Radar/Plotter Problem

[seasalt]

Today in a blinding rainstorm with all the bridge isengrass open my Raymarine RL80C quit and displayed a yellowish screen. It is an overhead box. This was during a pre purchase sea trial and the glass was rolled up because the surveyor and buyer had opened the bridge.

Water was swirling so bad I could barely see the tachs or other instruments. I turned the bridge switch breaker off and on and it would try to come on but then go to the yellow screen.

Now back at the dock with no rain and everyone gone home it is working. Has been on for last four hours but everyone wrote it up as inoperable. I suspect moisture in the box but I'll probably get to buy a new radar for the purchaser.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Boatsb]

Today in a blinding rainstorm with all the bridge isengrass open my Raymarine RL80C quit and displayed a yellowish screen. It is an overhead box. This was during a pre purchase sea trial and the glass was rolled up because the surveyor and buyer had opened the bridge.

Water was swirling so bad I could barely see the tachs or other instruments. I turned the bridge switch breaker off and on and it would try to come on but then go to the yellow screen.

Now back at the dock with no rain and everyone gone home it is working. Has been on for last four hours but everyone wrote it up as inoperable. I suspect moisture in the box but I'll probably get to buy a new radar for the purchaser.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Time to replace a 15 plus year old radar. Probably wet connections on the scanner but I'd not trust it.

[Pascal]

Well if it is now working, I woudlnt Rush to replace the unit. Start by checking all connections then to see if it s the antenna or the display, close the eisenglass, make sure the display stays dry (no water trickling from an overhead cable) and spray water on the antenna. If it works then fine, means it s been fixed.

[Boatsb]

Well if it is now working, I woudlnt Rush to replace the unit. Start by checking all connections then to see if it s the antenna or the display, close the eisenglass, make sure the display stays dry (no water trickling from an overhead cable) and spray water on the antenna. If it works then fine, means it s been fixed.

No it means it's dried out. Would you bet your life and the life's of your passengers on a unit that's known to have problems in bad weather?

Radar is not for the nice days. It's for when you can't see through the dark or a storm. Sure it's nice to see birds for fishing but that's not the real reason to have it.

[seasalt]

I agree with both of you but here is the dilemma. When it quit I mentioned that I would have it fixed. We have a factory authorized repair center about 80 miles north. Jaytron. The buyer's broker said that his client really wanted to get a new radar anyway since this one was 13 years old..

So my question is...since it is working...should I pay all the cost of a new one? If I keep the boat I'll take it to Jaytron and have them diagnose it and fix it. If is OK then I'll look for bad connections.

[drburke]

I agree with Scott that it is a critical piece of equipment and you should get it working to a high degree of reliability.

But Pascal's point is valid: you have a window of time to investigate. In my experience connections are a common source of issues, so I would first unplug each connector and spray with correct de-oxidizing and protective spray. Then maybe the water spray test Pascal suggested. If no joy, then demount and send out for diagnosis. (Too bad it isn't Koden/Lowance/Nobeltec because I have the factory technician diagnostic software.)

If it tests good or is factory repaired, you can decide to reinstall or sell and upgrade, but having knowledge of the unit's condition may make it more marketable, factoring in the cost of repair.

DAN

[captainwjm]

Well, I guess, to answer your original question, we need to know, do you want to sell the boat? If I'm the buyer, and a crucial piece of equipment fails on a sea-trial, I'm not going to be satisfied with a "Well, that's never happened before" and "I'll send out for repairs" response. As a buyer, I don't trust the seller - that's why I'm paying the surveyor. So, if you want to sell, you're going to have to satisfy the buyer - and if it was me, I'd want either a new unit, or a price adjustment, so I could get a new one after purchase.

[Bob Bradley]

I have a 13 yr old Ray RL80 on my boat as well. Over the past 3 years I installed a pair of Simrad 12" NSE12 displays, open array, fishfinder, etc, as a replacement for the Ray. I kept the Ray in place as a backup system. I won't comment on your best approach, but I will say this about the radar itself. I find the Simrad radar to be nearly unusable. Small red targets on a black background are very hard to see, and I am constantly fiddling with the gain and clutter adjustments on the unit. The Ray has nice large clear yellow targets on a black background and is very easy to read.

This past Mon night I ran 90 miles in from the edge in pretty crappy weather. The Ray was rock solid, picking up high fliers and traffic in heavy seas and rain. The Simrad showed almost nothing. I would not recommend it for radar. The chartplotter is nice, but the fish finder is also problematic in that it doesn't change ranges smoothly - auto doesn't seem to work - and I have to go thru a menu and change the range manually as we change depths.

If you can get the Ray to the point where you are confident in it, I would at least keep it as a backup. It is a good unit.

[seasalt]

I wouldn't trust me either. How much a contribution to a new one would be fair to both parties?

[Boatsb]

I wouldn't trust me either. How much a contribution to a new one would be fair to both parties?

look at what the old radars are selling on ebay for and offer half. If someone is selling one for $1,000 offer a $500 deduction