Entertainment Systems Upgrades - 2800 SCR - Maxum Boat Owners Club

cbswaim · 08-05-2017, 12:39 PM

These aren't earth-shaking enhancements, but I think worth sharing if someone is considering adding or upgrading their audio or video systems. I added a 20" flat screen on the forward berth bulkhead with an articulating arm. It is connected to a Blu-Ray player and SeaWatch antenna. This antenna signal can be split for use with an FM receiver. It is important to know that you can't use any 2-way splitter, it mush have a broadband capacity up to 2300 MHZ. There are many of these splitters that only go to 1000 MHZ and they wil not pass the FM signals. I have included a picture of the unit I used. The Blu-Ray player is mounted vertically with Velcro. Both the television and Blu-Ray are WiFi capable so we have access to Netflix and Amazon Prime when in port.

cbswaim · 08-05-2017, 12:56 PM

We had replaced the audio unit before, but were extremely disappointed with the infrared remote and the Bluetooth controls via cellphone. This time we chose a Kenwood (KMR-M31BBT) because it can handle up to 3 hardwired remote control panels. We chose the remote control panels with the LCD displays since they provide a good visual display in sunlight and they have full functionality with the head unit. This unit does not have a CD capability and we didn't want that because it provides more exposure to corrosion. Didn't replace the speakers because they still sound great. The cellphone app by Kenwood works great too, but when underway the wired remotes are the way to go. These were placed at the helm and in the sitting area of the cockpit. The extension cable and splitter needed are shown too. (Note: Do not use the vendor shown for the extension cable. They did not deliver and I had to go to another source.)

MoonRiver · 10-23-2017, 06:00 AM

How do you like that Seawatch antenna? Does it ride nice on the arch? I would love to real in some free hdtv but I would also like to boost my am/fm radio reception. Is it worth the cost and labor to run the cable?

Doug

cbswaim · 10-23-2017, 01:50 PM

Hi Doug - it works great for me and is solid as a rock. I purchased the 19" and installed it myself. Running the cable was no problem. You do need to be careful if you choose to split the antenna signal for use with your FM stereo. The "trick" is you have to make sure that the splitter is rated for the widest bandwidth in order to cover the FM frequencies. I have attached a screen capture of the one I used. There are a lot of other ones available that look the same and are used in home applications, but they will essentially filter your signal so it doesn't work for FM and HDTV. Otherwise, as long as you take your time and finish your cable ends as instructed, you should be in good shape. My stereo sounds great and I get the widest range of HDTV channels available compared to my home that also uses an antenna. Last note, generally the AM bands are picked up fine by a small "wire" antenna that is usually on your receiver and simply hanging off the back (about 2-3" and nothing to install). This external antenna services the frequencies associated with FM, UHF and HDTV.

Lawnman · 10-24-2017, 12:15 PM

What did you use to mount your microwave under the cabinets ? Ron

cbswaim · 10-24-2017, 01:07 PM

This was easy, but took a little bit of time. You need to remove the exterior cover of the microwave. Create a basic 4-hole template (6-hole if you want to over-engineer it!) and then drill holes into the sheet metal. Do the same thing in the floor of the cabinet. Use stainless through bolts with wide fender washers. In the cabinet I use two strips of sheet metal/strapping you can get from Lowes to distribute the weight and maintain a low profile in the cabinet. I suppose you could use would or PVC lumber, but that would make the cabinet floor uneven and pose a possible "issue" with the First Mate. Depending on the microwave model, the toughest challenge could be mounting the sheet metal cover of the microwave and then screwing the microwave back into place. I'm sure there are under-counter microwaves on the market that could make this simpler.

The Blu-Ray player is tucked to the side. For this I just used Velcro tape to make it "tool-less" should I need to pull it out or check connections.

cbswaim · 10-25-2017, 12:42 AM

We hate to do it now that Lindy Lou is completely renovated over the past 3 summers, but the First Mate wants a bigger boat (poor me!), so she's going on the market. I posted this link under the classifieds:

Used 1998 Mercruiser 2800 Scr, Richmond, Va - 23231 - BoatTrader.com

Lawnman · 10-25-2017, 11:33 AM

Thanks for the quick reply. Ron

Elvertamike · 04-07-2018, 02:05 AM

Hi Chuck, I know I am a few months late on this, but I had a question about your antenna mount. I just purchased the 15” model and plan to mount on the radar arch. How did you get the antenna cable run through the arch? Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Mike Meyer

