RL80C Chartplotter "No Fix"

[lawbee]

I'm a recent member and would appreciate some opinions. My RL80C chartplotter starts up lately with "no fix". After toggling through several menus and re-starting the plotter it still won't acquire satillites. Instead, I've gone to the menu option and re-started the GPS. Generally, (though not always) the GPS will re-acquire after 3-4 minutes. However, even with this incomvenient option, on occasion, it will lose it's fix again. I've also notice that on occasion, when the plotter has no fix, upon turning on the autopilot, it will acquire-but not for long. Any suggestions?

________________
LawBee
2004 390 Sundancer
Twin 8.1's
N.E. Fla.

 

[Hampton]

This is slgihtly different from the problem we have had, but you may need the same solution. If I haven't used it for a couple of weeks, before we start engines, I turn both battery banks off for a few seconds and then back on. Then, the unit is able to gain a signal. Your problem sounds like you may have a loose antenna connection. Check both ends (start under dash for convenience). Even though your signal comes and goes, I'm betting on the power re-start to get and hold a good signal.

This used to drive me crazy until I figured out a solution.

 

[Four Suns]

Based on the year of your boat, I'm assuming you have an RN 300 for a GPS that is tied to your RL80 via SeaTalk. I would assume there is nothing wrong with your chartplotter but your GPS is failing. Your symptoms are exactly the same as I had when the RN 300 was failing. Many other people on this board have discussed this as well...

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3402&highlight=Raynav

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4082&highlight=Raynav

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4437&highlight=Raynav

The RN300 is not Raymarine's biggest piece of crap though... their fluxgate compass sucks even worse.

Here's a page from my book:

I wonder if Raymarine will sue me....

 

[lawbee]

Thanks guys. I'll give the battries off/on option a try tomorrow. If not successful, I'll have a tech look at the GPS failing. By the way, how would one turn off the battery banks?
_______________________
LawBee
2004 390 Sundancer
Twin 8.1's

 

[Rocket]

Same here - I have the RL80 with 300n, loses fix all the time. My dock neighbor is a local Raymarine Rep. He looked at it and confirmed the 300 box is on its way out. Typical of this peice. I ordered a new c120w - Plug and go, no sensor to hook up. I will still use the Rl80 for Radar.

 

[Hampton]

Thanks guys. I'll give the battries off/on option a try tomorrow. If not successful, I'll have a tech look at the GPS failing. By the way, how would one turn off the battery banks?
_______________________
LawBee
2004 390 Sundancer
Twin 8.1's

On your electrical panel inside the cabin, find the rocker switch with the blue light on it labeled something like "Port Battery" "Stbd Battery" (if they're like mine, which they probably are). Push down on the bottom of the switch. Port is probably the house and the port engine, and stbd is probably helm electronics and the stbd engine, but I would cycle both down at same time to ensure complete power down.

That being said, it sounds like there may be more going on, but this couldn't hurt.

 

[lawbee]

Gary, Thanks for the links. Seems this problem has been throughly hashed out here before. I read some good and very similar concerns from others on the threads. I'm not qualified to fix/replace the RN300 but you're spot with diagnosis I think.
Regards,

__________________
LawBee
2004 390 Sundancer
Twin 8.1's

 

[Asureyez]

The problem is not you're RL80CRC, it's the legacy RN300 Chart plotter and its dumb GPS antenna.

The RN300 is the gps and looks to the dumb antenna to pass collected Sat signals for it to do it's thing.

My RN300 had gotten to the point I might get my first fix in an hour maybe never that day. I replaced the dumb antenna with a RayStar 125, which is the GPS and WAAS all in one, and it is sending position data right to the SeaTalk network. I left the RN300 in the SeaTalk network and just switched it to "repeater" mode and now it just is dumb display I use for data boxes. It is handy since I have any way. I deleted the old antenna and used its cable to pull the 125 cable so what follows will never be determined.

Now in all this gunkholeing I found what may have been my trouble with the RN300. SR installed the old GPS antenna cable with a brass barrel connector splice that had becopme badly corroded. I'm told they spliced all the arch mounted antennas so they could be mounted and then the arch shipped knocked down in the cockpit for truck delivery and dealer assembled the arch/hard top after delivery. The cables were simply spliced connected by the dealer. My VHF wasn't that way, nor was my radar antenna from what I've found so far ... just that dumb GPS antenna.

While I didn't get in to it I suspect the barrel connection had degaraded was tentative and not getting good down link to the RN300. This splice was buried in a chafe tube inside the radar arch so you'd never find it unless on purpose. If you want to save some boat dollars before you scrap the old antenna, go looking for a splice in the antenna cable run that you wish wasn't there. If you have it, clean it up and see what happens.

 

[2003380]

I haven't had any problems up to this point with the 300 gps.

Raymarine says the battery in the 300 unit itself (not any in the antenea) craps out at about 5 years. Open the unit, take out the spot solder, replace the battery, re spot the new one --done deal.

If not, check connections for looseness/corrosion.

Still n/g -- time for 125 gps He said connect to NEMA

Take connections from cable going into 300

1) twist Red wire from 125 to hot wire (red ?) from the 300

2) black from 125 to neutral(Black?) on 300 and green (data ground)on 300 (probably not being used currently)

3) yellow (data) from 125 to White (probably not being used currently) from the 300

4) on the 125 brown and green are not used.

5) Set 300 to Slave or repeater and yo're good to go.

Off I go to change battery.

 

[Pseudomind]

Based on the year of your boat, I'm assuming you have an RN 300 for a GPS that is tied to your RL80 via SeaTalk. I would assume there is nothing wrong with your chartplotter but your GPS is failing. Your symptoms are exactly the same as I had when the RN 300 was failing. Many other people on this board have discussed this as well...

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3402&highlight=Raynav

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4082&highlight=Raynav

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4437&highlight=Raynav

The RN300 is not Raymarine's biggest piece of crap though... their fluxgate compass sucks even worse.

Here's a page from my book:

I wonder if Raymarine will sue me....

Gary,

Just what is the make and model of dat dare winders compute- ter? :smt043:smt043:smt043

I am actually interested in what you are using how is daylight visibility?

Thanks

 

[Four Suns]

Gary,

Just what is the make and model of dat dare winders compute- ter? :smt043:smt043:smt043

I am actually interested in what you are using how is daylight visibility?

Thanks

The display is a Signature series marine display that is daylight viewable:

http://www.nauticomp.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=85

The PC I built myself from components at

http://www.mini-box.com/

and it's mounted on some brackets and a platform under the helm:

It runs XM weather stuff from these guys:

http://www.wxworx.com/

and Rosepoint Navigation software

http://rosepointnav.com/default.htm

I also have an NMEA multiplexer hooked to it that pulls all the data in from the SeaTalk and NMEA networks and it's set up with a GPS auto failover...

I've discussed it many times on CSR and if you do a search you'll find out more on it... It's now hooked into the boat's Ethernet network so it gets Internet connectivity via the boat's system.

 

[Boogaboo]

I have had the same problem with my RL80C. The only reliable feature of this unit is it's consistant fix loosing ability. I just bought my 400 Sedan this summer and have come to the conclusion that pretty much everything that says Ramarine or Raytheon will be trashed before the 2011 season starts.

Boat shows are coming and I think that I can get a good deal on a 12" Standard Horizon to compliment my 5" unit I liberated rom my last Ray. Never aby problems with that one and performed flawlessly during our 664 milke trip to bring the Big Boy home from Michigan through Lake Hurn and Georgian Bay to our home port in Ontario.