Failed Garmin chart plotter

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gregorybross

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Jan 31, 2012
56
Catalina 30 mkIII Santa Barbara
I have a Garmin 2006 chart plotter that suddenly quit working . I contacted Garmin for help and all they would was give me 10 percent of the list price of a new unit. This unit is only 10 years old. I am very unimpressed with the product support Garmin offers there customers. I will only purchase a different brand or perhaps use inavx on an iPad . Any thoughts?
Greg
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
I'd consider 10 years to be a full and useful life for an electronic product used in a marine environment. We all love the fast pace of functional and technical advancement in marine electronics, but the downside is a 10 year old product is a dinosaur; costly to repair and support.

I'd take the 10% and go shopping!
 
RichH

RichH

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Feb 14, 2005
4,773
Tayana 37 cutter; I20/M20 SCOWS Worton Creek, MD
Hell, 5 years is just about the functional useful limit of 'any' electronic device ... after ~5 years youll get zero support, zero software/firmware upgrades, probably an accumulation of internal corrosion, the integrated circuits / chips are probably full of chemically developed 'knock outs' (shorts) within the substrates of the IC architecture.

Take the 10% and 'go make a DEAL'.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,675
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
gregorybross said:
I have a Garmin 2006 chart plotter that suddenly quit working . I contacted Garmin for help and all they would was give me 10 percent of the list price of a new unit. This unit is only 10 years old. I am very unimpressed with the product support Garmin offers there customers. I will only purchase a different brand or perhaps use inavx on an iPad . Any thoughts?
Greg
Click to expand
Believe it or not Garmin actually supports their products longer than most in the marine electronics market. Problem is that once an item is discontinued the parts availability becomes scarce or non-existent and the company has to draw a line in the sand when they can no longer support it..

These days ten years is a century in marine electronics.. Here's a secret. If you want the longest support & repair life ALWAYS buy the newest electronics you can. Buying products at or near the end of the product life-cycle, even if the price is good, yields as little as 2-4 years support time..
 
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gregorybross

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Jan 31, 2012
56
Catalina 30 mkIII Santa Barbara
Thanks guys-
Wow these devices are very expensive for such a short life span. I think I will look into an ipad that I can take off the boat when not in use.
Greg
 
RichH

RichH

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Feb 14, 2005
4,773
Tayana 37 cutter; I20/M20 SCOWS Worton Creek, MD
Ipads, etc. are pretty useless when far offshore and out of cell tower range. You really need to be in constant cell tower (or wifi) range for data links for most nav and weather link, etc. apps.
 
Bill1565

Bill1565

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Jan 22, 2008
1,483
Hunter 37 C sloop Punta Gorda FL
RichH said:
Ipads, etc. are pretty useless when far offshore and out of cell tower range. You really need to be in constant cell tower (or wifi) range for data links for most nav and weather link, etc. apps.
Click to expand
Not true. You can get IPads with internal GPS CHIPS that do not need cell service. Or you can buy external GPS Units, wired or Bluetooth.
 
hvbaker

hvbaker

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Oct 5, 2010
322
Catalina 30 mkII St. Augustine
I agree go with a chart plotter that will stand up to wet conditions. I have an IPad and it does not have internal gps it needs to be in range for any of the navigation aps to work.
 
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gregorybross

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Jan 31, 2012
56
Catalina 30 mkIII Santa Barbara
Lifeproof sells a waterproof case for ipads. If all I can expect is 5 years out of a chart plotter designed for the marine environment it seems an ipad with a waterproof case that can be taken off the boat when not in use makes a lot of sense. And yes the 3g models receive gps very well.
 
Bob S

Bob S

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Sep 27, 2007
1,774
Beneteau 393 New Bedford, MA
Jim,
Can't see much water getting by your dodger and Bimini. Nice:D
 
D

Donnybrook

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Apr 2, 2011
185
Catalina 27 Niceville, FL
Does it do anything, such as a black vertical line on the display? Have you cleaned the connections on the power plug? What unit is it?
 
G

gregorybross

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Jan 31, 2012
56
Catalina 30 mkIII Santa Barbara
No just a blank screen. The plug looks clear and I did spray it with electrical contact cleaner. I checked the plug with a voltmeter and it is getting power. I think some internal connections must have shorted.
 
hogitz

hogitz

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Feb 7, 2009
21
2 25 Pompano Beach
My Garmin failed 3 days ago same story from Garmin

My problem is the new Garmin portable chart plotters are crap. I bought a 640 and the screen cracked the first day. the second one lasted 1 week. So I bought a Montana model because it seemed more durable. well it has not broken but its pretty useless the screen isn't bright like my 276c and the charts show markers with no numbers. I kept it as a back up to my 276c which is now broken and they wont repair it. Now I'm stuck with a non user friendly dim screen poorly charted unit. Oh did I mention that I'm pissed at Garmin.
 
DanM

DanM

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Mar 28, 2011
155
Catalina 30 Galveston Bay
I'm suprised to hear the Garmin comments, I bought a 440s that was on clearance a few years back and it's been flawless.

You had two screens crack in a week? Wow! So the glass just cracked while it was sitting there in it's stand? Was it a hot to cold issue, sun over heating it? What do you think caused it?

On my Garmin 440s I have to curser over items on the chart (markers) and then I get and information box about the selected item that pops up. I think the numbers are on the markers though if I zoom in on them. Maybe not, can't recall now.

DanM.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
I used to run product planning at Magellan. Our first 'handheld' devices were over $3000. At the time we actually would extend credit to anyone willing to lug the monster around. It's actually pretty amazing what these little boxes do. It's listening to half a dozen spacecraft, each sending out a radio signal that would not light up a decent lighbulb.
 
Chris Patterson

Chris Patterson

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Oct 17, 2011
2,808
Ericson 29 Southport..
I just looked at that 441 out of curiosity, and wow! All those 250 dollar chart cards, it would cost a man a thousand dollars just to find Bimini from here.

(Another good reason to draw lines on a chart)...

(Just a personal opinion/observation and I'll shut up, but it seems these contraptions are responsible for more skippers on a shoal, than fog is).
 
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