GPS Upgrade

Roye44

New Member
Aug 8, 2016
15
Montreal, Qc
Boat Info
2005 Sundancer 300
2006 Sundancer 260
2013 Stingray 208CR
2009 Challenger 180
Engines
2 X 5.7 Merccruiser 350 mpi Horizon
Hey folks,
Thinking about upgrading my old Raymarine C-70 to the new Axiom 9!
I heard that I need a fitting bracket as the hole of the C70 is a bit bigger than the one required by the Axiom!
Is there anything I should know other than that? What about wiring, is it just plug the old wires in the new unit?
Thanks from up north!
 
I just went through this discussion last weekend with a local installer. I believe that with your upgrade, you will also be upgrading your wiring. Also you will need some type of trim work/filler panel as all of the new units are more of a widescreen format.

I was headed toward the Axiom, but after spending much of last Saturday looking at & comparing the different units, I opted to go with 2 x Garmin 942's and upgrading to the Fantom Radar. I also added a rear-view "back-up" camera to enhance visibility of the swim deck when backing into the slip and Fusion radio that ties directly into the 942's. I'm keeping the existing transducer, so no haul-out for this round of upgrade.

Both great units, but here are the factors that pushed me over:
- The Garmin mounts from the from the front, while the Axiom mounts from the rear. No big deal since I am not the one installing them.
- The map card on the Axiom goes in the back of the unit, the Garmin map card goes in the front on the unit, so I would need to remove & re-mount the Axioms if I ever wanted to update or change maps.
- Garmin had a better price point; I think they also have also been out on the market longer.
- The Garmin upgrade map "Vision" looks pretty nice, so I may try that in the future.

Good luck on your upgrade!
Bryan
 
Also just went through this. Either way you go, keep in mind that the folks at sea-rayparts.com have replacement panels to match your existing. They are not much more expensive, and the will also cut to match a template you provide. Makes your install look original stock as apposed to patch-up.
 
I was headed toward the Axiom, but after spending much of last Saturday looking at & comparing the different units, I opted to go with 2 x Garmin 942's and upgrading to the Fantom Radar.

I can't bypass this opportunity to further my "agenda":

Do you already have a DSC-capable VHF and does it have a source of GPS data and is it programmed with your MMSI? If not, this is a great time to add this to your project, and of all the great features your 942's and radar will offer, DSC/GPS/MMSI is still the one most-likely to save a life.
 
Why Raymarine Axiom? They just have so many integration issues..... And future expansion? Let's not even to there.....
 
I just installed a Axiom 9 on my 320. There was nothing previously installed so that was a non issue. I also installed a Quantum 2 radar and the rk 10 controller. Now I am no electrical expert but pretty good at reading instructions. The install was pretty straight forward. Biggest issue was running the cables for the radar.
I have nothing to compare the operation to, but will say that the unit is very easy to operate. Navigation thru the screens is simple. There is a glitch associated with the radar. When it goes into sleep mode, the MDF does not recognize it and the radar will not power up. You have to momentarily disconnect the radar power wire at the fuse block and then restart the MDF. It will then recognize the radar. Not real convienant! Raymarine was no help other than they agreed with my "fix". I installed a rocker switch to cycle the power. Two grand for a radar unit and another grand for the Axiom 9, o yah, another 400 bucks for a five way conector to tie every thing together. I love the unit, not sold on there technical service support just yet, and it apears that most add ons are all proprietary which all means big bucks at the end of the day. I am currently working with Mercrusier to determine what I need to get my Vessel View unit to send data to the Axiom. That should be at least another $1000!
Why do the photo's rotate?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1995.JPG
    IMG_1995.JPG
    173.1 KB · Views: 219
Why Raymarine Axiom? They just have so many integration issues..... And future expansion? Let's not even to there.....
What would you suggest?
 
I can't bypass this opportunity to further my "agenda":

Do you already have a DSC-capable VHF and does it have a source of GPS data and is it programmed with your MMSI? If not, this is a great time to add this to your project, and of all the great features your 942's and radar will offer, DSC/GPS/MMSI is still the one most-likely to save a life.

Yes, the VHF is fairly new ICOM, so no upgrade needed at this time. I considered adding AIS, but just could not justify the cost.
 
There is a glitch associated with the radar. When it goes into sleep mode, the MDF does not recognize it and the radar will not power up. You have to momentarily disconnect the radar power wire at the fuse block and then restart the MDF. It will then recognize the radar. Not real convienant! Raymarine was no help other than they agreed with my "fix". I installed a rocker switch to cycle the power.

