Navigation Upgrade

vanburen

vanburen

New Member
Feb 18, 2008
324
Annapolis / Alexandria
Boat Info
420 DB
Engines
Cummins 480 CE
My SRN has died and given its state of obsolescence, really don't want to spent the money to have it rebuilt with a new drive. The boat has the C series Raymarine next to the SRN. I am thinking of putting in the new e series touchscreen, and then next year, upgrading the C to the new e as well, probably with the radar too. I am thinking that the e Series would be a simple addition - no need to connect to the radar or autopilot at this point if that were challenging although I will need a new dash panel. Any thoughts on this upgrade?
 
I am alsO was considering up grading my c120 to the new e you don't need to change your panel they make a bezel that replaces the c120 without new panel I think I'm going to wait to see if they come down sum since every thing would need to be replaced.that's I big nut to swallow for me right now

Just my $.02 happy boating
 
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The new e series has Bluetooth, so you can make a route at home with you iPad/ iPhone using navionics bring it to the boat and wirelessly upload the route to the plotter, also whatever you view on the phone you can view on the mfd. and it works in reverse as well. You can also control audio from your phone/ iPad/itouch from the mfd. really cool I'm thinking of adding to the e120 on our new boat with an e9 touchscreen. They also have a remote for the units. Good luck and post pics
 
As we consider moving up to a 52DB or 58DB we're potentially faced with a similar issue. Although I currently have two E-120's it appears that very few Sea Rays came from the factory equipped this way, with the most typical set up being a C/E 120 Classsic and an SRN, depending on the vinatge boat. I think I've landed in a spot similar to the OP. I'd likely replace the SRN with a new E-125 or E-127 and use it solely as a chartplotter. Once I was ready or the original C/E-120 unit quit I'd replace it and the radar with a networked E-125/7 as the new units require digital radar. The alternative of buying a second hand C/E-120 Classic only seems to be delaying the inevitable to me.
 
I bought an e7 with the Bluetooth remote as a chart plotter back up and will replace my Furuno with the new e14" MFD coming out soon and network them. I love it so far- wifi and the iPad with navionics are very cool
 
I happen to like the SRN, is it flawless, no but what is? I replaced my hard drive and battery last year. It's a lot cheaper than buying a new Raymarine E120, repair cost roughly $900. Contact Mark Pringle in Edgewater, he can help you out 410-279-1390.
 
vanburen said:
My SRN has died and given its state of obsolescence, really don't want to spent the money to have it rebuilt with a new drive. The boat has the C series Raymarine next to the SRN. I am thinking of putting in the new e series touchscreen, and then next year, upgrading the C to the new e as well, probably with the radar too. I am thinking that the e Series would be a simple addition - no need to connect to the radar or autopilot at this point if that were challenging although I will need a new dash panel. Any thoughts on this upgrade?
Click to expand...

Hi Ed: My SRN II died also a few years ago. I was able to trade my original one in through NSI in Edgewater, MD. You can contact Mark Pringle (410-279-1390 cell) reelhunter@aol.com. Mark had a used SRN II in stock and integrated a hybrid digital hard drive in it for me. It works like a champ and lightning fast. He also loaded the latest charts. This may be a less expensive way to go. In any case Mark can hook you up with a few options. I would highly recommend talking to him before you do anything.
 
Ed,

I had kind of similar project. My boat came with C120 and nothing in the other panel. So, I was debating the approach as I wanted to have 2nd MFD as a backup system. Here's a thread you might find interesting:C120 and E120 Nav System Redundancy/Failover

Anyway, I ended up choosing the "E120" classic for several reasons:
1. It's a perfect fit in the panel.
2. It's easily integrated with my existing equipment via SeaTalk buss.
3. As part of the backup strategy for the existing radar (which is connected to C120 from the factory), in case if my C120 goes bad all I need to do is unplug the radar from C120 and plug it to the E120. This should only take no more than 5 min.
4. Having E120 allows me to move forward with NMEA2000 network. So, if I want to add anything else in the future (e.g. AIS) I'll be getting the NMEA2000 unit.
5. If for whatever reason I decide to upgrade my C120, I can add another E120 and they will perfectly integrate on the faster NMEA2000 network and share all kinds of complex data, even radar.

As part of the backup system I also added another Raystar 125 GPS, which feeds my E120.

Of course it all depends on what you wish as the end result and how much you wish to invest. But, I didn't feel like spending too much and wanted to add something that works well with my current setup. I honestly saw no point of getting rid of perfectly functioning C120 and the Radar.

