V8 Troopie replied:

Re your fuse blowing - is it the coprrect size ? (sorry, had to ask that first)
You may have a badly terminated antenna cable where some of the shield strands short to the centre connector.
Re your serial to USB adapter, on my laptop it matters into which USB port I plug the adaptor. If its different than the port I usually use then I have to go first into devices and see where the adaptor shows up and then set to this port # in the Ozi settings.
good luck
Klaus

Michael Carey replied:

I've found many problems with USB/serial adapters.
First is that Windows XP will assign a different Com Port Number to most adapters (if not all!) if they are plugged into a different USB port on the laptop. When you get it going you MUST plug the adapter into the same USB port each time.
Second is trying to use Ozi (or other programs) that need the Com Port without plugging the adapter in. I haven't done any experiments with Oziexplorer and USB/serial adapters but I know from experience with TMQ C-Plot software that if the program starts and the Com Port isn't there, it un-selects the Com Port in the configuration and even after you re-insert the adapter, you have to manually re-configure the NMEA settings.
This is why I bought a Toshiba Tecra A3X recently, it has a built in COM port (many Toshiba models are now including COM ports again!)
Friggin' computers, you think a 4WD is a harsh environment? Imagine how long a computer would last on a fishing boat. Vibration, salt air being drawn through the internals, dodgey 240V power... and the list goes on... Barely a week goes past before a fisherman rings me up with a computer related problem...

If there is a problem with the antenna or coaxial cable, the UHF can draw more current on transmit and blow the fuse, check for a short/open circuit on the cable.

Member - Jack replied:

I had a problem with my Serial -> USB port adaptor last weekend trying to hook my GPS up to the new Dell laptop. I bought the adaptor from Oziexplore (I think).

1. Start the computer up with the USB plugged in, but not with the GPS switched on.

2. Then connect/turn on the GPS.

My problem was that the mouse cursor ran all over the screen, opening windows like a madman (mad mouse???).

I also went to the Oziexplorer website and downloaded a program called GPSPortchecker.exe and ran that, which then gave me the correct port/baud rate configuration to set my computer up on. Ran that, reconfigured the Oziexplorer settings and now it works like a dream.

Hope this helps you.

Jack

knight44 replied:

Andy,

Sorry you're still having problems. I'd suggest you post your problem on the following sites - you may get some help there.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OziUsers-L/

http://www.gpsaustralia.net/forums/

Cheers

Richard

HJ60-2H replied:

I had a similar fuse problem with a radio I installed. Turned out the the wiring to the radio was underrated. I changed the wiring for a thicker version and the fuse then behaved itself.

Mulga Bill replied:

You can check the insulation of the coax setup with a meter to rule out any shorts - far as I know you are in danger of stuffing up the innards of the UHF - the surging of power levels in excess of that required may blow the fuse, but also be cooking a component. In the case of new units, retailers in radios generally specifically warn clients about this aspect of self installation ..... warranties are voided in such cases.

Jeepster-WA replied:

Thanks for all the help guys, I will keep trying

cheers

Jeepster

thomjor replied:

If your fuse continues to blow you may have shorted out the reverse polarity diode in the uhf. This can be done very easily when installing electrical wiring. Don't keep replacing your fuses especially with heavier ones as I have seen some people do & end up with a major job on the uhf instead of just the diode.