Raymarine C80 Software update

[Simon054]

Hi I have been trying to update the software on my C80 chart plotter, unfortunately whichever size sandisk card I use the plotter does not recognise it and therefore I cannot update. Is there a way of accessing the update menu without the plotter having to recognise the card as there is nothing in the manual and I cannot find anything online to suggest how to do it. The card has the correct information loaded into the root directory, if anyone has had a similar problem I would be grateful to know how they resolved it. Simon

 

[RichardS]

Hi I have been trying to update the software on my C80 chart plotter, unfortunately whichever size sandisk card I use the plotter does not recognise it and therefore I cannot update. Is there a way of accessing the update menu without the plotter having to recognise the card as there is nothing in the manual and I cannot find anything online to suggest how to do it. The card has the correct information loaded into the root directory, if anyone has had a similar problem I would be grateful to know how they resolved it. Simon

I'm sure that you will need to get the C80 (I assume this is a C80 Classic?) to recognise the SD card on boot up before you will be able to update.

I've updated my C80 with my Sandisk card and have loaned it to several forumites who have all upgraded without problems. If you want to PM me with your address I'll send you mine so you can try it. It has the latest firmware on it already.

Richard

 

[ex-Gladys]

I seem to remember this being discussed previously, and the C80 which is now quite elderly is fussy about the size of cards... I'm sure someone else will be along shortly to confirm

 

[pvb]

I seem to remember this being discussed previously, and the C80 which is now quite elderly is fussy about the size of cards... I'm sure someone else will be along shortly to confirm

Yes, when I had a C120 I seem to recall it was necessary to get a really tiny capacity card (128MB?) to do the update. If it's a problem, it's possible for the OP just to take the C80 to any Raymarine dealer and they'll update it.

 

[Simon054]

Cheers Fender PM sent

 

[BelleSerene]

I know Raymarine give instructions on upgrading on their site. I still use my C120 classic and updated it to the latest software from the Hinternet.

I think instructions are here: http://www.raymarine.com/view/index.cfm?id=7304

You should be OK with up to 128Gb CF cards, which are indeed tiny these days. http://forum.raymarine.com/showthread.php?tid=17

 

[Poecheng]

You are not alone !
I sourced a number of the correct-sized and make cards and tried to follow the instructions to the letter - no luck.
I might join the queue Richard !

 

[BelleSerene]

The UK Navionics agent (this is before their takeover by Garmin) diagnosed a problem with a chart upgrade CF card he’d sent me to the CF card having been too high-speed. The access speed of cards has increased over the years and the relatively ancient C80 couldn’t use it. He replaced it with a slower card, which worked. Perhaps you need to look out a slow (or just old!) CF card to use?

 

[Halo]

My local Raymarine dealer loaned me a card to update the C80. I then was able to update the old card via a USB adapter and pc.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I'm going on memory of my own upgrade path here, but isn't it the case that for the INITIAL upgrade of a C-Classic series plotter - i.e. the first one you do after getting it, which might, of course, be many years after you bought it - that you have to use a RAYMARINE card AND reader, and it has tiny capacity - ISTR 32Mb? After that you can use larger, third-party cards (the 128 Mb limit others have mentioned sounds right), but for the first upgrade you have to use the card the plotter came with?

The simplest way of getting the upgrade done might well be to take it to a Raymarine dealer!

 

[RichardS]

I'm going on memory of my own upgrade path here, but isn't it the case that for the INITIAL upgrade of a C-Classic series plotter - i.e. the first one you do after getting it, which might, of course, be many years after you bought it - that you have to use a RAYMARINE card AND reader, and it has tiny capacity - ISTR 32Mb? After that you can use larger, third-party cards (the 128 Mb limit others have mentioned sounds right), but for the first upgrade you have to use the card the plotter came with?

The simplest way of getting the upgrade done might well be to take it to a Raymarine dealer!

I don't think that the C-Series came with a CF card unless you purchased it with a chart card ..... but you can't use that one for upgrading.

Mine is now in the post on it's way to Simon but I think it is, indeed, 128Mb.

Richard

 

[KRG]

I had to do this on my C80, same problems with cards. What I did was to use the Navionics card itself, you can create a new directory/folder in the root of the Navionics card and put the update software there. Just don't change the Navionics folder as this will mess with the licence. Then delete the update folder when finished.

 

[RichardS]

I had to do this on my C80, same problems with cards. What I did was to use the Navionics card itself, you can create a new directory/folder in the root of the Navionics card and put the update software there. Just don't change the Navionics folder as this will mess with the licence. Then delete the update folder when finished.

I'm sure that is not a recommended approach but that might be because Raymarine are worried that users might overwrite one of the existing chart files. Personally, I always thought that writing any new files onto the CF card outwith the plotter itself would invalidate the licence but it sounds as if I was mistaken.

Richard

 

[Angele]

Hi I have been trying to update the software on my C80 chart plotter, unfortunately whichever size sandisk card I use the plotter does not recognise it and therefore I cannot update. Is there a way of accessing the update menu without the plotter having to recognise the card as there is nothing in the manual and I cannot find anything online to suggest how to do it. The card has the correct information loaded into the root directory, if anyone has had a similar problem I would be grateful to know how they resolved it. Simon

Out of interest, why do you feel the need to update the software? Is it because you want to use greater functionality than is currently available using the version of o/s installed, or is it because it won't recognise a new set of charts you have purchased?

I have a couple of E series plotters (what would be described as the "classic" variant) from 2005, so the next iteration of the chartplotter I think we are talking about here.

