Lowrance VHF

O

oldsaltyfish

New Member
Joined
29 Jul 2003
Messages
18
Location
Australia
Visit site
I have just installed a Lowrance Link8 VHF and keep getting an over voltage alarm. I contacted Lowrance technical department and have been told that these radios should only be operated on 12 volts. As the batteries are solar charged to about 14 volts and are held at 13.5volts on float it seems it would not be possible to use this radio unless disconnecting the solar and not having the engine running. Lowrance suggest putting a voltage regulator in the power supply. Does anyone have any suggestions for this? All the technicians here seem to think that 12 volt radios are all able to operate while the battery is charging. This may be the case but it does not seem possible to silence the alarm??
 
Thank you for your inquiry.

I would recommend fitting a voltage regulator in line as the radios are a 12v supply only. Any more / less than 12v can damage the unit.


Thank you for choosing Navico products!

Sincerely,

Navico Technical Support - APAC
 
oldsaltyfish said:
Sincerely, Navico Technical Support - APAC
Click to expand...

Sounds like an arts grad on his Xmas vac reading from a prompt sheet!

If you look at page 67 of the manual it clearly states "Normal Working Voltage : 12V dc battery system" and goes on to state the current drain at 13.6V.

Before delivering a snottogram to Lowrance, are you sure that your 'battery system' is operating correctly and also there are no spikes being induced onto the 12V line?

Cheers
Bob
 
oldsaltyfish said:
Thank you for your inquiry.

I would recommend fitting a voltage regulator in line as the radios are a 12v supply only. Any more / less than 12v can damage the unit.
Thank you for choosing Navico products!
Sincerely,
Navico Technical Support - APAC
Click to expand...

So taken literally, alleged damage caused by one's battery supplying 11.9 volts or lower, or 12.1 volts or higher could invalidate a warranty claim???

How many batteries supply a constant 12 volts I wonder?

Surely a device so very unaccommodating needs redesigning rather than requiring the further expense/hassle of fitting a regulator
 
RIBW said:
Sounds like an arts grad on his Xmas vac reading from a prompt sheet!
Click to expand...

+1

If it were true, the radio's not fit for purpose.

I'd check the actual voltage when it's complaining, using a known-good meter. Either the radio is faulty, or something in your charging system is and the radio's done you a service by warning you.

Pete
 
It looks like the alarm goes off at about 14 volts and the solar regulator does take the battery to 14.4 when charging, i think the alternator is also set at this voltage before reducing to a float level of 13..5. The answer is probably that the radio is not fit for an installation of this type. Even prior to any charging the voltage is well above 12 volts from a full battery. so should probably only be run off a regulated power supply. I will see if they are keen to refund the purchase price without a battle.
 
oldsaltyfish said:
It looks like the alarm goes off at about 14 volts and the solar regulator does take the battery to 14.4 when charging, i think the alternator is also set at this voltage before reducing to a float level of 13..5. The answer is probably that the radio is not fit for an installation of this type. Even prior to any charging the voltage is well above 12 volts from a full battery. so should probably only be run off a regulated power supply. I will see if they are keen to refund the purchase price without a battle.
Click to expand...

Be very interested to learn the outcome, thanks. Staggering that the kit, if not faulty, can't handle such routine voltages.

P.S. On reflection, and with Gladys' post #9 also in mind, perhaps it ought to be recognised that the radio perhaps can handle/cope with a range of voltages, but not without triggering the alarm. Not my field, but perhaps the alarm is more neurotic than the radio? Either way, it seems a rum state of affairs.
 
Last edited:
Gladys said:
It's amazing that some electronics can cope with 10~30 volts to cover 12&24V operation yet this manufacturer can't
Click to expand...

If this isn't due to a fault either in the radio or the charging system, then I suspect the radio is probably powered through a voltage regulator that will cope with a nice wide range, but there's also a voltage sensing line somewhere whose value is available to the firmware. Someone thought it would be a nifty feature to have a voltage alarm, and a programmer who doesn't know much about 12v systems set the threshold rather too low.

That would be my guess, anyway.

Pete
 
This - http://www.lowrance.com/Root/Lowrance-Documents/US/Link-8_IM_EN_988-10249-002_w.pdf says 13.6v
as does this on page 67 - http://www.lowrance.com/Root/Lowrance-Documents/US/Link-8_OM_EN_988-10254-001_w.pdf
So have you not read the manual? All the marine VHFs and CBs I know of have several internal series regulators, one of which is a multi output chip used to switch power between the transmit and receive circuitry. If it's alarming check why - as already mentioned, it might just be right... These things are usually rated at 10.5 -30 volts.
 
