Just saved myself about $400, and thought I would pass on this "trick"......
My Raymarine classic E-series plotter started taking 20 minutes or so to find its current location when initially powered up. So I called Raymarine tech support, who told me that my Raystar 125 arch mounted GPS was likely failing, and that it should probably be replaced with a new Raystar 130. The 130, however, would require a different cable/interface to the plotter. Hummm. Sounds like work.
After a little research, I found that there is a backup battery in my existing GPS (arch mounted device that many think of as simply an antenna) which allows the device to maintain location awareness when the plotter/GPS is not powered up. Without it, the GPS has to find itself every time the system is turned on....a 15-20 minute process in some cases.
Raymarine does not service this battery, and indicates that disassembly and reassembly to change the battery "could" compromise performance. They do report some success in the field with this practice though.
So, with nothing to lose, I gave it a try. After 45 minutes of my time, and a new $5 watch battery, the unit is back to operating perfectly! It's not a difficult task, and if anyone ever runs across this, it's worth a try.
My Raymarine classic E-series plotter started taking 20 minutes or so to find its current location when initially powered up. So I called Raymarine tech support, who told me that my Raystar 125 arch mounted GPS was likely failing, and that it should probably be replaced with a new Raystar 130. The 130, however, would require a different cable/interface to the plotter. Hummm. Sounds like work.
After a little research, I found that there is a backup battery in my existing GPS (arch mounted device that many think of as simply an antenna) which allows the device to maintain location awareness when the plotter/GPS is not powered up. Without it, the GPS has to find itself every time the system is turned on....a 15-20 minute process in some cases.
Raymarine does not service this battery, and indicates that disassembly and reassembly to change the battery "could" compromise performance. They do report some success in the field with this practice though.
So, with nothing to lose, I gave it a try. After 45 minutes of my time, and a new $5 watch battery, the unit is back to operating perfectly! It's not a difficult task, and if anyone ever runs across this, it's worth a try.
