Raymarine Chartplotter/depth/radar screen

[mjohnh]

Today, I took a short cruise down the Kalamazoo R. from Saugatuck, Mi and the chart plotter worked normally. When I arrived at the big lake, the screen went blank after it showed a lot of "static/garbage". I let it rest by turning off the toggle and after a couple of minutes it worked well for a short time then it repeated the problem. I left the Lake and entered the River and was cruising back up and it worked o.k. for a few minutes and then repeated the problem....garbage then blank screen. When the screen goes blank, it is not dark, but a light gray. I docked the boat and then went back to it several hours later and it nav system worked normally while at the dock. Any suggestions? I have not looked at the booklet, yet, but I always appreciate thoughts and suggestions from the experienced posters on this forum. I am relatively new to boating having owned by 2005 Albin 28 TE for one year.

[Tree]

What display is it? It could be an issue with the sounder module, they are very voltage sensitive. There is a series of LED lights on the sounder module that will flash if there is a problem with it. The manuals are available on the Raymarine website.

[mjohnh]

Thanks for the reply.....I will run this down this week....if I learn anything that may be of help to anyone else, I will post it..

Thanks, again.

[mjohnh]

This happened again.....It worked fine for about 1 hour and then the screen went blank. I would turn off the toggle and let it rest a few minutes; turn it back on; and the screen showed various designs of horizontal and vertical very narrow lines. I will consult the manuals as suggested by Tree. If anyone else has any suggestions, they will be appreciated. It is a model "C80".

[irishwake]

I had the same problem with my C120. After sending it back to Raymarine 2 times and six weeks later they replaced the screen. Cost was $$$$. Good luck. I have about 15 pictures of the problem if you need to see them. I have had so many problems with Raymarine products that I avoid them like the plague.

[Russell]

I am not sure what you mean by the toggle but the Raymarine dealer told me to be sure and power down the chartplotter rather than turn off the switch on the panel because it is similar to a computer. He was not specific about what problems this could cause.

[mjohnh]

Thanks...maybe that is the problem...by "toggle", I meant the "on/off" switch at the helm......marked "navigation"...there are others for various lights, etc.

[Jeremyvmd]

My dad has a c120 on his whaler with the same issue. Turned me off of raymarine for my upgrades. I usually go simrad but I might go garmin on this boat (existing gear is mostly garmin)

[kowal_53]

It does sound like a screen. However I would call Raytheon and talk to an expert. I suspect you might find that the C-80 is not supported as well as you might like. When I called about E-120 issue they said that they did not have many parts left for the "C" series. They said they only has a few screens left for my unit, and once they were gone there will be no more.

If this turns out to be true you can find used unit on EBAY. I was able to pick up a radar for my older C-120 that way when I was selling it. You might be able to pick up a whole C series package for $1000 to $1400, giving you lots of spare parts.

There is always new equipment, but many older parts of a C series will not work with the new stuff. I know that the radar generally are different. The auto pilots and sounders may, I know the one that comes with my E series will. This can be an expensive upgrade. $6,000 to $10,000 depending on options. Of course you can pick a different brand if you want. The latest technology is much nicer too.

[mjohnh]

Thanks for the reply and suggestions......

[mjohnh]

Problem is back, but different. I peered up and the scree in dark blue in the top half and whiten the bottom half.....occasionally there is a "pulse"...a white line that scans down the top half, and stops at the bottom half.......this is a new issue.....the unit worked well since my last post last October........now....not much at all.......worked well earlier in the Summer.....any suggestions??????

[mjohnh]

O.K.....after searching the internet for comments by others on other forums, I think that my problem may be a "loose cable".....or, a corroded connector on the cable......any suggestions on how to find and check the cable before I start out on this effort? Thanks, again....

[catalina_mike]

The screen usualy has a flat cable that plugs into the cricuit board. Goggle "ribon connector cables". They can be loose or have corrosion.

[Nancy]

Mjohnh, have you called Raymarine? Their tech support is very good.

[mjohnh]

I thought that I should wait until the 6th due to the holiday....will tomorrow a.m..

thanks for your suggestion....