So I have finally gotten a few trips in where I didn't cross wires, and have learned to play with crab pots. So now I am moving on to trying to figure out line voltage, boat voltage, etc. I purchased a Russel black box unit and have it hooked up. Everything is isolated with the proper hose on both ends, UHMW bases, and nylon bolts and nuts. When I turn the Russel unit on to the "read only" function, it reads a little over 0.4 volts. When I check the wire with a Fluke meter (ground to rudder post, hot to wire) it is a little over 0.5 volts. I turned the Russel box to continuous feed at 0.6 volts and the wire was over 0.7 with the Fluke.
So, A few questions......
Should the readings be the same or is it normal for them to be different?
I have heard of "boat voltage" but don't know how to measure that or what it should be
I have also heard of people who have had Russel come to their boat and get it dialed in. Does he still do that?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully we'll catch a bunch one day!
Joe