Mikey B

Does any one have a crimping tool I can borrow for a few hours that will fit 35mm

Thanks for the response Bob. I finally got a reply to an email enquiry from Sterling Power Products. They recommend a dual selector switch as you have recommended. They quoted the reason being that a diode system can reduce the charge rate by as much as 70%. Due to the low output of small outboard alternators it would take hours to fully charge a pair of 85amp batteries. So a dual battery isolating switch it is. The best price of

Dual Battery Installation. My Orkney 520 has only a single 85amp battery. So before the new season starts I intend to fit a dual battery set up for safety. Sterling Power Products make a split charge low loss blocking diode which isolates each battery and charges the batteries according to there charge state and eliminating human error. The down side is a voltage drop of between 0.78volts and 0.93volts @ 30amps which varies according to demand. Inboard motor set ups produces 75amp/hr or more. The alternator on my Yamaha F30 only produces 15amp/hr. Will the blocking Diode work with my set up? Or should I just stick to the normal Dual battery and isolating switch set up and get into the routine of switching between batteries? Any advice would be appreciated. Mikey B

Thanks Gordon, I'll give the cable trick a try. I know the old 2 stroke oil gums up carb jets etc. But does the same apply to clean unleaded fuel? Mikey B

Ref: Outboard motor control cables and fuel. With the boat standing idle for a few months now I thought I would give it a once over. The controls cables to the outboard appear much stiffer to operate although there are no signs of any corrosion (just 2yrs old). Can these be lubricated and if so how? Should the fuel tank be drained or filled to the top, as I have been lead to believe unleaded petrol deteriorates with age. Any advice would be appreciated. Mikey B

Thanks for the tips lads. I

Thank's, Paul. I think I'll leave well alone. Just stick with the default settings. Electronics are not my best subject and I still have a lot to learn. Many thanks Mikey B

Hello, I have a Garmin 188C /Map Colour Sounder. I

Coddy, I had a similar problem with my aerial. Did the aerial or the mount break? I had to replace both. I replaced the old plastic mount with a stainless steel one and a new 1.5mtr aerial. My new set up is much more substantial than the old plastic one. Good luck. Mikey B

Can any one help I have a corrupted XP operating system. I have tried to reboot as per the the disk supplied by my computer supplier, but still have issues. Such as low disk space and numerous error reports whic are driving me mad. Unable to remove errors even with REGEDIT!!! The re instaling is not a problem but I do not seem able to copy or save any drivers before I reboot the whole system from scratch? Contacting the computer suppliers @

Following on with my aerial problem. Finished up buying both a new Aerial and a st/steel mount as my old aerial would not fit the new mount. The leaflet with the new aerial suggests grounding the radio equipment ? All worked fine before the damage occurred and I am unable to find any ground cable? Do I need to ground the set up I have and if so how and too what? Any suggestions appreciated. Mikey B

Thanks for the help lads. I'll let you know how I get on. Many thanks Mikey B

My aerial mount has developed a large crack and is liable to fail at any moment. The last thing I want is to loose the aerial. It's made of a hard plasic material and adjustable in two planes. I would like to replace it for a stainless steel one. Can I replace the mounting on its own or do I need to replace both, as the antenna apears to be bonded to the mount. What is the best way to reconnect the aerial wire should I need to cut it. Any help would appreciated.

We also got caught in the thunderstorm. Took the father in law (in his 70's) - his 1st time in a small boat for 40yrs. My wife and our dog for a jolly around the harbour. The plan was to show them the harbour up as far as Wareham and the venture out round to Swange for a spot of fishing. We knew the storm was on its way and could see the ever darkening sky in the distance. The trip to and from Wareham was fine and in sunshine,however during our run up the main channel on route to Swanage all hell broke loose! F5/6, torrential rain and spectacular lightening! Added to the zero visabilty and all the large cruisers running for cover it did get a little bumpy to say the least. With a good 2" of water now in the boat and the bilge pump runnig we decided to return to Baiter Park to dry out. Still with near zero visability using the GPS tracking we made our way back to Baiter Park dodgeing the large cruisers some of which were going far to fast for the conditions. Despite the baptism of fire for the father in law (who said it was the most exitement he had had in 40yrs!) Our Orkney 520 handled to rough stuff without a hitch. Will be out again on Sunday fishing (Weather permitting).

I have been trying in vain to add a personal photo to my club profile. I would like to add a photo from Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Ive tried reducing it to a Jpeg but my profile does not show the photo. Any help would be appreciated. Mikey B

Thanks Andy, took me a while to find but I've found the conversion chart. Many thanks for the info. Mikey B

Thank you Paul, I look forward to meeting you at the next club meeting. Many thanks Mikey B

Having bought a book called dive Dorset which contains a lot of way point for wrecks etc. Can any one advice on the correct last 3 digits of the Long and Lat as I'm a little confused. For example the Clan Macvey is shown as 50 30 .69 N; 01 46.71 W. Do I enter the last digts as 069 and 071 or 690 and 710. Thanks for your help Mikey B

Hello Rich, unable to fish the comp today. I intend to give the next comp a try. Thank's Mikey B

Hello Dan, thanks for the reply. I've been out of Lymington a few times, but most of the time I launch from Baiter park Poole. I have one or two marks for Poole patch I have picked up from an Admiralty Chart which are ok for Bream, but would like a few marks for Smoothhounds and Rays etc. I would like to tag along on one of the trips to Weymouth but I still have a lot to learn!! Mikey B

Hello everyone, I've been a club member for a few months now, but not been able to attend any of the club meetings. Been fishing the Dorset Coast for a number of years but never from my own boat. Any help regarding small boat fishing marks would be appreciated. Looking forward to taking part in the club compititions now the fishing is starting to pick up. Lets hope the weather is kind to us. Mikey B