Before adding new components to my system I made a diagram to help me understand how everything is connected. It's a lot easier when you have a complete picture on paper. I suggest to do something similar (if you plan on doing the installation yourself):

My420DB_Nav_System.jpg
 
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Well I have the quote, which includes salon and cockpit cameras as well. It is not a cheap move, that is for sure. I am waiting on a quote on the panel from Sea Ray. There is not a lot of clearance as the unit measures 13.9 they say, and there is 14.25 between the clusters. Almost there...
 
I just put the E120 in yesterday...Unit was $1,999.00...Now I have two E120's.....Obviously the new one looks a bit different
 
You had room to mount them side by side?
 
I had the SRN and just replaced it with the E127. I had to cut a bigger opening in the dash and it dropped right in. The transducer for the SRN will not work with the E127 so I also purchased the B60 12 degree xducer. My boat will be pulled next weekend to have the xducer replaced. I like the display and will add a camera to view the stern while docking. After reading all the Raymarine docs about the E127, I also bought the SeaTalk to SeaTalkng converter to tie the existing auto pilot into the E127. The ST7000+ auto pilot has a second SeaTalk plug to daisy chain to the E127. After receiving the converter, the first warning in it's doc was NOT to connect to the auto pilot SeaTalk plug. The converter is powered by 12vdc and so is the SeaTalk plug coming out of the ST7000+. The docs also showed connecting the E127 to a NMEA 0183 source on the course computer. I will continue to use the older RL80C plus radar until I can get Adrimal approval to upgrade the radar. The built-in GPS works great and finds 12 satellites quickly. I purchased the E127 with Inland chart chip, but received Coastal chart chip. The box was clearly labeled "Inland Charts", so I called Raymarine. They sent me the Inland chip next day, so now all is good. I will post pics when I get camera to the boat this weekend.
 
jerryd5515 said:
I had the SRN and just replaced it with the E127. I had to cut a bigger opening in the dash and it dropped right in. The transducer for the SRN will not work with the E127 so I also purchased the B60 12 degree xducer. My boat will be pulled next weekend to have the xducer replaced. I like the display and will add a camera to view the stern while docking. After reading all the Raymarine docs about the E127, I also bought the SeaTalk to SeaTalkng converter to tie the existing auto pilot into the E127. The ST7000+ auto pilot has a second SeaTalk plug to daisy chain to the E127. After receiving the converter, the first warning in it's doc was NOT to connect to the auto pilot SeaTalk plug. The converter is powered by 12vdc and so is the SeaTalk plug coming out of the ST7000+. The docs also showed connecting the E127 to a NMEA 0183 source on the course computer. I will continue to use the older RL80C plus radar until I can get Adrimal approval to upgrade the radar. The built-in GPS works great and finds 12 satellites quickly. I purchased the E127 with Inland chart chip, but received Coastal chart chip. The box was clearly labeled "Inland Charts", so I called Raymarine. They sent me the Inland chip next day, so now all is good. I will post pics when I get camera to the boat this weekend.
Click to expand...
Jerry
When you say it dropped right in, how did you deal with the difference in height? My measurements indicate a gap would exist top and bottom. Thanks!
 
JNMNL52 said:
Hi Ed: My SRN II died also a few years ago. I was able to trade my original one in through NSI in Edgewater, MD. You can contact Mark Pringle (410-279-1390 cell) reelhunter@aol.com. Mark had a used SRN II in stock and integrated a hybrid digital hard drive in it for me. It works like a champ and lightning fast. He also loaded the latest charts. This may be a less expensive way to go. In any case Mark can hook you up with a few options. I would highly recommend talking to him before you do anything.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I gave this some thought but in the end, want to upgrade to new gear. Yeah, it is going to hurt. Ouch.
 
I had the SRN type 1 and the hole for it was smaller in width and height than the template for the E127. I used a Ryobi Rotozip to enlarge the opening in my dash. Here is a picture of the old SRN in my dash.
View attachment 25036
 
Pulled the trigger. A new panel was about $400 from Sea Ray's supplier. The rest is a bit more.... Hopefully it will go smoothly. There will be cameras, a sounder, and a new MFD. I am focusing on being excited!
 
Good luck with the upgrade. My E127 works well with the built-in GPS and sounder. Used it on the short trip back from haul out, where I had the transducer installed. Next I will add a camera on the stern for backing into slip. I also just ordered a HotMaps Platinum chip to get more detail, 3D maps and aerial photo overlays. I will post pictures this weekend when I get back to the boat. Next project is to connect legacy electronics to E127. Have purchased the SeaTalk to SeaTalkng converter and will connect it this weekend.
 
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