Raytheon Wind Instrument not reading

[Afraal]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on troubleshooting my wind instrument. My boat has a Raytheon system with 3 screens: Speed, Wind, and Depth. When I bought the boat, the former owner told me that the Wind instrument stopped working after they installed the AC unit. But, to me that doesn't makes much sense. The AC unit no wear near the wind instrument cable. The wind screen has power but it doesn't read anything at all. This is what I have tested so far:

• Opened the panel box and checked all connections. All good.
• Checked the cable underneath the cockpit as it comes out of the steering column. The cable looks perfect and undisturbed.
• Checked the splice box at the bottom of the mast. I removed all wires, cleaned them, and re-installed them.
• I climbed the mast and the wind vane seems to be working fine.

Is there a way to test if the wind instruments at the top are actually sending a signal? my best guess at this point is that the cable is cut somewhere between the wind vane and the bottom of the mast, or somewhere between the panel and the cockpit.

Any suggestions on ways to keep troubleshooting?

Thanks,

Andres

 

[JamesG161]

Call Raymarine or go on their site.

Jim...

 

[Calif. Ted]

Yes, I just did this last November when re-stepping the mast, see the section on "Testing with MultiMeter".
Masthead Wind Transducer Test

 

[JoeWhite]

If you think the cable is cut and are able to climb the mast, with the help of a friend , after disconnecting both ends of the cable, you can have him short a pair together and you can do a continuity test with a volt meter. Also confirm that there are no shorts between any two wires when all wires are separated, this includes the ground shield.

 

[east coaster]

Same instrument lay out as yours. I also had the same issue, did all the tests as advised by raymarine and even had lengthy conversations with their techs while on the boat, all to no avail. Raymarine stated the actual instrument was "likely" defective and should be sent to them for repair. So after following their instructions for packing, padding and insuring the instrument to ensure it survived the rigors of post office handling I was out about $150 Cdn dollars. Three weeks later they called and advised that since the instrument was over 5 years old it was no supported by them and therefore not repairable. However they offered me a new replacement at a good price, that when converted to Cdn dollars was about one third of the price of a new on here on the east coast. Received the new instrument about a week later along with numerous "seatalk" connectors, installed same and it works like it is supposed to including all the functions. Next time I think I would rather go with Garmin, who according to other boaters who have experienced problems with their Garmin instruments say there is no 5 year planned obsolescence and service is great. This includes all Garmin marine products.
Again this is my experience with Raymarine, it may not be yours or others, but to me they seem to up sell as if the repair techs are on commission. Again just my experience with them.

 

[Afraal]

Thanks @JamesG161 @east coaster @JoeWhite @Calif. Ted . I will go through the additional testing you guys suggested before calling Raytheon. I'm a big fan or Garmin for other applications. A friend of mine replaced all his instruments with Garmin and it looks nice. But I can't justify that investment at the moment. I'll let you guys know if the additional testing works. I need to go up the mast for other maintenance anyway. Thanks!!!

 

[JamesG161]

Raytheon

Is now Raymarine and they will help you troubleshoot.

Jim...

 

[Cat 310 #1 in GA]

As others have said, call Raymarine @ (603) 881-5200. I just went through this and ended up having to replace the masthead transducer. But Raymarine Tech Support has gotten quite good recently - they have really improved from just a few years ago. They will walk you through the troubleshooting process.

 

[Alansails]

When we bought our 310 the wind instrument was dead, Raymarine sent us a new sending unit at the top of the mast when the mast was to be stepped and made all the difference. They treated us right and had it shipped right away

 

[RitSim]

I had a similar problem. Did the test and found that the test values were off. I took the instrument apart and changed the circuit board. It easily comes out and is easily replaced.

Loading…

www.tradeinn.com

 

[Afraal]

Update:
I finally managed to do some testing using a voltmeter. All readings but one, seem to be within the correct range. I spoke with Raymarine and after doing a quick Factory reset of the display unit, the said the issue seem to be with the wind vane unit. I ordered a new wind vane, so as soon as it arrives I will climb the mast to change it. Hopefully that will take care of the issue. @RitSim thanks for the info on the PCB. That would probably be my next step if changing the wind vane doesn't fix the problem. Good to know the PCB is available.