GPS Replacement Advice please?

[Leonidas]

Some advice would be very welcome - but first here are the facts!

My GPS has packed up and shows an antenna fault on boot up. As it is 19 years old I am disinclined to try to repair it as modern units are faster, smaller, and cheaper.

I use the GPS for the following:

1. As a backup system to my laptop based chartplotter/gps mouse system (which is standalone).
2. To provide position and course information to the autopilot, DSC VHF and ST60+ displays.

Or should I bite the bullet and just go for a chart plotter complete with charts?

Bite the bullet and buy a new GPS. Your Old gps may be mulfunctioning due to change in software on satelite acquisition. I had a similar problem witn my Furuno GP50 that became obsolete.
Remeber that over the last 19 years, several satelites have been added for global positioning navigation.
I don't think you should compromise on safety, given the fact that your GPS provides an instant Man Overboard location without having to fire up any laptops or chartplotters.

 

[SAMYL]

Some advice would be very welcome - but first here are the facts!

My GPS has packed up and shows an antenna fault on boot up. As it is 19 years old I am disinclined to try to repair it as modern units are faster, smaller, and cheaper.

I use the GPS for the following:

1. As a backup system to my laptop based chartplotter/gps mouse system (which is standalone).
2. To provide position and course information to the autopilot, DSC VHF and ST60+ displays.

My current instruments comprise:

Raytheon Radar (19 years old)
Ratheon Raystar 590 GPS (19 years old -and this is the faulty unit)
Raymarine ST60+ wind, log, and depth (2 years old)
Raymarine DSC VHF (2 years old)

The obvious thing to do is to buy a Raymarine chartplotter (as they don't seem to make anyhting as simple as a GPS) as integration will be easy but will this do what I want without me having to invest in a second set of charts?

Or should I bite the bullet and just go for a chart plotter complete with charts?

I have a working Raytheon 590 for sale on Ebay at the moment, no aerial though.