I was forced to upgrade the software a couple of years later, when I bought a set of platinum charts to replace the gold ones that came with the plotter. I did this myself and it worked fine.

Then, a few years later (I'm guessing it was around 2010-2012), my GPS stopped functioning reliably. Outside of my sphere of expertise, so I got an electronics engineer to take a look. He replaced the GPS and then proudly reported that he had "updated my software whilst [he] was at it, because I didn't have the latest version." I really wished he hadn't. From that day onwards, the screen refresh rate, if you move the cursor off the edge of the screen, slowed dramatically. As a consequence, I have deliberately avoided any further software upgrades. If it works, leave it alone in my opinion.

I think the problem is that each iteration of software is more complicated than the last, and so requires more processing power. But the processor hasn't changed, so the result is slower operation.

Maybe I'm a bit of a luddite. I only upgrade the software on my laptop if the old version is no longer supported, and that is only because my lappie connects to the internet and so is vulnerable to viruses, hacking etc- my E series plotters aren't. And I only updated the software on my iPhone recently, because it told me that I had to in order to use an App I wanted to install. The last time I had done so was about 2 years earlier. The phone is now eating through battery power much more quickly than it used to.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Out of interest, why do you feel the need to update the software? Is it because you want to use greater functionality than is currently available using the version of o/s installed, or is it because it won't recognise a new set of charts you have purchased?

I have a couple of E series plotters (what would be described as the "classic" variant) from 2005, so the next iteration of the chartplotter I think we are talking about here.

I was forced to upgrade the software a couple of years later, when I bought a set of platinum charts to replace the gold ones that came with the plotter. I did this myself and it worked fine.

Then, a few years later (I'm guessing it was around 2010-2012), my GPS stopped functioning reliably. Outside of my sphere of expertise, so I got an electronics engineer to take a look. He replaced the GPS and then proudly reported that he had "updated my software whilst [he] was at it, because I didn't have the latest version." I really wished he hadn't. From that day onwards, the screen refresh rate, if you move the cursor off the edge of the screen, slowed dramatically. As a consequence, I have deliberately avoided any further software upgrades. If it works, leave it alone in my opinion.

I think the problem is that each iteration of software is more complicated than the last, and so requires more processing power. But the processor hasn't changed, so the result is slower operation.

Maybe I'm a bit of a luddite. I only upgrade the software on my laptop if the old version is no longer supported, and that is only because my lappie connects to the internet and so is vulnerable to viruses, hacking etc- my E series plotters aren't. And I only updated the software on my iPhone recently, because it told me that I had to in order to use an App I wanted to install. The last time I had done so was about 2 years earlier. The phone is now eating through battery power much more quickly than it used to.

You've got to upgrade the C-classic series to allow them to use larger memory cards, without which you can't upgrade to the latest charts, with wider area coverage.

 

[Angele]

You've got to upgrade the C-classic series to allow them to use larger memory cards, without which you can't upgrade to the latest charts, with wider area coverage.

Ah! Makes sense. Didn't realise the problem was with the size of the cards for charts, as well as for the o/s itself.

 

[BelleSerene]

I'm going on memory of my own upgrade path here, but isn't it the case that for the INITIAL upgrade of a C-Classic series plotter - i.e. the first one you do after getting it, which might, of course, be many years after you bought it - that you have to use a RAYMARINE card AND reader, and it has tiny capacity - ISTR 32Mb? After that you can use larger, third-party cards (the 128 Mb limit others have mentioned sounds right), but for the first upgrade you have to use the card the plotter came with?

The simplest way of getting the upgrade done might well be to take it to a Raymarine dealer!

I wonder if that's for upgrading charts, but not for upgrading the OS. I don't believe I ever needed to use the Raymarine reader to upgrade the software itself - but to avoid piracy they're very strict about it for upgrading your chart data. The link (accessible from my link above, but apologies as I think I posted the wrong one) is here: http://www.raymarine.com/knowledgebase/index.cfm?view=3776

 

[englishrobs]

I had this problem last year and sourced a pair of 128Mb cards from ebay, only one of which the unit recognised and it wasn't the card I thought would work. I still have both, and they have the latest C80 update on them. Happy to share if that helps. PM me if interested, though I need to collect them from the boat next weekend.

 

[DipperToo]

.... and then proudly reported that he had "updated my software whilst [he] was at it, because I didn't have the latest version." I really wished he hadn't. From that day onwards, the screen refresh rate, if you move the cursor off the edge of the screen, slowed dramatically. As a consequence, I have deliberately avoided any further software upgrades. If it works, leave it alone in my opinion.

There was a piece about this on the Navionics web site
https://navionics.secure.force.com/...ine-C-Classic-C70-C80-C120-after-chart-update
I have not tried this yet.....

 

[Angele]

.... and then proudly reported that he had "updated my software whilst [he] was at it, because I didn't have the latest version." I really wished he hadn't. From that day onwards, the screen refresh rate, if you move the cursor off the edge of the screen, slowed dramatically. As a consequence, I have deliberately avoided any further software upgrades. If it works, leave it alone in my opinion.

There was a piece about this on the Navionics web site
https://navionics.secure.force.com/...ine-C-Classic-C70-C80-C120-after-chart-update
I have not tried this yet.....

Interesting!

May or may not apply to me, since mine are E series, not C. In practice, I have learned to live with the issue. On a yacht the time taken to redraw the chart after panning or zooming is rarely a major issue - it might be more so if I were a mobo doing 20 knots - and I am careful not to change the zoom the moment I enter a "new to me" harbour and expect it to redraw immediately.