen that hole, later it would be covered by the lamp.

But reading your last sentence, I fear it could not be worth all that work if the mast will break within the next years. Mine is proctor mast too, do you think the material could be really too old, or what was the reason in your case?

Gerold

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Gerold

I did not mean to alarm you.

I believe my mast broke due to what they called a compression fracture, I think this was helped by a slight distortion in the mast.

It buckled about 4 feet above the gooseneck.

Try pulling the aerial and tricolour cables together.

Mike Edwards

Seal 28 "Aztec"

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Don´t worry, Mike,

I´m not alarmed because of the broken mast, what I wrote was what we call in Germany "gallows humour".

I´ll let you know how and if I managed to replace the cable(s).

But first of all my wife and I will go to the "Boat" this weekend in Düsseldorf.

Gerold

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Hello Gerold

I replaced all my mast wires at one time. As you say, the old ones were all twisted up and they all came out together. I remembered to tie a pull-through on first! I had to take off the mast foot. The screws all sheared off and I needed a seriously big hammer to get it to move. Gentle heat (100 degC) on the mast metal (I found out later) would have made this a lot easier. I put the new cables back one at a time, being careful to not let them twist together. I used silicon grease to make them slippery! It was still difficult to get the last one through, I think, because of the steaming light cable coming out half way up. Perhaps it would be better to do this one last, but I put it in first, because I thought that it would be easier to manouvre it around the right angle bend and out the hole if there was plenty of space in the conduit.

Good luck! Neil

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I have also thought of silicon grease to get the old cables easier out. My wife had an idea with several thin pull-through-ribbons, but it was already difficult for her to explain it in German, so please don´t ask me to explain it in English [;)], if it works, I´ll present you a technical drawing!

Thanks to all!

Gerold

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Here´s the report:

First of all: No practical way to get the cable through the conduit inside the mast or to get all the cables out without drilling holes or renewing mast foot screws.

Second: We found a way through the space under the main sail rail where the mast profile offers some space (don´t know the English name, in German: Mastnut). Now the cable is at the bottom part of the mast where the rail ends, appr. half a meter outside, but that´s ok.

A nice season to all of you!

Gerold

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