Raymarine Chartplotter GPS Signal Loss Question

[Rick D]

Just thought I'd lob this out to the guys in case anyone had something similar. I e-mailed Raymarine already and went through their FAQ's.I have an RC 70 chartplotter which I use in chartplotter mode only (it will also serve as a radar display). The antenna is a Raystar 120 WAAS with Seatalk link. The seatalk is chained through a bus. Anyhow, I get some "NO FIX" messages from time to time. When I query the sat status screen, it is blank.. no sat info. When I select the reboot soft key, nothing happens. If I power the unit off for maybe ten minutes, I usually get a full signal.I installed a new GPS antenna about two years ago after a similar problem, but more aggravated.. Thanks to John Richards, I found out about an antenna recall for a certain series of production. Raymarine replaced it at no cost and I had no problem for about a year. Now, I seem to be having it again.Any thoughts?Rick D.

 

[Rick D]

Just thought I'd lob this out to the guys in case anyone had something similar. I e-mailed Raymarine already and went through their FAQ's.I have an RC 70 chartplotter which I use in chartplotter mode only (it will also serve as a radar display). The antenna is a Raystar 120 WAAS with Seatalk link. The seatalk is chained through a bus. Anyhow, I get some "NO FIX" messages from time to time. When I query the sat status screen, it is blank.. no sat info. When I select the reboot soft key, nothing happens. If I power the unit off for maybe ten minutes, I usually get a full signal.I installed a new GPS antenna about two years ago after a similar problem, but more aggravated.. Thanks to John Richards, I found out about an antenna recall for a certain series of production. Raymarine replaced it at no cost and I had no problem for about a year. Now, I seem to be having it again.Any thoughts?Rick D.

 

[chuckwayne]

raystar 120 issues

well, Rick, you could just have another dud from raymarine-I've heard of people having the same failure on multiple units.... I'd check the power and signal wiring to the raystar first, make sure that it's tight and corrosion free (my dealer cut the cable to fish it and reconnected with an exposed terminal strip!). If that doesn't fix it, you may have an internal component overheat issue-that would explain the "works after 10 minutes shut down"

 

[chuckwayne]

raystar 120 issues

well, Rick, you could just have another dud from raymarine-I've heard of people having the same failure on multiple units.... I'd check the power and signal wiring to the raystar first, make sure that it's tight and corrosion free (my dealer cut the cable to fish it and reconnected with an exposed terminal strip!). If that doesn't fix it, you may have an internal component overheat issue-that would explain the "works after 10 minutes shut down"

 

[mortyd]

raymarine

you say you emailed raymarine, but have they stooped to reply yet?

 

[Rick D]

Raymarine Response

Here is Raymarine's response. I don't think it will apply to me since the unit worked properly for a long time before failing. However, I think I will run a seperate power link to the antenna and check all the connections (which looked fine). Good for them to get back in 24 hours tho."If you are not getting position information, you will need to check the GPS sensor that is currently installed onboard. If it is a RS120, the following diagnostic would apply:1) verify that the batteries are fully charged or that you are connected to shore power2) verify that SeaTalk is getting 12VDC as measured across the red and bare SeaTalk leads3) if you have more than 5 SeaTalk devices, it is recommended that a second power insertion point be added after the last SeaTalk deviceThe following diagnostic can be used to troubleshoot a NO FIX condition. Verify the following:- verify that that the GPS is installed such that it has a clear view of the horizon and is not installed below any hard surfaces- verify that the GPS is not installed within 3' of a radar scanner or VHF antenna- measure voltage across the red and bare wire leads of the RS120. Is the measured voltage +12VDC to +13.5VDC?- cycle power to the RS120 (verify that the power as measured on the red and bare leads drops to 0 when power is removed). Does the GPS acquire a fix afterwards?- via the GPS status page, restart the GPS. Does the GPS acquire a fix afterwards?- if the RS120 fails to fix or the fix is intermittent, then RS120 should be serviced by Raymarine's Factory Service Department or alternatively replaced with a RS125"

 

[MichaelStacy]

Raystar 120 random loss of fix

I had this same problem with my 2004 system. I sent the raystar 120 to raymarine, who re-programmed it to get rid of the random loss of Fix. I got it back from Raymarine - no charge. No loss of fix since.Michael

 

[jeff]

Raystar 120

My Raystar 12o was shipped to Raymarine service about 4 weeks ago. I have not heard anything from them yet. We had similar problems.

 

[Rick D]

I Checked Out The Antenna Per Their Advice

The RS 120 appears set up properly. I even dropped voltage to 10.5 volts to check it and it was OK. I left the plotter on for three days. I had one NO FIX condition that never recovered in four hours. I powered down and restarted an hour later. It was fine. I called an electronics repair firm. He said it was definitly the antenna. They have had some problems, but not a large volume. He suggested I get the newer 125. I may do that after I send the 120 back. Thanks for the feedback. Rick D.