Shipmate RS5900 GPS Chartplotter

[Appleyard]

Got back yesterday from our autumncruise in Greece..everything working ok except the above item.
The problem is that it is taking a very long time to find the satellites...normally it would take about 1-2 minutes,but now it is taking about2-3 hours before it works. Once it has aquired the satellites it works perfectly..with spot on accuracy.It was working ok when we left the boat in June,but since we returned in September it has been playing up. I have checked the connections ,including those up the mast,and can't find anything amiss.The boat was out of the water over the summer,weather was hot,and everything was disconnected. I don't want to replace it as it is a perfectly good piece of kit,albeit a bit long in the tooth.Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[dsw]

try another antenner most types will work as long as the connection is the same and if that does not work then you will have to get some one to check the board inside .

 

[Guest]

It may have internal battery that is run down and not retaining data ..........

When you switch on - does it show present date or many years ago date ? That is good sign that internal battery that keeps the memory going is dead. It's possible that the long lock-on time is the machine re-downloading data needed to lock-on and read sats ...

 

[Appleyard]

Nigel.These are the exact symptoms .I think you may have solved it...when I switch on,it shows the date from long ago and also it shows the factory seting for the co-ordinates. This would make sense as you say that the internal battery is dud. Many thanks for your help. Next question... is it possible to replace the internal battery? Presumably it is continously recharged ...but as the instrument is now about 14 years old,will have lost its rechargeability.The boat is presently laid up for the winter in Greece,so I will have to wait till next spring to have a chance to look at it,but you have given me the advice which I was after Thanks again .