2010 R25 Radar issue

[Namaste]

I dropped the mast on my 2010 for a bridge then put it back up. After that the radar no longer shows up as an option on my Garmin chartplotter. I can hear the radar or something spinning up when I turn the chartplotter on. I checked the connection and all seem good.

One connection is just two wires. I assume they are power. The other is an ethernet cable which I suspect is broken.

Has anyone replaced either of these connections. Looks like I will have to dismantle quite a bit to replace the ethernet cable. Any idea what standard the cable may be. Any thoughts or suggestions welcome

 

[blifland]

search: Radar cable replacement

 

[Andrew Custis]

I would purchase a new Garmin Ethernet cable and run it loose from the back of the plotter and to the radar. Plug it in and see if it fixes your issue. You can also get a field service end replacement kit and splice it on. Make sure you take pictures of the current color codes they use as there are several wires.

If you log into your marine network under settings, you should also be able to see whether or not it is listed in the recognized equipment.

 

[Namaste]

Thanks. It is not listed as recognized equipment on the network. It had been working fine. The plastic housing is all brittle and broken from the Florida sun. I am thinking the ethernet cable broke somewhere along the line .

Is replacing the cables and running them a difficult job? I see where they go through the clam but that's it.

 

[knotflying]

Do the loose cable first as Andrew suggested. Before that though I would unplug the cable, clean the small copper contacts on the cable end and the receiver. Use some dialectic grease and see what happens.

 

[ALICE J]

I would offer the suggestion to replace all the Garmin cables. I too keep my boat in Florida, and just before I was leaving for the Bahamas, I lost my radar communications with the display. Who needs radar in the Bahamas, only drug smugglers! Well half way through my voyage the gps stopped. The wire insulation just below the plug that goes on the under side of the gps antenna had become brittle, cracked and let salt water corrosion attack the wire, no signal to display. The display only shows depth and is locked to the last place were the corrosion broke the connection. Both connections were on the mast. Nice to have a back up handheld gps with marine charts installed

 

[stwendl]

No offense to anyone, but aren’t the garmin gadgets that we paid a decent amount for for being suitable for the marine use supposed to be a bit more immune to the saltwater environment. Those connectors are usually protected from direct exposure to saltwater and humidity and unless some twiddled around and assembled them incorrectly should not really have those issues. I had some ray marine equipment on my sailboat and had never a an electronic failure except a plastic windvane whose tail broke off.

There have been several reports on various electronics failures on the tugs that probably should not have failed in such short time. Are manufacturers of those gadgets cutting corners?

 

[Namaste]

Following the advice above I have gotten the Garmin cable. At the back of the console, there are three ethernet ports all marked "network". Two are in use. Is there any way of telling which one goes to the radar dome short of tearing the boat apart? I do not know how I am going to get the spice rack down without destroying it and I fear if I remove the wrong ethernet cable it will be too fragile to handle being unplugged and break as well..
Thanks

 

[knotflying]

Here is a thought. If you turn on your chartplotter and all your devices, then go to the devices list you will see all of the devices and most likely the radar will be missing since that is the one you are having issues with. If you take a wild guess pull one out and see what disappears. If a device disappears then you can plug it back in and perhaps tag it for the future and then go to the next. Eventually when you pull a plug and nothing disappears it is your radar. That's all I have, maybe someone else has a better idea.

 

[Namaste]

Thanks, Knotflying, but I am reluctant to pull out either of the lines that are already in place as they may break. I am thinking of just running the radar line to the third (unused) port and see if it is recognized.

 

[YukonRon]

As a Network Analyst, I've worked with a lot of ethernet cables in a lot of different environments over the years, and they are generally built pretty sturdy. If I thought my cables were so brittle that they would not withstand unplugging and re-plugging without failure; then IMHO they would have to be so close to failure that I would want to replace them anyways. At home or at the dock; not out at sea.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Namaste]

Thanks to all. Ran a new cable through hatch and radar worked fine. Am thinking of drilling hole in roof under the cable clam and running cable in above the shelf instead of tearing the whole boat apart.The cable ends looked fine. I suspect the cable was stressed where it enters the cabin under the "smoke stack."

Reviews of Garmin cable online are pretty discouraging. I will make up my own lines using another source for weather-proof cable and use Garmins end connectors.