jimmy_the_builder
Well-Known Member
I've got (had..) a Raymarine enclosed analogue scanner on the T40, connected to a C120 Classic. All fine, worked well enough for my leisure use, no particular plan to change.
Anyway, without wishing to get into too much detail, the scanner was stolen a few days ago. Unfortunately, the way the tealeaves disconnected the scanner was the 'pull it as hard as possible until the electrical connections let go' method. In other words, the multi-way cable that connects the scanner to the C120 has been shock-loaded by the forcible removal of the scanner.
My concern is that this shock-load might manifest itself at some indeterminate future point as unreliability with the replacement scanner. However, it's likely that that point of failure would be somewhere around the bends that the cable has to wind round though the radar arch at the scanner end of the cable. I've got some slack in this cable, neatly coiled up at the C120 end of the cable - so the first question is - can I pull this slack through to the scanner end of the cable, and then chop off the surplus (ie cut out the bit of the cable that has been shock-loaded)? Can the cable be shortened in this way? (I know you definitely can't do this with the digital radar scanners, hence the question). This is an important point for me, because on those occasions that you are really relying on the radar, you haven't got many other options (ie in fog, at night etc).
The other issue I have is that analogue scanners are no longer available new, so at best my only real option is to buy a secondhand replacement of unknown provenance on ebay - another potential point of unreliability. The obvious other choice therefore is to upgrade to a new digital scanner - but that then means I'll need a new MFD, and possibly other new kit as well (I currently have S2G autopilot, ST6001 control head, DSM30 fishfinder all connected to the MFD) - so it suddenly becomes an expensive exercise. I'm not very familiar with the current Raymarine product offering so I don't even know what I would need to specify as a replacement suite of electronics.
What now skipper?
Anyway, without wishing to get into too much detail, the scanner was stolen a few days ago. Unfortunately, the way the tealeaves disconnected the scanner was the 'pull it as hard as possible until the electrical connections let go' method. In other words, the multi-way cable that connects the scanner to the C120 has been shock-loaded by the forcible removal of the scanner.
My concern is that this shock-load might manifest itself at some indeterminate future point as unreliability with the replacement scanner. However, it's likely that that point of failure would be somewhere around the bends that the cable has to wind round though the radar arch at the scanner end of the cable. I've got some slack in this cable, neatly coiled up at the C120 end of the cable - so the first question is - can I pull this slack through to the scanner end of the cable, and then chop off the surplus (ie cut out the bit of the cable that has been shock-loaded)? Can the cable be shortened in this way? (I know you definitely can't do this with the digital radar scanners, hence the question). This is an important point for me, because on those occasions that you are really relying on the radar, you haven't got many other options (ie in fog, at night etc).
The other issue I have is that analogue scanners are no longer available new, so at best my only real option is to buy a secondhand replacement of unknown provenance on ebay - another potential point of unreliability. The obvious other choice therefore is to upgrade to a new digital scanner - but that then means I'll need a new MFD, and possibly other new kit as well (I currently have S2G autopilot, ST6001 control head, DSM30 fishfinder all connected to the MFD) - so it suddenly becomes an expensive exercise. I'm not very familiar with the current Raymarine product offering so I don't even know what I would need to specify as a replacement suite of electronics.
What now skipper?
