Mil Spec 24 Volt Relay for Furuno Radar Man Aloft Switch

[madgreekvw]

Can anyone recommend a marine, or even better a mil-spec 24 volt relay I can use for a man-aloft switching system to use with a Furuno 1933C/NT radar working off of 24 volts? This is for a Coast Guard asset, and for safety reasons there must be a mast mounted switch to disable the radar when someone climbs the mast. The relay will be mounted under the console in the bridge, so it does not have to be weather proof, just tested for temp, shock and vibration and such. Any recommendations?

[madgreekvw]

Hello, anybody? Even one thats not Mil spec, but at least for marine use? Anyone there?

[bluewaterpirate]

I would think they already have one in their supply system in as much as they have quite a few Furuno systems already installed on their fleet of boats/ships. Check with their supply people. Your looking for a switch they can tag out when conducting maintenance on the mast.

http://www.reddenmarine.com/site/new-categories.cfm?action=subcategory&department=0 &brand=0&counter=0&letter=0&catego ry=0&subcategory=238

[madgreekvw]

I have the switch already, but i want to use a relay in the design. The switch will be mast mounted, and i dont want a huge voltage drop from running the power wire up the mast and back down to the radar on the bridge. I want to use a relay to keep the power wire length from the power supply to the radar display to a minumum. If the wire is too long, the power supply may sense the loss and try to compensate for it, and overdrive other components that it is feeding. I have seen that happen before.

[Kamper]

Are you thinking of a solenoid switch? I have a picture in my head of what I think you want but I cant remember where I saw it. Try a shop that does commercial marine sales. They may have a piece that is exactly what you need.

Even the simple automotive kinds are almost bomb-proof. Adding a bit of dyalectric grease inside the cover would be more so. For safety, a manual override could be installed next to it to operate in parrallel in the circuit. But I doubt your skipper wants that on his boat!

The starter solenoid on a few car/inboard engines is a sperate component. A skilled technician should be able to seperate this piece from a starter too, and refabricate it to do what I think you want to do. This piece would stand up to heavier loads.

After I wrote all that, I got a flash. Defender has all sorts of weird things. Try this link to a search. Some of these items are fuel control but a couple are for motors. The second link may be the one you need. Print that out and take it with you if you want to shop around. 24 and 32 volt are offerred as a special oder.

Good luck!

http://www.defender.com/productsearchresult.jsp

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|10391|29596|321922|322387&id=29613

[madgreekvw]

Thanks for the advice, yes, the relay is pretty much the same thing as the Hella type relays used in most automotive set-ups, like for an electric fuel pump or whatever. The main problem is that it is for a military type application, and will most likely need to be tested to Mil-Spec for Vibration, temperature, humidity, shock (the boat has cannons), etc. It wil be mounted under the bridge console and inside an enclosure, so i may be able to get those requirements relieved.
Thanks for the links Kamper, they may have what i need. Its funny, i work for a major defense contractor, but i get great info much faster on THT than with the contacts I have here, (most of the time anyway).
Thanks again.

[Kamper]

That's cause we dont bill by the hour.