C80 woes

Wandering Sagebrush

Wandering Sagebrush

Free Range Human
Joined
Jan 21, 2005
Messages
2,792
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Location
North East Oregon
C Dory Year
2005
C Dory Model
22 Cruiser
Vessel Name
Constant Craving
This morning I went out to clean up the boat and check things out and got a surprise from my C80 GPS. After about 15 minutes of operation (locked on quickly to fix), I got a system error. I tried powering off and on, and it did not have any effect. I left the system off for about 30 minutes, and it came up again, but then failed after another 20 minutes of operation. My guess is that it is heat/resistance related, but not sure.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

As an aside, my Lowrance x16 unit, which used to be a dog when trying to get a fix now locks on in about a minute, versus the 20+ minutes (if ever) that it used to take.

RATS in capital letters!

Steve
 
Have you checked your battery voltage lately? THe c-80 is very sensistive to low batteries. Just a thought. Otherwise I don't have a clue as to why you would get system errors.
 
Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author
 
Dan, I agree, you pull the Furuno off DOD and send it down here, and I'll get rid of it for you when I ditch the C80 :idea

Flap, I had the batteries on the charger when this happened. I never saw voltage drop under 12.4vdc. I was using the #2 batt, but will try again with #1 or both.

Could be a trip into Rodger's Marine Electronics...
 
What kind of error message are you getting?
 
Flapbreaker,

The pop up just appears in the center of the screen with a title of "system error" and a message of "position fix lost", plus the alarm screaming. The alarm will not shut off unless I power off the unit, or at least I haven't found the magic combination. The cancel and/or OK buttons don't silence it.

Steve
 
Was boat stationary or underway? I've had my input wire/connector to the GPS antennae at the console not tight before.. It threw that message
 
a "Position Fix Lost" signal implies that the C80 is not receiving a GPS signal. It could happen if there were something overhead that might block the antenna or if the antenna/input is being interrupted. Our Raymarine set up was installed at the factory, and the power to the GPS puck is wired to the autopilot... turn the autopilot off and the GPS signal goes away... and the alarm goes off. I thought we had some sort of a gremlin until I found out that this is how it is wired on our boat.

The first thing that I'd check is the power to the GPS antenna.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
We were just sitting in the driveway. I think I am going to take the display into Rodger's to have them check it out...

Steve
 
Wandering Sagebrush":btz494a1 said:
We were just sitting in the driveway. I think I am going to take the display into Rodger's to have them check it out...

Steve
Click to expand...

Oh, sitting in the driveway... any tree branches overhead? Is the boat close to the house or garage (that might block a clear view of the sky)?

Try moving the boat to another position away from the buildings - that would sure be the easy solution.
 
I would recheck the gps connection on the back of the c-80. Sometimes if it's cold I have a hard time getting them tight.
 
Jim and Flapbreaker,

I have checked all of the connections, and they seemed tight. There are no obstructions over the puck, and the fuse is good. Probably the only thing that might be an issue is the power source. When I installed the C80, the instructions indicated that the power came from the C80. In subsequent conversations, it sounds like that has been superseded, and that the power should come from a buss or another source like the autopilot that Jim referred to.

Because the GPS does come up, then gets the system error, my suspicion is that somehow I am getting either heat and/or a high resistance that is dropping the power to the puck.

Steve
 
Steve, let us know what you find out.

I noticed you have a flushbag. How is that working out? I picked up one for my kicker motor off ebay but have not had a chance to try it out. I was thinking about getting one for the main. Looks like a tight fit.

Spencer
 
Steve: sorry to hear you're having challenges with this unit. Is it just my imagination, or have there been an enormous number of posts describing problems and glitches with these units? Maybe enough to establish an pattern? Mike.
 
I agree with Jim, be certain that the auto pilot is turned on. The "rocker bar" for my auto pilot is mounted behind the helm seat.
 
That is what my ST70 Raymarine unit was doing to me....I contacted Raymarine and they replaced the analog GPS antenna....and that helped but it still would give me a system error once and awhile.... usually when I needed it most....(in the fog outside Santa Barbara once)

I complained to West Marine...they talked to Raymarine... then called me and had me take everything off... even the dome..... and they replaced everything with a new digital C80 (including new charts) at no cost to me...

That's why I buy stuff from West Marine...and don't complain if I pay a bit more..... it's worth it... First Class Service !

Joel
SEA3PO
 
I don't remember the exact error message I got with my C80 but I called the Raymarine help line. I did some tests and they told me the GPS was bad. I upgraded to the newer puck for $100. I have not had the problem since.

Steve
 
Hey gang,

I just got a call from Rodgers' Marine Electronics, and as I suspected, the sensor (puck) was bad. I think when I originally installed it, I over-tightened the screws that hold it on mount. There are brass or bronze colored threaded inserts in the puck, and it looks like the plastic base on the puck cracked and probably let water in.

For those of you in the Portland area, I heartily recommend Rodgers!!!!

Steve
 
Thanks for the update. Something we can all learn from.
 
Steve, I noted in your post that you had the battery charger on. I'm using a Guest PWC 10 amp charger and have noticed it causes a lot of noise in the radio while it's on. :sad Who knows what else it might be interfering with. Jack.... :smiled Sun's Out!
 
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