Raymarine DSM300 "no data source"

CatyMae n Steve

The first time we experienced that message was in Astoria..foggy morning, maybe the second day we had the first CatyMae. The DSM was the first to go, then the radar, then the entire C70 went blank....they told us we'd run the battery down (luckily I had my handheld for backup). The DSM has had that message several times in the first boat, and now, having had the electronics transferred to the new boat, we get the same message...sporadic..really doesn't seem to be battery related, as we've cruised for 30 minutes or so to see if the battery needed charging, but the message is still there....sometimes we can turn it off for an hour and retry and it'll come up fine.

I surfed their website and it appears it could be wiring issues or poor connections. Since it happened over two separate installations, I wrote to Raymarine and they told me it sounds like it could be a faulty unit. They gave me instructions about how and where to ship it and they'll test it for us and repair or replace.

I'm hoping it'll be a speedy repair -- I hate fishing without it! They sure are good about supporting their equipment, IMHO.

flapbreaker · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 11:21 am Post subject:

I've had the same issue but every time it seemed to be battery related. There is a light on the DSM that is supposed to indicate if it's working correctly. Here is what the manual say's.

The LED on the connector panel provides valuable information on the status of your DSM300. The LED blinks green while the module is operating normally. If the unit detects a problem, the LED blinks amber to indicate a warning or red for an error. The number of times the LED blinks is a code representing the nature of the problem. For multiple warnings/errors, the codes are given in sequence with a 1.5 second pause between strings.

1 blink indicates the transducer sense vailed.
2 blinks indicate the network is not connected.
3 blinks indicate a high tempurature warning. (cleared every 10 minutes)

Anyway's you probably already knew that. I sure hope you get it figured out soon. Nothing more unnerving than trouble with your electronics.

On a side note I have found that my house battery will get run down faster if I don't power down the radar unit after the c-80 boots up. Even though I'm not using radar it's sending power up there. It's really only a problem for me when I'm also using the TR-1 autopilot.

Sealife · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 11:56 pm Post subject:

That's an interesting problem.....one I haven't yet faced with my C-80. I'm wondering....what sort of engines do you have. With my twin Suzulki 50's, I seem to put out enough amps to run all my electronics, including autopilot, without any problems. I know Hondas do not put out as much amps and perhaps that's your problem?

CatyMae n Steve · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 8:21 am Post subject:

Interesting, Mike...we've got Hondas...a 90 and an 8..also read the manual last night that says WOT should show 5000-6000 RPMs, but tops on ours is 4500...something's awry.

Caty

flapbreaker · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:12 am Post subject:

Pat Anderson · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:14 am Post subject:

Do a search on "props" and I think you will find the answer on the relationship of props and WOT rpms. rpms being either too high or too low at WOT per the manual is usually because you are under or over propped. In your case you are likely overpropped. It sounds like you need either a little smaller diameter or a little less pitch .

starcrafttom · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 10:57 pm Post subject:

I some times get the same warning. Check that you do not have some thing hitting the dsm unit. Mines under the drives set in the top shelf and some thing I over stuf the shelf and somethng will push on the wires. I also have the dsm 250. what is the difference between the 250 and 300? do not tell me 50.

Roy and Lucky · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:43 pm Post subject:

I've experienced the same problem with the C-80. The cause in my case was definitely betteries. I get the batteries from Costco and replace them under warrenty every two years for a 40% rebate. The problem in my case has been low amperage. Voltage reads good but amperage deminishes with time on Kirkland batteries.

CatyMae n Steve · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:03 pm Post subject:

We're going to the boat tomorrow night...I'll be looking for gremlins interfering with the signal from the DSM Laughing

Caty

CatyMae n Steve · Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 11:09 am Post subject:

flapbreaker · Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 12:16 pm Post subject:

So the blinking light indicated that there was no problem even though there was? Makes you wonder if it's the DSM or the C-80 itself that has the problem.

Sorry the fish didn't cooperate. I almost went but didn't.