Raymarine 125 gps antenna loses fix

[flashverde]

I put a C80 system on my 370 about 4 yrs ago. It came with the 120 gps antenna which was replaced by the 125 after several problems. That worked well for about a year and then began occassionaly losing the fix which has gotten worse over time. Over the last year, I have had a Raymarine dealer tech upgrade the sofware, check my connections and check the voltage to the unit. He thinks it is the antenna but I have sent that to Raymarine and they say it works great on the bench. Anybody else having this problem? Raymarine says they will sell me a new antenna for $150, but that's the only idea they have.

 

[Alex F]

I had the "No Fix DATA" issue with my Raystar 120. Replaced it with 125 and so far so good (knock on wood). $150 is half of the price. I would take the chance. You may spend more time and agrevation and may still find that it was the unit. Based on my tests between the 120 and 125 I didn't find much difference (very minor) in voltage passing through. So, I think it's brains are just too sencitive.

 

[CSR_Admin]

Sounds like a gremlin for sure. Does your gps antenna happen to be on the same plane as your radar (if you have radar)? The 125 has been a very stable antenna. Your problem often points to a connection issue, especially since Raymarine has bench tested it to be fine. I am personally Raymarine Certified and can't tell you how many times I have "confirmed" a connection to be good only to find out later its not. Little NMEA and Signal wires can be tricky.

 

[flashverde]

Jim,
Thanks for your reply. I mounted the antenna flat on the radar arch with caulking. It's about 4' from the radar ant. and below the plane. Most of the time, the lost fix occures in rough seas(most of my running is in open water) and will usually get a fix in about 30 seconds if I come off of a plane. But it will also sometimes loose the fix sitting at the dock which it did while the dealer tech was onboard. It looked to him like the gps was rebooting even though it had plenty of satellites(not the display unit rebooting).
Any ideas are welcome.
Mike

 

[topgun1185]

The 125 has led indicators that will help diagnose the problem also check the wire connections they should all be isolated from each other and use "scotch lock" conections. This is a good antenna and it's probably the connections especically the ground.

 

[hack4alivin]

I had the same problem with mine, so I replaced the antenna.

My LED's on the antenna were red, Raymarine said "thats not good", so I bought a new antenna. I took the old antenna apart and found the mounting studs for the "flush mount" option were put in so tight it pushed through the plastic and were making contact with the PC board.

 

[Go Aweigh2452]

Could it be a bad or weak lithium battery?