Garmin 440 / 545 cable to pedestal

[arf145]

We're about to install a Garmin 545s with transducer and run the power and ducer cables through a 1 1/8" Edson pedestal guard.

I researched this on this forum and see that several others were doing this, but didn't see the final resolutions. How did it go? Please let me take advantage of your adventure!

The issues are that Garmin put a bloody big 3/4" diam connector on their transducer and GPS side, which means you need that size hole in your cockpit deck and in the guard tube. I've already prepared the hole in the deck, but has anyone pulled the trigger on putting a hole that size in the 1 1/8" guard? Makes me nervous, but I think it will be OK. Will a bi-metal hole saw do the job in the SS tube?

Thanks all.

PS--I called Garmin, and they reiterated that you absolutely shouldn't cut the transducer cable. And they noted my complaint that the connector was unrealistically large for typical marine applications. Said they would pass this on to the maker of their transducer.

[1970Columbia34]

What transducer are you using? the one for our 545's is probaly only 1/2" or less in size i don't remember the number of ours but i kept all the wiring inside the pedstal, there was a stock tube for wires already installed.

Scott

[hellosailor]

If you're going to cut a 3/4" hole in a 1-1/8" tube, you are going to turn the tube into "sheet metal" where the hole is. I can't see doing that. I'd either run the cable external (with a wrap over it) or cut the connector off and fit a new one on afterwards, to avoid splicing.

[arf145]

Scott, this is Garmin's shoot-thru-the-hull puck transducer--don't know the model number. The cable is only 1/8 or 3/16", the screw-together connector is the prob. I've looked up the pedestal, and I didn't see it fitting up there.

Hellosailor, do you mean break off the screw-together part of the connector to reduce diameter? Should be able to get it down to 5/8" by doing that.

If I run it external, that's another hole in my deck. Have to scratch that.

[lbdavis]

I'm with hellosailor. Cut off a connector.

I recently drilled a 1/2" hole into my pedestal guard to run a Garmin line through. I cut it with a Millwakee twist drill bit, a cordless drill, and a can of WD-40. I cut the fuse housing off the non-connector end of the line and splice it back on after running the line down through the tube and cockpit floor.

[SVCarolena]

Another option is to run the cable inside the pedistal, rather than the guard. My compass is mounted in a white plastic ring, so I decided to cut that and fill the hole with sealant after running the wires. However, if you have a stainless binacle compass you may want to stick with putting the hole in the guard.

[1970Columbia34]

I agree with SVCarolena i would put it in the pedstal. if there is not a tube in there for wires already then you could add one. this would mean you need to remove the pedstal but I always think "do it right do it once" so if so temp run the wiring for the season and when the boat is hauled run the cable in the pedstal. Or even do it when its in the water removing the pedstal is not that big of a job really.

[arf145]

lbdavis, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to cut off that fuse housing--that's just electrical. My problem is the transducer line. It joins with a twist and lock coupler. I believe cutting this line even with careful rejoining of the lines can lead to signal distortion.

[1970Columbia34]

I think cutting the transducer wire is a bad idea but it can be put back together, its for the most part just like any other wire, its the made kind of like a Coax cable is, there is a foil wrapper that is all around the wires inside that needs to stay 100% conductive. We have a speed transducer wire that is cut and spliced together that works fine. But your right signal loss is a risk. i just think cutting the grabrail is not the best plan since its name is a "grabrail" and you probaly want it to be a nice strong piece if you need to grab on to it.

[beej67]

I ran mine in the guard, but I definitely didn't hack a hole big enough to fit the whole plug through.

Cut the wire in half, get a grommet as big as the wire, and cut a hole big enough to fit the grommet in. Shove the wire through the grommet, then through the hole, from the outside, leaving enough slack to plug your GPS in from wherever you're going to mount it. Seat the grommet. Go below and twist all the appropriate wires back together where you cut the wire in two. If you're concerned about the durability of the twists, solder them.

I don't know what kind of crazy wires your GPS has, but mine was a 276 I think, or whatever variant on the 276 they were selling back when I got it, and there's only four wires in the whole thing. A hot, a ground, and two data wires. I wired the hot and ground into my instrument circuit, and wired the two data wires into a parallel port jack down by my nav table, to plug the laptop in below. Works like a dream.

If you're worried about butchering the coax line, buy a spare and cut it in half, and see whether it's reasonable to twist/solder back together. But like I said before, my Garmin wiring looked intimidating from the outside, but when I hacked it open there were just 4 little single strand wires in there, easy as pie.