Raychart 600xx problems

A

ajaymuch

New Member
Jul 6, 2007
14
michigan
Boat Info
2006 40' Sundancer
Engines
8.1 Liter HO 420 hp gas
I have a Raychart 600XX on a '96 37' Dancer. It is connected to a RAystar 108 GPS antenna. I cannot get it to pull a signal. Additionally when I have my Raypilot 650 turned on it too becomes inoperable unless I turn the plotter off. Anyone have any suggestions? I am at a loss. I tried to go through th manual and debug the unit, but I have come up empty.

thanks, Rick
 
ajaymuch said:
I have a Raychart 600XX on a '96 37' Dancer. It is connected to a RAystar 108 GPS antenna. I cannot get it to pull a signal. Additionally when I have my Raypilot 650 turned on it too becomes inoperable unless I turn the plotter off. Anyone have any suggestions? I am at a loss. I tried to go through th manual and debug the unit, but I have come up empty.

thanks, Rick
Click to expand...

Given it all worked fine and nothing has been undertaken that would have disconnected anything, the bad connections or broken wires seem like the culprit.

Dumb GPS antenna that doesn't see sats OR is sending signals but bad connections are interrupting transmission ...

Continuity checks are the one way to eliminate connection issues.

Make sure you strong power supply, and clean grounds in the intrumentation locker.
 
The Raystar 108 is the entire GPS system in a single package. There are two variations of the 108. One has a SeaTalk interface and the other is NMEA 0183. Either case, you can check to see if you are getting GPS sentences from the 108. If not, it might be dead. Also note that there is a battery in the 108 that powers the keep-alive memory. If the battery fails, you need to prove initial coordinates for it to "find itself."

The battery is replaceable. It is soldered to the main board in the GPS sensor. Unscrew the cap -- it twists off. Then remove the two screws that hold the antenna to the housing. Unplug the antenna lead from the main board and remove the antenna. Battery is the disc shaped object on the board.

Best regards,
Frank
 
Last edited:
WOW I can find nothing on the RayStar 108 on Raymarines website in the legacy or current product Cust Serv sections. Is this antenna part of another product number?
 
It's an obsolete part. I have one on my boat. The manual is at home. What are you looking for?
 
Thanks guys. I will change the battery this weekend. I will also check to ensure the ground is good. Not sure just where to check the continuity. Any idea where to start?

Rick
 
Unfortunately, the 600 and 601 don't allow you to test the 108. You're pretty much on your own. You can check that there is power at the unit on the red and black (or brown) leads. I don't seem to have a manual for the 108, so not sure what else to check.

Best regards,
Frank
 
fc3 said:
It's an obsolete part. I have one on my boat. The manual is at home. What are you looking for?
Click to expand...

The earlier statement that the antenna is an "all in GPS" with differential, as is the modern RS125, is what I want to confirm. It matters in this case as to understand the nature of the signals involved and the type of cableing from the antenna and the plotter display.

I had this same boat and electronics package and yet had a dumb antenna. My 2001 vintage 460 had the latest and greatest at the time and that antenna was dumb as well, so I'm at an inpass to move forward in helping the OP sort out the possible issues unless its resolved.

The three possible cable styles all would matter.
 
I have that unit and I know it's not dumb. It's just like the 125 except it can only track 8 satellites at once and does not have any differential or WAAS correction capability. Mine's wired to the helm electronics as NMEA 0183. Wish I could find that darned manual. I thought I had one, but went though my suitcase of stuff twice.

Best bet is to send an email to Raymarine's tech support. They're pretty good.

Best regards,
Frank C
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,172
Messages
1,427,835
Members
61,084
Latest member
AntonioJamm
Back
Top