Raynet cables

[BosSH]

I am connecting 2 ES78 MFD's to a network switch and ordered 5 meter and 10 meter Raynet cables to make the connections. When I uncoiled the cables to run them to the network switch I found that both cables had many kinks in the outer jacket. These kinks look like obvious defects in the cables; they are relatively sharp bends that have left "dents" in the jacket of the cables. When running cables I have always avoided sharp bends, and the Raymarine installation manuals all make it clear that sharp bends are not desirable. These cables have built-in sharp bends. Is this the normal state of affairs with Raynet cables, or should I assume that the cables sent to me are defective and return them for replacement?

Thank you,
Bob S

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Bob,

It should not be expected that any communications cables manufactured by Raymarine would feature kinks such as you have described. As part of the manufacturing process the communications cables are coiled to have minimum diameter of six to eight inches. Please note that specification of minimum bend diameter is primarily intended to avoid the tendency to bundle excess communications cable as shown within the photo below rather than to loosely coil excess cable and then secure the coiled cable to a bulkhead. Should there be a concern that the cables that you have purchased have not been packaged in this manner, then it would be recommended that the cables be returned to the dealer for replacement.

[Istream]

I'm in the process of setting up a two-MFD + Quantum system that uses three Raynet -RJ45 cables. Two do so, I ordered two 10m Raymarine cables from West Marine. Both arrived in ~1ft diameter coils but both had been packaged in a ~12" square box that put mild kinks in the coils at the corners of the box. I was a bit nonplussed but I was able to massage the kinks out and have had no functional problems. That said, Raymarine might want to look at their packaging guidelines.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Istream,

In this case, I believe that a photo of the cable as packaged would aid greatly in identifying whether the cable has been subjected to excessively tight bends. Accordingly, please attach photos of the packaged cable and removed from the package showing the specified bends to this thread.

[BosSH]

Thank you for the reply. Unfortunately, when I try to attach even a single photo I get an error message from Raymarine noting that the photo has exceeded the allowed size. This is odd, since it is only a single digital photo. Any suggestions?

I think you are correct about the packaging guidelines. Interestingly, the 5m Raynet cables are a slightly smaller diameter than the 10m cables, and the kinks in the 5m cables are worse than those in the 10m cables. I don't know if this means that the individual wires inside the 5m cables are a smaller gauge than the wires inside a 10m cables, but if this is the case the kinks are more of a concern in the 5m cables. I initially ordered one cable of each length, but perhaps I should use two of the 10m cables (although there would be additional expense and needless coiling of excess cable in that case).

Bob S

[Istream]

Hi Chuck,

Unfortunately, I've already installed them and didn't take a photo. However, I'd estimate the radius of the corner bends at 1"-2". Most CAT5 and Cat6 cable can tolerate a bend radius of 4X the cable diameter (about 1") so I wasn't concerned enough to return the cables.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Bob,

Irrespective of the cable's length, I would expect that the specifications of the cable used to construct RayNet cables would be of identical specifications barring any minor differences in the cable insulation materials from their respective suppliers. At the time of this response, Raymarine had been using two manufacturers to produce its RayNet cables. Regarding photo attachments, .jpg, .jpeg, and .png file sizes are restricted to 500kb. Click here to view one of may video on the Internet providing some easy methods to resize photos.

[BosSH]

Chuck,

Thank you for the reply to my message.

I suspect that whomever is manufacturing these Raynet cables is not meeting the required specifications, since the diameter of the 10m cables is not the same as that of the 5 meter cables. I just measured the diameters with a dial caliper and got the following diameters: 10m cable: .025-.026 5m cable: .023-.024

I realize that .002 is not a great difference, but they measure with a consistent difference over their lengths, appear by eye to be of different diameters, and have a different "feel"; i.e., the shorter cable feels rougher, as if the individual wires can be felt through the outer cable; the longer cable feels smoother, except for the areas that have kinks in them. Additionally, the shorter cables have a greater number of kinks in them.

As I noted in an earlier post, I hesitate to install these cables in their current condition. Unfortunately, this is holding up the entire installation, and as I also mentioned in an earlier post, this is the third set of cables that I have ordered from West Marine that have arrived in this condition.

I will resize the photos that I have taken, and also try to take additional photos which capture the difference in cable diameters; however, it would certainly be preferable to me to obtain some new cables that do not have the defects that I have described, so that I can move forward with my installation. It is also the case that none of the previous installations of marine electronics that I have completed or observed have been provided with cables that have the appearance of the Raynet cables I have in hand.

Regards,
Bob S

[BosSH]

Chuck,
Here are the re-sized photos of the Raynet cables in question. Please let me know what you think, and if you agree that the cables are questionable, where I might obtain cables of appropriate quality. Thanks very much.
Regards,
Bob S

[Istream]

I was able to pull some of my 10m cable into the clear to show the kink (after my efforts to smooth it).