Raymarine radar problem

[wizzer]

I am working on my "new" Seaward 25, she's a 2005 boat and has had very little use. The electronics package is Raymarine, based around a C80 MFD. The speaker for the Ray240 DSC VHF, was not working, now replaced with a brand new speaker. The DSM300 sounder works good, the plotter works good. The radar scanner, type 92650-S was corroded inside and is apparently dead. So, I bought a used one, in good faith, from Gumtree. It arrived looking good inside & out, when I connected it, the scanner rotated as it should and the radar picture appeared. However, after a few rotations, the radar image was lost, to come back again perhaps a minute later, this is what happens continually. I've been in touch with Raymarine technical support & the bloke reckons the scanner could be at fault. He went through some diagnostics with me. I have tried the same scanner today with a different cable, same result, image comes and goes. I have one thing left to try, updating the C80s software, I'll try that tomorrow, if I can find a CF card.
If I can't get this radar scanner to work, I'm £300 down so far as the Gumtree seller seems convinced the radome was OK when he posted it. If that's how it is to be, then I need to decide whether to pay out more for another used scanner, maybe an RD218, or to give up on the old radar and get a stand alone radar and display to run alongside the C80 MFD running the depth sounder and plotter.
Comments welcomed, cheers.

 

[Talulah]

I would also try powering the radar directly from the battery.
Normally the radar is powered from the MFD.
If there is insufficient voltage getting to the Radome you normally get 'No radar device' or something similar.
However, I would give it a go.

 

[wizzer]

Thanks, but the power cabling is all integral with the radar cable to the MFD

 

[duncan99210]

Recheck all the connections including the power supply to the MFD. Any losses due to poor connections will have an effect on the performance of the radar. How well charged are your batteries? If the boat hasn't been much used for a protracted period then the batteries may be performing below their best. When the radar scanner starts working, it will place a fair demand for power, which may cause it to drop out. The batteries are then relieved of some of the demand on the, recover slightly and the radar starts to function again may provide an explanation of the symptoms described.

To summarise: ensure that you've got a good supply of power to the system before you start updating software or replacing any more kit.

 

[RichardS]

Thanks, but the power cabling is all integral with the radar cable to the MFD

Definitely check whether you have v 5.16 C80 firmware as per AIS thread. If not you need a small capacity CF card. Details are on the Raymarine website but I can lend you one with the latest software on it if you have any problems.

Richard

 

[yotter]

Thanks, but the power cabling is all integral with the radar cable to the MFD

I have had issues in the last couple of years with RM Analogue radars (18" 2 kW) also. I have persevered, since I want to keep the C80. I would agree that feeding a good supply to the scanner would be worth a try. The ease of achieving this in practice will depend on if you can get at the cable, mine has a join at the base of mast (on the dry side), alternatively if the scanner is accessible, take the lid of and see id fan feed a supply in there (but its an edge connector:-()
Good luck
Angus

 

[masterofnone]

when i installed a used raymarine radar/plotter, the system stopped working when the radar was powered up. i initially thought this was due to 2 joints in the cable. the problem was however insufficient ampherage supply. i rewired direct to the domestic supply battery. all's well.

 

[wizzer]

Interesting comments re power supply, I have recently installed all three brand new, top make batteries and they are kept well charged as the boat is connected to shore power when I'm testing the systems, so.... I would think that lack of power is unlikely.
On the software side, the current software is v4.25, so, as my daughter would say; well old.
I'm going to see if I have a CF card knocking about, if not I'd be glad to borrow one from RichardS
Been looking at a stand alone new Raymarine display and scanner. The trouble therein being that once you go down that route, it's tempting to add a CHIRP transducer, then the installation would be around 3K. mmmmm

 

[RichardS]

Interesting comments re power supply, I have recently installed all three brand new, top make batteries and they are kept well charged as the boat is connected to shore power when I'm testing the systems, so.... I would think that lack of power is unlikely.
On the software side, the current software is v4.25, so, as my daughter would say; well old.
I'm going to see if I have a CF card knocking about, if not I'd be glad to borrow one from RichardS
Been looking at a stand alone new Raymarine display and scanner. The trouble therein being that once you go down that route, it's tempting to add a CHIRP transducer, then the installation would be around 3K. mmmmm

PM me with your address if you want to borrow my 64MB CF card and I'll post it to you. It still has the latest C80 firmware on it as I used it to upgrade mine a few years ago and no new firmware has been released since May 2012 ..... and I don't suppose there will ever be any more.

Richard

 

[wizzer]

PM sent just now

 

[wizzer]

Thanks to Richard for sending me the CF card ("what's that?", said my daughter, she thought it was the size of a slice of toast). Done the update, still the same issue with the radome, I'm going to put a wanted ad on here for an RD218.