Furuno model 1831 techie info needed

[clyst]

hi all i have a problem with my radar ........... I had the mast removed and refitted last year and the blooming thing hasnt worked since ! iv checked all the connections repeatedly . the screen fires up and all the menu tests indicate all is well with the scanner rotating and 27 rpm . however the screen remains stationary with no evidence of the scanner rotating. iv removed the scanner dome and proved the scanner is physically rotating as per menu test . As i have previously indicated that iv check and rechecked the connections from scanner to screen and all seems ok ......... now when the mast was down i noticed a surplus 4 or5 ft of cable under the headlining so to tidy things up a bit i lopped it off . In theory i have not interfered with the workings of the setup but my concerns are was the extra length left for some reason I dont see any reason why it should but its the only thing that has changed since it was working fine before the mast was removed . Any Furuno Techies out there

 

[prv]

In some older radars the length of cable matters, but I don't think changing it would give the effect you're seeing. You'd still get a picture, just with certain specific distortions like straight harbour walls looking curved.

Pete

 

[PaulRainbow]

Seems likely that you didn't "lop it off" properly. What does "lop it off" actually mean ?

 

[LadyInBed]

On the good old fault finding principal of look for what has changed, I would say it's a connection problem.

 

[clyst]

Thanks for your replies ....... Iv undone and redone the connections many times thinking the same as L I B . iv even had a friend reassemble the wirng and Iv rechecked this PM ( Liveaboard) so im inclined to discount that its a poor connection somewhere. Hmm did i " lop" it off properly ? I hope so .....from memory being a hefty ol'bit of wire I cut it with fine tooth hacksaw trimmed each wire back and tinned them prior to reconnecting to the " choccy " block so im pretty sure I lopped it off ok (Hopefully ) . Regards to screen distortion........... screen fires up ........ everything looks fine except there is no details in the exact centre of the screen . regards terry

 

[earlybird]

When you hacksawed the cable, did you appreciate that one of the wires is a co-ax. (the one that carries the video signal), and connect accordingly?

 

[PaulRainbow]

When you hacksawed the cable, did you appreciate that one of the wires is a co-ax. (the one that carries the video signal), and connect accordingly?

That'd be the first place to look

Which was why i asked about the "lopping off" technique.

 

[tjbrace]

Had the same problem with my even older Furuno. It was a bad connection in the internal coax. I too had cut the cable to help unstepping the mast but the screw type joiners didn’t make the connection properly. I now use Wago lever connectors which seem to work fine.

 

[clyst]

When you hacksawed the cable, did you appreciate that one of the wires is a co-ax. (the one that carries the video signal), and connect accordingly?

 

[clyst]

Hi Earlybird , if you mean the very thin coax yes i was very careful to reconnect it ....as fiddley as it was?

 

[Ademist]

I had very similar symptoms with my furuno (2008 model). First furuno tech in Tahiti suggested it could be the magnetron, but didn’t have the part. I Later sent the radome to Furuno in Brisbane, who said the circuit board was u/s and as it was now obsolete, it couldn’t be repaired.

I’m now having a new radar and chartplotters fitted. I toyed with the idea of getting a second hand one, and swapping in parts, but the old radar used so much power that we hardly used it, and I’m hoping to be able to use the new one, which is much less power hungry.

 

[prv]

I cut it with fine tooth hacksaw trimmed each wire back and tinned them prior to reconnecting to the " choccy " block

The fact that you decided to use choc-block for coax doesn't inspire much faith in the rest of the workmanship, I'm afraid.

Pete

 

[clyst]

The fact that you decided to use choc-block for coax doesn't inspire much faith in the rest of the workmanship, I'm afraid.

Pete

That what was fitted before .