Furuno 1603 Radar Problem

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earlybird

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My 3 year old Furuno 1603 radar recently started to display the message "no heading pulse". I've traced the reason to the antenna rotation, which is sometimes jerky or stopped altogether. the fault seems to lie with the belt drive. Furuno tell me that an upgraded motor and belt, together with a software modification is now available. Has any-one experience of this, if so, what is the cost if out of guarantee?
 
Yes, I have gone thru that loop with Furuno, with my 1712 radar.

They told me that my radar did not have the probelm, despite me telling them it did.

The problem is that there is a plastic cog on the motor spindle that then drives the antenna around.

This plastic cog has a grub screw securing it (or not) to the motor spindle.

Eventaully it decides not to grip the spindle, and somehow rides up the spindle eventually throwing the drive band off the antenna cog.

That was how my radar's problem showed up.

Initailly they recommended the new motor and software upgrade, but I gave up waiting for their local engineer in Milford Haven to pull his finger out.

He eventually told me that it was not my radar model that had the problem.

I think your problem might be slightly different in that they recommend a stronger motor.

The motor I was told would cost about £60, then it would have to be fitted. It is easy to fit, and would take a decent engineer less than an hour to do it.

Not sure about the software, but I doubt it would take very long to to that.

Furuno were not very helpful, they would not supply me with just a plastic cog, but wanted me to buy a motor complete with cog.

I eventually glued the cog onto the spindle with some two part stuff.

Despite being a very good radar, and generally good kit, I was not impressed with their service department. They suggested nothing, and told me to take the dome back to where I bought it. (London Boat Show deal!!)

One the good side, I can shin up the mast it very good time as I have had the take off and put up the the radome twice to resolve the problem. The drive band came off last winter and this winter, and worked well during the summer.

Mast ladder was excellent!

Look up their enginners list on the website.

Good luck
 
Thanks Mark, most interesting. When I looked inside my radome, the motor pulley had loosened and moved up the spindle. I fixed this, but it doesn't seem my real problem. When the rotation jams up, I find that the belt tension has gone really high. It seems that the toothed belt is trying to climb out of the pulley teeth. Squeezing the belt runs together with my finger-tips relaxes this tension and rotation resumes for a short while. I think that at least part of the reason for this is that the pulley spindles are very slightly out of parallel, the belt is always running hard against the motor pulley flange and at the top edge of the antenna pulley. There is no means of adjustment, and a more powerful motor doesn't seem quite the best way to solve it. I've improved the operation with a dab of silicon grease on the belt, I'll see how long that helps. Furuno just tell me to go to their nearest agent.
 
Can't really give specific advice.

I know the Furuno engineer said that a new and stronger motor was required. They know of the 'problem' with that model of radar.

Is your motor securely fixed??

There is a list of approved engineers on their website, you will probably have to bite the bullet and get it sorted by the expert(?)

Good luck
 
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