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13-11-2009, 00:23
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Asia
Boat: Roberts Mauritius 45
Posts: 32
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Airmar / Furuno Depth Sounder Transducer
Hi,
I am not a happy chappy! I bought a Furuno LS-4100 just under 2 years ago, and the temperature/speed function ceased after 1 year. As it was more than a year since I bought it, there was no warranty. I gritted my teeth when I bought a new transducer 525ST-MSD for (wait for it!) AUD 614, over USD500 .
Now the bloody thing is not reading temp. I informed the shop where I bought it, and they say that Furuno Australia say Airmar want the unit back for testing. I have to buy a new one, and *IF* they find the other one faulty, they will give me a credit. We are about to haul out for other reasons, but having one to put in would be good if it were supplied by Furuno. Looks like I will have to do without the temp function as I am not buying another one of those suckers!
Grumpily,
paulr
"Meridian of Sydney"
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13-11-2009, 06:13
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 764
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Quote:
Originally Posted by meridian@
Hi,
I am not a happy chappy! I bought a Furuno LS-4100 just under 2 years ago, and the temperature/speed function ceased after 1 year. As it was more than a year since I bought it, there was no warranty. I gritted my teeth when I bought a new transducer 525ST-MSD for (wait for it!) AUD 614, over USD500 .
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My ears perked up when I saw the topic line since I'm considering buying the FI503 display with the DST-800 triducer from Furuno. I've always wondered how well that paddle wheel functioned along side the echo sounder. Seems like a dedicated depth transducer might give better results, but Airmar keeps producing the unit. Did the 525 have the paddle wheel to measure speed thru the water? I keep looking for a triducer that does not use the paddle wheel for measurement of speed, but have yet to find one. Sorry to hear the problems that you're having and it does give me pause about buying the unit from Furuno even though I've had good service from them here in the states where I installed a chartplotter/radar a couple of years ago. In fact the support was excellent.
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13-11-2009, 06:19
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#3
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Boat: Research vessel for a university, retired now.
Posts: 10,406
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Paddle wheels are notorious for being inaccurate or not working at all. Airmar makes an ultrasonic speed sensor which has a NMEA output that can be connected into any system that has a NMEA input. I have one connected to my Furuno system. Its pretty accurate up to about planing speeds. It also has a temperature sensor.
AIRMAR Electronic Catalog
http://www.airmartechnology.com/uplo...res/CS4500.pdf
__________________
David
Life begins where land ends.
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13-11-2009, 06:23
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,933
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We loose the temp pretty often, the thermistor does not like side strikes at all.
Dave, I don't think Airmar will sell to an individual, only the OEM, can you say BIG mark up?
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13-11-2009, 06:26
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Boat: Research vessel for a university, retired now.
Posts: 10,406
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joli
Dave, I don't think Airmar will sell to an individual, only the OEM, can you say BIG mark up?
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I don't know. Usually when manufacturers sell a product directly they sell it at their MSRP so as not to undercut their dealers. Sometimes dealers will give you a discount off the MSRP. I would just call around and find out who will sell it for less. I bought mine through a dealer in Sausalito CA (Johnson-Hicks) who gave me a break off the MSRP. In doing a Google search, the lowest internet price I found is $700. Which is not bad considering what you are getting.
__________________
David
Life begins where land ends.
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13-11-2009, 23:05
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Asia
Boat: Roberts Mauritius 45
Posts: 32
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Yep, its the bronze unit with a plastic paddle wheel. Seems that the sensors are in the body, including the pickup for the speed from the magnet.
paulr
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04-11-2010, 14:25
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 2
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Furuno transducer chart
this furuno transducer chart might be useful
cheers
genz
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04-11-2010, 16:55
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: U.S., Northeast
Boat: Currently boatless
Posts: 1,643
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joli
I don't think Airmar will sell to an individual, only the OEM, can you say BIG mark up?
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The Airmar distributor, GEMECO, will sell to retail customers. They don't post prices online, but the telephone sales people are very helpful. They can be reached at 843-210-7000.
__________________
... He knows the chart is not the sea.
-- Philip Booth, Chart 1203
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19-11-2010, 04:55
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#9
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: South Carolina, US
Boat: Valiant 42CE
Posts: 215
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David M
Paddle wheels are notorious for being inaccurate or not working at all. Airmar makes an ultrasonic speed sensor which has a NMEA output that can be connected into any system that has a NMEA input. I have one connected to my Furuno system. Its pretty accurate up to about planing speeds. It also has a temperature sensor.
AIRMAR Electronic Catalog
http://www.airmartechnology.com/uplo...res/CS4500.pdf
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The CS4500 has received some good reviews - such as by Dan C on the PANBO site, link here
It is NMEA0183 and not NMEA2000. Airmar had a DST900 N2K version coming, but it has been reported to be on hold - so I went with a DST800 w/mechanical paddle wheel.
__________________
Regards,
Ted A
V42 #186 s/v Little Wing
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19-11-2010, 06:50
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The boat - New Bern, NC, USA; Us - Kingsport, TN, USA
Boat: 1988 Pacific Seacraft 34
Posts: 1,454
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If all that is wrong is the temperature, why not just replace the thermistor? I emailed Airmar and the thermsitor in my 33-080-01 replacement insert for my Triducer is (was) a 10k ohm thermistor. I ordered two different ones from Mouser ( 785-192-103LET-A01 and 871-B57703M103G40). They were just a couple of bucks apiece. I soldered leads onto them, wrapped them in hot melt glue lined heat shrink tubing to waterproof them, connected them up in the junction box that came with the replacement insert, and stuck them under a nearby bronze Dynaplate bolt. The first lasted a couple of years before corrosionn got the leads. The second is now in use. Both have worked fine.
Bill Murdoch
PCS 34 Irish Eyes
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