Raymarine radar question

[eastpoint]

Hi guys.
I have a C120W multifunction display with a raymarine 18" radar. When unit is cold it boots up and asks me if I want to turn radar on. Works perfect. If I shut it off warm or sometime start engines it does not give me menu to turn on radar. Multifunction display gps and depth sounder all work fine.
I need radar as an often on west coast sometimes at swiftsure bank. Shipping lanes and busy there. Often foggy too.
Has anyone had this problem or have ideas how to correct it. I went thru all the set up menus but can't get radar to boot up when warm.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[CIVANO]

I have the same unit and when I started the main outboard it killed the radar with the draw down. If you can switch to both batteries when starting, it may stay on. If not, I had to turn the unit off and reboot to get it going again. The little symbol for radar in the top right corner was turning as if on but it was not . I have not had the problem with it not restarting when warm but you might tap the red off button and put it on stand-by at the beginning of the day and then if you need it tap the button again and select transmit - maybe it will work then, just a thought or maybe reboot by turning the unit off then on.

Hope it helps

 

[ericl]

It sounds like the same battery that starts the engines also powers your electronics. I'd say that is one problem & RM support might agree (unsupported configuration).

The RADAR sounds buggy. I'd check with RM support to see if there is some sort of firmware update or if they consider this a defect that needs repair..

 

[tigerprawn]

I have c80 and have no issues. But saying that how old is the unit? I had my gps fail do to the battery in the gps failed.
Check voltage of the batteries and if they are over 5 year old, you might think about replacing them. I run my battery switch on both .
When in the pick (anchor)I keep a eye on the voltage and don't let it drop below 11.9 volts

 

[Chuck]

I have c80 and have no issues. But saying that how old is the unit? I had my gps fail do to the battery in the gps failed.
Check voltage of the batteries and if they are over 5 year old, you might think about replacing them. I run my battery switch on both .
When in the pick (anchor)I keep a eye on the voltage and don't let it drop below 11.9 volts

As TP said watch your voltage. Electronics are very sensitive to any fluctuation in power supply.
On my lake boat I'd have gps on with the radio all run off the single cranking battery. All of a sudden gps would power off on its own and radio would continue to run. Switched electronics to a designated battery and no problem.

You may not need to replace the battery. In a lot of cases the batteries get drawn down and not charged up properly. I picked up a battery conditioner. Hook it up and let it go through its desulphation, save and charge cycle and you might get many more years out of your batteries. Works great!!

 

[eastpoint]

Thanks for all the info guys.
I think all your points are good. Last time it happened was after starting the motors. so the low battery and starter draw down makes a lot of sense. I think the radar unit and the Multi Function Display (MFD) get confused that the Radar is still on but MFD thinks it is off. Or vice versa.

Next time I will shut down all power then restart from a cold boot up. And the real solution is to get and ACR relay system. Right now I have 2 batteries and 4 position switch so I always have one fully charged battery, as long as I never run switch in BOTH position.

Also, Does anybody know how to display the battery voltage on the MFD. I have searched for that numerous times with no success.

Thanks again for the good info.

 

[BrownDogFishCo]

Have you checked if you're on the current Raymarine software version? And I don't transmit the radar until needed and stop when its not. And as mentioned above sounds like you have a battery issue, most likely not enough power to crank the main while having the electronics on. A new battery may fix it. Not knowing what you have already here are a couple of ideas. If you're running a single battery consider adding a 2nd. Set it up with one cranking for the motors and the 2nd as a "house" for all other systems. Use and ACR to make sure the house is always charging when a motor is running. Then have a crossover switch if the cranking battery fails. Or have a dual system for cranking and add a 3rd for the house. No matter how many batteries be sure they all have an on/off switch. Some electronics will have a draw when not in use and also prevents draining a battery if you leave something on or if your key is left on. A great forum for electronics questions and how to set up is The Hull Truth. Here a few I found with a quick search:
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/788656-dual-battery-setup-no-switch.html
http://www.thehulltruth.com/dockside-chat/782942-proper-best-way-add-3rd-battery.html
http://www.thehulltruth.com/marine-electronics-forum/789381-garmin-741xs-shuts-off-randomly.html

Good luck!