So a nonsense answer from a nonsense company.

Navico - Lowrance; Simrad; et al gave me the run around when I asked why their equipment did not do as it said on the box and apparently it was my fault. Why on earth should I have expected an AIS equipped plotter with DSC output compatibility actually to do both at the same time ?

All boat DC systems will vary between 11 & 15 volts and critical kit such as the VHF must cope within this range. Indeed on a dying 12 v system (engine failed & drifting towards the rocks) expecting the VHF to work even as low as 10v is not an unreasonable expectation.

I can't believe their 'technical expert' gave such a nonsense reply.
 
superheat6k said:
So a nonsense answer from a nonsense company.

Navico - Lowrance; Simrad; et al gave me the run around when I asked why their equipment did not do as it said on the box and apparently it was my fault. Why on earth should I have expected an AIS equipped plotter with DSC output compatibility actually to do both at the same time ?

All boat DC systems will vary between 11 & 15 volts and critical kit such as the VHF must cope within this range. Indeed on a dying 12 v system (engine failed & drifting towards the rocks) expecting the VHF to work even as low as 10v is not an unreasonable expectation.

I can't believe their 'technical expert' gave such a nonsense reply.
Click to expand...

I can believe it, so couldn't agree more about Navico's Neanderthal take on customer support*. However it's evident from Billjrat's links that the unit will probaby work down to 10.0V (10.5 +/- 0.5V for the low voltage alarm). The handbook, despite the nonsense technical reply the OP received (post #2) actually refers to a 13.6V power supply, but seems nowhere to specify the upper voltage limit. Nor does it mention an over-voltage alarm anywhere. Which begs the question of what the OP actually saw or heard.

* Which is at least consistent across the globe: I assume the customer support the OP consulted was in Australia, since he is.
 
Last edited:
macd said:
But surely someone who writes "I would recommend fitting a voltage regulator in line" seems to be claiming some level of expertise, particularly if they sign themselves "Navico Technical Support"?
Click to expand...

Signing themselves "<Big Company> Technical Support" implies nothing, for reasons as above. Sometimes you'll get a sensible answer, often you won't. It adds no evidence either way.

Claiming that a marine VHF must be supplied with precisely 12.0v, at odds with common sense and the device's own manual, proves that in this case they do not have any technical expertise :)

(I'm being facetious really, but only just.)

Pete
 
Pete, it's the "claimed/claiming" I'm focusing on. You wrote: I don't think they ever claimed to be a technical expert. It's evident (to me, at least) that the customer suport person represented themself as competent to offer technical advice. The world and has dog can see that he/she was no such thing. Sure, this is common, but by no means universal.

No big deal. Merry Crimble :encouragement:
 
macd said:
.................Nor does it mention an over-voltage alarm anywhere. Which begs the question of what the OP actually saw or heard..........
Click to expand...

+1
It would be helpful if the OP described exactly what is both seen (and heard?) and under what exact conditions. E.g a) Was the radio receiving or transmitting - as the manual only defines a Low battery alarm, is the 'transmitting' current draw causing the supply to dip below 10.5V, which should produce an alarm display - a battery symbol? b) Where did he measure 14V (at the radio?)

Mac,
Apart from the OP's specific issue, this thread supports spending some non-sailing time comparing the various suppliers after-care as mentioned a recent thread we participated in.

Happy Christmas
Bob
 
Same problem here. Just turned the radio on today, and up on screen comes an "excessive voltage warning"

I have checked the voltage it is 13.63 - The radio has been tested working no problem at all over the recent days (its a new unit), yet now all of a sudden there is the excessive voltage error, which stops you from using the unit.
 
Mikedefieslife said:
Same problem here. Just turned the radio on today, and up on screen comes an "excessive voltage warning"

I have checked the voltage it is 13.63 - The radio has been tested working no problem at all over the recent days (its a new unit), yet now all of a sudden there is the excessive voltage error, which stops you from using the unit.
Click to expand...
On a boat using a NOMINAL 12vdc system all electrical equipment should function properly within the normal range of variation, plus a reasonable tolerance either side, so 12 - 14v is the typical range, +- 1v meaning it should work perfectly OK between 11 and 15 v.

If it does not work at 13.6v, which is perfectly normal for well charged batteries with the alternator running, then in my view it is not fit for purpose. Take it back a demand a refund, then buy something decent like ICOM.

For a VHF set this is positively dangerous.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top