Raymarine RL-70CRC ...loosing Fix

Casey · Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 2:01 pm Post subject: Raymarine RL-70CRC ...loosing Fix

We have the RL-70CRC system aboard Naknek, and have been pretty happy with it overall. Lately (particularly at Lake Powell) I seem to notice the GPS is loosing it's "Fix" more than it used-to.

Has anyone else had this problem(?) or is it just my imagination? Any GPS can loose its Fix, but this seems to have gotten worse in the past year or so. Any ideas?

I have the Raymarine 120 (puck type) antenna on the chart shelf (inside the cabin) and it's worked find until recently. I'm suspecting the antenna may be the problem but have not isolated the circumstances yet.

Could I have inadvertently changes a menu setting that is screwing-up the performance?

...appreciate any thoughts/idea.

Casey
C-Dory Naknek

Lopez Island, northbound.....

Sneaks · Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 2:49 pm Post subject:

Casey, you should have a setting where you can actually see the relative signal strength of received satellites on your display. Losing a fix as you describe is unusual and would seem to me that one of the plugs (bottom of the puck or into the display) is a little dirty for one reason or another. Sometimes, just unplugging and plugging it back in is enough to cure an intermittent like that.

Good luck

Don

MOOSE · Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 10:06 am Post subject:

Casey, we have the L760RC and had a similar problem two summers ago. First off, it appeared to be from a bad batch of antennas; Raymarine had some. If I recall, they have serial numbers and a call to Raymarine will verify whether you got one of the bad ones or not. After swapping antennas, we thought everything was skookum.

So we loaded the chart cartridge for Lake Superior for our first trip out of Thunder Bay. The first day everything was fine. The next day we switched on the GPS and "No Fix" and nothing we tried could re-establish it. So it was old-fashioned map and compass navigating for the rest of the trip.

As soon as we got home, I called Raymarine again. It took me talking to several technical representatives over a couple of days, but the fix (no pun) ended up being to simply cut power to the unit for a couple of seconds by switching off the main battery switch. I still don't really understand what's going on, but apparently the GPS's brain gets scrambled once in a while and needs to be rebooted by cutting the power. "No Fix" still happens to us once in a while, but now we know how to easily remedy the situation.

I hope this helps.
Al

Rick from Maine · Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 12:55 pm Post subject:

My SL-70RC used to lose the Fix frequently for short periods. Found that the leads from the antenna into the SeaTalk box were corroded. Cleaned, coated with dielectric grease and no more problems.

Byrdman · Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:33 pm Post subject:

two things Casey....

check all your connections on the back of the unit. they are easy to bump with stuff and knock loose...or shake loose during transport on the trailer.

then.... what other items (auto pilot) do you have on the same battery that would have a surge...??

Get in at night and go for a slow troll in open clear waters.... and just watch the screens.... it is an interesting lesson on what cause small...but noticable surges on the Raymarine components. You can see the surges at night that are not visible (to me) during the day.

The Raymarine likes real clean uninterrupted...or "surged" power. My auto pilot making large course changes (as in at one point and moving to the next)... would cause such a surge. But then... it may have been a connection loose somewhere that made it vernable.

SEA3PO · Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 2:20 pm Post subject:

I had a SL-70 and it did it at the worst times...at night, sometimes in the fog...etc... so I complained to Raymarine...they replaced the GPS antenna.... and that sorta worked... it would work more offten, but sometimes it just would not get a fix... I thought a corroded wire so I soldered the connections in the SeaTalk box... nope..just as bad...and if that sucker decided it was not going to work...it just woulden't ..and nothing I tried would get it going again....
I complained to West Marine and they replaced the unit with a C-80 unit, dome, software and GPS antenna... I know West Marine is more expensive than lots of marine stores...but try that at most stores and they will laugh at you.

Joel
SEA3PO