Five years ago I bought a radar Raymarine SL72 (Pathfinder Plus). Last
year, as I wanted to have an integrated system, I bought a C120 display
sure that the SL72 scanner would fit the display. Wrong! After several
attempts and inquiries I discovered that my scanner was built 6 (six)
months before Raymarine started making units compatible with the C
series displays (June 2002 vs Dec 2002).
Do you think that this is fair? Does anybody know whether Raymarine
helps to solve unfortunate cases like mine?
I'd like to add something mo before buying the C120 I checked some
Raymarine docs and found that the new display would have been compatible
with all scanner with a P.N. newer than a certain number. My scanner
had indeed a P.N. GREATER than that and this is why I decided the buy,
but... BUT I later realized that Raymarine is one of the few company in
the world (as far as I know) that DOES NOT use an incremental P.N. but a
quite odd system. Greater P.N. does not mean newer!

Advice is kindly requested and welcome

Daniel

Daniel wrote:

Five years ago I bought a radar Raymarine SL72 (Pathfinder Plus). Last
year, as I wanted to have an integrated system, I bought a C120 display
sure that the SL72 scanner would fit the display. Wrong! After several
attempts and inquiries I discovered that my scanner was built 6 (six)
months before Raymarine started making units compatible with the C
series displays (June 2002 vs Dec 2002).
Do you think that this is fair? Does anybody know whether Raymarine
helps to solve unfortunate cases like mine?
I'd like to add something mo before buying the C120 I checked some
Raymarine docs and found that the new display would have been compatible
with all scanner with a P.N. newer than a certain number. My scanner
had indeed a P.N. GREATER than that and this is why I decided the buy,
but... BUT I later realized that Raymarine is one of the few company in
the world (as far as I know) that DOES NOT use an incremental P.N. but a
quite odd system. Greater P.N. does not mean newer!

Advice is kindly requested and welcome


I talked to the Raymarine service folks at U.S. toll free number on this
page http://tinyurl.com/cuyhk and they say that the scanner would have
to be sent in to a Raymarine service center to make it C120 compatible.
The work needed is to install a new IF board in the scanner and
upgrade the software. The full scanner is needed because the work
requires a level of calibration and testing that is only done at service
centers.

You should be able to get that done by the service center in England if
there is not one nearer to you than that.

If you want to exchange emails with the U.S. service center about
getting the work there, send me a personal email at jacker at midmaine
dot com and I can give you an email address for a technician at the
Raymarine service center in New Hampshire. He can give you a cost
estimate for having the repairs done here in the U.S.

I did not attempt to discuss the "fairness" of your situation with him,
although you do have my sympathy on the problem here. If you purchased
the C120 through a Raymarine dealer and with assurances of
compatibility, I would have expected your dealer to have worked the
problem for you.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Jack Erbes wrote:

I talked to the Raymarine service folks at U.S. toll free number on this
page http://tinyurl.com/cuyhk and they say that the scanner would have
to be sent in to a Raymarine service center to make it C120 compatible.
The work needed is to install a new IF board in the scanner and upgrade
the software. The full scanner is needed because the work requires a
level of calibration and testing that is only done at service centers.

You should be able to get that done by the service center in England if
there is not one nearer to you than that.

If you want to exchange emails with the U.S. service center about
getting the work there, send me a personal email at jacker at midmaine
dot com and I can give you an email address for a technician at the
Raymarine service center in New Hampshire. He can give you a cost
estimate for having the repairs done here in the U.S.

I did not attempt to discuss the "fairness" of your situation with him,
although you do have my sympathy on the problem here. If you purchased
the C120 through a Raymarine dealer and with assurances of
compatibility, I would have expected your dealer to have worked the
problem for you.

Jack


Thank you Jack! This is the first good news I receive: all the Raymarine
dealers I contacted up to now told me that buying a new scanner was the
only possibility.
I bought all Raymarine products through official dealers/retailers but,
in my presumption of understanding what I had read on the manuals - I
admit - I never asked for assurances of compatibility.
After what you say, I will get in touch with the headquarters of
Raymarine here in Italy (or in England) and see if we can arrange a
retrofit for a price lower than that of a new unit.
The cost estimate for the repairs in the U.S. could be a useful
comparison but sending the system there would not be very convenient I
guess :-)

Thank you again, I appreciate your help

Daniel

Daniel wrote:

snip
Thank you Jack! This is the first good news I receive: all the Raymarine
dealers I contacted up to now told me that buying a new scanner was the
only possibility. snip

You're more than welcome. And good luck with getting it all working!

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Daniel, if your scanner has a round dome, take the dome off and inspect
it. We're on our 3rd...or is it 4th, I forget....

The water vapor the stupid dome breathes in when the sun goes down makes
it rain inside the dome by morning, a cycle that keeps repeating, filling
the dome with condensate that doesn't drain. The inside parts of the 2KW
dome are made of some cheap zinc potmetal that turns to powder and has
electrolysis with the other, more noble metals like the rusty magnetron
and waveguide parts. The white powder is all over the INSIDE of the
receiver/transmitter compartments in the unsealed zinc box, so its all
over the boards and the unit eventually dies, consuming itself.

I've looked at several other Raymarine radomes on other boats all
wondering why range keeps getting shorter. Same thing on all boats.
Poorly designed, cheap parts that don't belong at sea.

You probably are way overdue for a new crappy Raymarine scanner,
anyway...sorry.



