Radar Magnatron

[Guest]

The magnatron in my Raytheon R10X radar is faulty and I have been quoted £500 for a replacement. This seems to me to be an uneconomic repair on an eight year old set. Are replacement scanners available for the R10X? Does anyone know where I could obtain a lower cost repair? Could I buy a magnatron and replace it myself?

 

[johnsomerhausen]

Yes, the magnetron is the most expensive part of the radar. I had to have mine changed on my Furuno 1621 last summer in Nova Scotia. I took the tehncician about 15 minutes to unscrew the dead one and fit in the new one but it cost me Can$ 600...If you are handy with electronics, I think it would be easy for your to do; three or four screws to remove and reinstall and one quick connection to make (no soldering involved).
john

 

[Guest]

The physical mounting of the replacement is quite easy. There is however a risk of destroying the new magnetron.
After installation it should be 'cooked' by leaving in stanby for a min of 30 minutes. If switched to 'transmit' after the normal standby period has elapsed the life expectancy of the magnetron will be reduced by 50%!. This procedure must be done if the radar is not used for any length of time ie 3 months or longer.
The major problem is that no 2 magnetrons are the same. You must set the heater and magnetron currents to the specs of the magnetron manufacturer together with the high voltage. These are adjusted for each of the pulse lengths.
you can find equivalent magnetrons for all makes of radar at EEV. An expensive excersize and I would strongly suggest you obtain the services of a qualified tech.

 

[Guest]

I replaced mine - cost about $300 US for an old Furuno model. I would not attempt it without detailed instructions from the radar manufacturer. Although the physical replacement is not very difficult, tuning it and optimizing its performance to the manufacturer's specifications is not simple and may require test equipment.

A trick may be to purchase and install the replacement, then just pay the manufacturer or competent radar technician to do the adjustments and testing.

tech@yandina.com