Is this for real with every RM Quantum radar ? Is that why this season my a127 doesn't see my radar and get the error message radar "not connected" ?
 
After talking with a Raymarine tech help line, it appears so. What I can say is that cycling the power supply, the mdf will "see" the radar. I was getting the same message, "not connected".
 
After talking with a Raymarine tech help line, it appears so. What I can say is that cycling the power supply, the mdf will "see" the radar. I was getting the same message, "not connected".

What about the main battery switches... on/off ???
 
What would you suggest?
I'm more a fan of Garmin and Furuno for the basic reason they conform and are certified to a common standard which is NMEA 2000. Conformance to an industry standard allows a wider spectrum of options, flexibility, and future growth across many manufacturers. Raymarine has a tendency to be proprietorial in their interfaces and data streams which, for example, if you should you need to replace a component in the suite then you are normally limited to replace with a retired piece of Raymarine hardware. Now, don't get me wrong as Raymarine has migrated to a data buss they call SeatalkNG which is essentially NMEA 2000 with propriety cabling; so you need an adapter and usually a partial capability returned..... Radar scanners are unique across all of the manufacturers and in all cases have dedicated connectors and data streams; so that's a given. My 400DA was refitted with Garmin MFD, Radar, Autopilot, and other non-Garmin devices which I found to be seamless in operation and rock stable hence I will probably go Garmin again; personal and technical preference. I like the Garmin cartography also but that is a more personal preference. This boat I have now has a Raymarine suite which is getting long in the tooth. The few changes I've needed to do (GPS Antenna and sounder) have been painful to get to adapt to the E120 MFD's and sounder module; converters and multiplexers were needed to get the stuff to play well together..... And cable connector configurations are all over the map and change year to year; try to buy a NEMA0183 cable for a Raymarine E or C series MFD...…

You may also want do search these forums as there are other analysis and comment on the equipment.
Tom
 
Last edited:
I just installed two Garmin 8012 units (BOE Marine), Garmin 4 foot open array Fantom Radar and new heading sensor to replace my Raymarine RL 80 and Garmin 7212. I have two VHF radios Ray 220 and an ICOM 604 (yes, the ICOM is connected to the GapS and I do have an MMSI number through the FCC. I find the Garmin products very intuitive to operate and my wife is able to operate as well which is a bonus. I have some experience with the Fantom radar and it is exceptional for targets within 3 miles, I have not done a lot of validation of smaller targets past that distance, just freighters which it can pickup and track further out with Marpa. The red/green target colors was good for traveling through fog the other day to identify targets which may be an issue. In respect to mmsi, everyone should be registered whether through BoatUS or the FCC and the number programmed into their gps enabled/connected vhf radio. You never know when you will need it.
 
One hitch I just discovered with Garmin. The software updates will require you to have a Windows PC. If you unly have access to a Mac, you are screwed.
 
One hitch I just discovered with Garmin. The software updates will require you to have a Windows PC. If you unly have access to a Mac, you are screwed.
If you have later equipment running at least version 10, you can use the Active Captain app for updates. No computer needed at all!
 
I went with the Axiom 9. Ray260 vhf and i70s instrument. All networked with Seatalkng. I like lighthouse 3 better than the
7xx Garmin stuff I had before. Much faster. although the navionics maps aren't quite as nice imo. I am going with flir camera instead of radar.
20180610_141605.jpg
 
Regarding the interface between the Vessel view and the Axiom: I installed a Gateway module, $450.00, and a nema 2000 backbone starter kit. $60.00. The Gateway module pluged directely into a 10 pin connector located behind the gauges. It apears that most of the data is transferring properly regarding the engine(s). It is not transfering waste or fresh water data. Only transfers port engine fuel level. That may be a internal set up issue. Even though this is not a complete success, I am happy with the results. One aditional feature that I am playing with is the apps. Originally, I was not interested in watching Netflix or other video streaming thru the Axiom, but i must say that it does display a very high quality picture. I am now looking for a nema 2000 speaker system to finish this project.
 
My plan is to replace my sc5000 with vv4
And network via seatalkng/nmea 2000. Has anyone done a sc5000 to vv4 on a 320 they can share part numbers with?
Thnx
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,950
Messages
1,422,880
Members
60,933
Latest member
juliediane
Back
Top