Daniel wrote in news:5iNzf.135663$65.3824465
@twister1.libero.it:

Five years ago I bought a radar Raymarine SL72 (Pathfinder Plus). Last
year, as I wanted to have an integrated system, I bought a C120 display
sure that the SL72 scanner would fit the display. Wrong! After several
attempts and inquiries I discovered that my scanner was built 6 (six)
months before Raymarine started making units compatible with the C
series displays (June 2002 vs Dec 2002).
Do you think that this is fair? Does anybody know whether Raymarine
helps to solve unfortunate cases like mine?
I'd like to add something mo before buying the C120 I checked some
Raymarine docs and found that the new display would have been
compatible
with all scanner with a P.N. newer than a certain number. My scanner
had indeed a P.N. GREATER than that and this is why I decided the buy,
but... BUT I later realized that Raymarine is one of the few company in
the world (as far as I know) that DOES NOT use an incremental P.N. but
a
quite odd system. Greater P.N. does not mean newer!

Advice is kindly requested and welcome

Daniel

Daniel wrote in news:lOPzf.53144$eD5.872718
@twister2.libero.it:

all the Raymarine
dealers I contacted up to now told me that buying a new scanner was the
only possibility.


What you really need is a new FURUNO scanner and display. Commercial boats
don't run Furuno because they like the color...(c;

On 2006-01-20 14:46:28 +1100, Larry said:

Daniel, if your scanner has a round dome, take the dome off and inspect
it. We're on our 3rd...or is it 4th, I forget....

The water vapor the stupid dome breathes in when the sun goes down
makes it rain inside the dome by morning, a cycle that keeps repeating,
filling the dome with condensate that doesn't drain. The inside parts
of the 2KW dome are made of some cheap zinc potmetal that turns to
powder and has electrolysis with the other, more noble metals like the
rusty magnetron and waveguide parts. The white powder is all over the
INSIDE of the receiver/transmitter compartments in the unsealed zinc
box, so its all over the boards and the unit eventually dies, consuming
itself.

I've looked at several other Raymarine radomes on other boats all
wondering why range keeps getting shorter. Same thing on all boats.
Poorly designed, cheap parts that don't belong at sea.

You probably are way overdue for a new crappy Raymarine scanner,
anyway...sorry.



Daniel wrote in news:5iNzf.135663$65.3824465
@twister1.libero.it:

Five years ago I bought a radar Raymarine SL72 (Pathfinder Plus). Last
year, as I wanted to have an integrated system, I bought a C120 display
sure that the SL72 scanner would fit the display. Wrong! After several
attempts and inquiries I discovered that my scanner was built 6 (six)
months before Raymarine started making units compatible with the C
series displays (June 2002 vs Dec 2002).
Do you think that this is fair? Does anybody know whether Raymarine
helps to solve unfortunate cases like mine?
I'd like to add something mo before buying the C120 I checked some
Raymarine docs and found that the new display would have been
compatible
with all scanner with a P.N. newer than a certain number. My scanner
had indeed a P.N. GREATER than that and this is why I decided the buy,
but... BUT I later realized that Raymarine is one of the few company in
the world (as far as I know) that DOES NOT use an incremental P.N. but
a
quite odd system. Greater P.N. does not mean newer!

Advice is kindly requested and welcome

Daniel

Here we go again, Larry's favourite hobby horse!

On the issue of your scanner compatibility:

1. The C User's manual has information regarding serial numbers which
are compatible, non-compatible or need upodates.
2. The C user's manual is available online from the Raymarine web site.
3. What ever happened to caveat emptor?

If you verified compatibility with a Raymarine dealer and he said it
was ok then you have a grievance with that dealer. Otherwise I'm sorry
but the information was available for making a correct decision. You
must therefore accept responsibility for your dilemma.

If we want compatibility for everything that has been manufactured in
the past boy we will not progress too fast. BTW Furuno has the same
probnlem with older scanners not working with their new NavNet
dispalays as well so Raymarine is not alone.

From someone who sells and installs this stuff.

--
Regards,
John D Proctor

Larry wrote:

Daniel, if your scanner has a round dome, take the dome off and inspect
it. We're on our 3rd...or is it 4th, I forget....

The water vapor the stupid dome breathes in...snip

This is about the 94th time we have heard Larry's rant about Raymarine
radar scanners on this newsgroup. I have this boilerplate post in my
draft folders simply to bring some sense of objectivity to this every
time it comes up again.

Somehow, when I replied to Daniel's question, I had a hunch it would
come to this. So here's my side of the story:

In defense of Raymarine equipment, I have looked at and bought and sold
a large number of Raymarine radars that had been installed for anywhere
from 2-3 to up to 6 or 8 years. And I have yet to see a single one that
had anything more that light surface oxidation/minor salt air corrosion
on the aluminum plates and covers and some minor surface rust on the
magnetron core. Without a single exception, the PCB's and the rotating
antenna (much like a PCB) showed *NO* evidence of corrosion.

Let me guess, you installed all three of your "destroyed" systems
yourself...

If those were corroded as you described, I'm almost willing to bet that
it was because you sealed the vents and/or somehow managed to lead water
into your radar housings with an improper cable run and poorly sealed
cable entry.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

John Proctor wrote in news:2006012019472716807-
lost@nowhereorg:

Here we go again, Larry's favourite hobby horse!


What's your interest, John? Are you a Raymarine dealer? Why are you
protecting an obvious crap product? I didn't make it rain in the dome and
rot the pot metal....

Jack Erbes wrote in
:

This is about the 94th time we have heard Larry's rant about Raymarine
radar scanners on this newsgroup. I have this boilerplate post in my
draft folders simply to bring some sense of objectivity to this every
time it comes up again.



So, why do you read it? Are you a dealer, too?....

If I asked a question about my Freddy Widget and someone else on the
newsgroup had one that knew it was a POS, I'd certainly want them to tell
me their experience with it. Just because YOU heard it before, he may not
have been here.

Of course, if you're CONNECTED to the Raymarine line, you'd want to shut up
any dissenting observations that my trash sales, eh?

Why are you two defending a defective product?