cbswaim · 04-07-2018, 11:44 AM

Hi Mike - The cable run was pretty straight-forward, but did take a little bit of patience. I did pull the vent grill and possibly the circuit breaker panel facing to make the middle of the run easier to access. So I started from the middle of the run which was the access panel on the port side of the radar arch. I drilled a hole to get the cable into the "body" of the boat and pushed the cable up the radar arch to the upper access panel. I may have used a coat hanger taped to the cable to fish it up (instead of "pushing a rope uphill"). I then fed the "TV end" back the other way toward the circuit breaker panel. I continued to feed the cable through the space between the hull wall and the galley area behind the galley backsplash. (You could pull the fridge and go to that effort, but it was more than I wanted to do and the other route hid the cable just fine.) I then fed the cable into the forward hanging locker and which is where the TV was mounted. I also had electrical on the TV mount "wall" of the locker, so I was able to locate the antenna booster there. I then went back to the circuit breaker area where I left extra cable. This was important because I cut the cable at this point and terminated the ends so I could put a splitter there. My Shakespeare antenna also supported FM and I wanted to connect my stereo head unit without installing another separate antenna for that. (Make sure you saw my posting on the frequency range needed for the splitter, otherwise the FM signal could get filtered/blocked out.) I used twist-on cable terminations for all of these. Usually I solder, but I was more concerned about a) over-soldering these which could create signal loss, and b) it would allow me to re-terminate without soldering tools should I need to do a repair while on an excursion. I hope this answered your question, but if not send another message and I'll gladly address.

Elvertamike · 04-07-2018, 04:01 PM

Wow Chuck, great information! Thank you very much, I was hoping to get to the boat this weekend, but our weather here on the west coast is not cooperating. It will be the first project this year though, so I will let you know how it goes. Thanks much!

Mike

shrew · 04-09-2018, 04:38 PM

Funny how they only drilled a wire chse through the Stbd arch and not the port. Rather than drilling you could run it down the stbd side of the arch, then route into the engine compartment, run it across the top of the bulkhead tucked under the lip of the deck hatch drain and then up the port side in the chase along with the rest of the electrical and plumbing.

Buy a 25' fishing tape and some 'cable lube'. It makes running wires mu simpler. If you really want to go above and beyond run a 'pull cord' at the same time. Now, any time you need to run a wire, you can run a new wire and a new pull cord. pull the new wire and new pull cord with the old pull cord and never have to fish again. (I just use the fishing tape).

Elvertamike · 04-10-2018, 04:16 AM

Thank you Shrew, you sure give me some options with some great details.

Thank you much!

Mike

Nußhäher · 04-10-2018, 07:27 AM

Cool idea about the pull cord, shrew. Thanks!

cbswaim · 04-10-2018, 12:54 PM

I found that the starboard hole for the radar arch was not large enough to run additional wires, but I have a bigger concern to consider. The signal running on the coax cable is susceptible to electrical interference from the engine and other electronics on-board. You really do want to keep the cable run as short as possible and away from anything else that has electrical running to it. Running that cable through the engine compartment exposes it to a lot of "noisy" (in electric and radio frequency terms) areas, particularly with the alternator and electronic ignition. It would be a shame to get all that work done only to find a buzz or tapping sound coming through your speakers...

Elvertamike · 04-10-2018, 04:09 PM

Yeah, I am going to try and go the port route. I will try and make the shortest and most direct path as possible. Thank you for the great information, it all makes good sense!

Mike

Elvertamike · 05-20-2018, 10:35 PM

Hi Chuck:

I finally had time to work a little on the cable run. I was able to get the antenna mounted on the arch and have cable run down to the base of the arch on port side. I see now that the arch is just bolted to the boat with no access for the rest of the cable run to the cabin area. Is this where you say to drill a hole into the body of the boat? If so, how big of a hole worked for you, just enough to get the cable through or did you drill something larger? Sorry, to keep bugging you on this, but I am a little Leary of drilling holes in a boat, if you know what I mean... Thank you Sir!

Elvertamike · 05-29-2018, 11:05 PM

Quick update, was able to finish the cable run this past weekend. Mounted the 15" Seawatch HD antenna on top of the radar arch. Ran cable down through the arch port side. Had to remove the speaker access cover on the arch in order to run the cable from the top down through to the base of the arch. When I got to the base of the arch and body of the boat, there is no access holes. I did drill a 3/8" hole down through the base of the arch into the open cavity of the boat on the port side. I then was able to run the coax into that hole hanging it down into the body of the boat. By taking the vent cover at the top of the main breaker panel off, I was able to fish a long wire hanger back up to the base of the arch and snag that dangling coax (took several attempts and adjustments, but finally got it done). Once I was able to pull cable through the top of the breaker cabinet, it was smooth sailing to the rear closet area. I was able to easily slip the cable in between the back of the cabinets and the inside wall of the cabin. Next step is to mount the TV like cbswaim did above. Everybody has been so very helpful! Thank You!