GPS. Garmin 5012

[Just Limin']

All of a sudden, the GPS stopped working. It turns on and the Garmin logo comes up clearly. It then disappears and I have to strain very hard to see anything. I tap the power button to bring up the screen that would allow me to adjust the backlight. Again, almost invisible. I try to change the level of the light to no avail. I've tried everything, even unplugging the units power as Andrew suggested. No improvement. I'm going to go back to the boat tonight to see if the darkness helps me to see the screen better. Maybe I'm going blind or crazy. I hate it when weird things happen with no plausible reason, at least to me.
My wife says, at least it happened at the pier. Don't you hate it when they say stuff like that 🙂

Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Did I do something stupid (again). I hate to get a technician down only to find that I did something I wasn't supposed to do.

Thanks

 

[Jmangiameli]

Just a thought........

Next to the power button is a little hole that senses how bright or darkt it is in the boat. The darker it is inside the boat the dimmer the display (and it can get really dim). Perhaps there is something covering, or stuck inside the hole of the sensor and the garmin thinks its really dark out,

Let us know what you find

Joe

 

[baz]

Can you think of anything that you've done associated with the Chart plotter since it was working and when you discovered the issue. This may provide a clue as to the problem and how to resolve it. Yes, weird things do happen. 😱

Typically, electronics do suddenly fail and it maybe the light sensor has gone wonky. Is the Chart plotter still under warranty ?

If no luck figuring out things then a call to Garmin will be required.

As the other person mentioned.... check the light sensor hole to make sure it's not obstructed in some way.

 

[Dale777]

Just Limin,

The symptoms you describe fit exactly with my 5212 problem on my previous R27. The cause in my case was a corroded connection at the radar dome. You can determine if this is your cause by unplugging the NMEA cable on the back of the 5212 that goes to the radar. If this is the cause then the 5212 will power up okay with full screen broghtness.

 

[Just Limin']

Update on my 5212 GPS....the Garmin tech from my Ranger dealership tried everything including speaking directly to Garmin. Unit is frozen. He took it out and will send it to Garmin. He asked me if I had charts! Charts?

 

[Jmangiameli]

I think those chart things need to plug into the old style 12 volt plugs. Good luck finding one of those around.