Any maintenance on a Raymarine 2KW radar dome?

[bwindrope]

I'm going through a checklist of maintenance items and thought about how I have had my Raymarine radar for four years or so now and have never done a thing to it. I've looked and looked and can't find any information on required or suggested maintenance. I know there are moving parts, obviously, which begs the question of grease.

Anyone here know anything about maintenance on one of these? Or are they sealed for life so to speak?

[stormalong]

My Raytheon (Raymarine) 4KW radar is approaching 20 years old. Have done nothing to it except replace the dome after dropping a tool on it from 20 feet above.


There is no scheduled maintenance that I know of.

[donradcliffe]

The magnetron tube has a limited life. Most radars will tell you the number of hours you have used them.

[bwindrope]

I know the electronics and tubes will wear out. But that's not what interests me. I'm more concerned about the gears and whether they need any cleaning and grease. I'm betting most do nothing to them over time. And maybe that is fine. But I'm interested in whether anyone on here knows a bit more and can say whether there is any advice on maintenance of non-electronic things.

[stormalong]

The gears are nylon and greased at the factory. As long as the radome keeps out dirt and moisture is will run for a very, very long time.


The only thing I can suggest is that after a long layup it is a good idea to let the magnetron get good and hot before operating it. Leave it in standby for a half hour before going to operate. This allows the tube to "getter" - to burn off any air that may have seeped past the seals where the wire pins enter the tube. Gettering is probably not needed in a frequently used radar but it couldn't hurt.



As long as the electrical connections are clean and dry and the cable remains undamaged there is nothing else to be done.

[gamayun]

Since I just moved my radar dome from a pole to my Bimini arch, the main thing would be to check corrosion on the attachment bolts. Might want to pull each one off and put a little Lanacote on them.

[sy_gilana]

The only maintenance I would do there, is open it up and check for corrosion, signs of water ingress, integrity of the silicone rubber gasket and that the water drain nipple is unobstructed and secure.



Do not lubricate the belt or bearings, they can do thousands of hours.

[bwindrope]

Thanks folks. Wanted some other perspectives and got it. I will pop the top off and give a look see and not touch anything unless. That unit saved our butt a few years back when we went around Vancouver Island. Got all the way around to Sooke Harbor. Coming out of Sooke Harbor, it turned out to be the annual fishing derby, in the usual pea soup fog. Couldn't' see the bow of the boat kind of fog. Without that radar I'm sure we would have T-boned someone.

[Pitchondesign]

It depends on how old the unit is. The older Raymarine 2kw (and 4kw) radars use a belt from motor to antenna to effect rotation. This belt is really no more than a 4" O-ring on The older units. Over time, the o ring stretches or takes set, in which case, the motor runs but the antenna doesn't rotate. You can buy 4" O rings on Amazon for cheap. The newer units use a cog belt and last for a very long time. Most other problems are connector related, as others have said. The radar diagnostic function on chartplotter can tell you the state of the unit. The diagnostic also has tells you how much time on the heater, which is usually magnetron time. If the unit has spent a lot of time in standby, the heater is running, but the Magnetron is not, thus there would be a difference. The newer units do not use a magnetron. Have fun.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Pitchondesign

The diagnostic also has tells you how much time on the heater, which is usually magnetron time. If the unit has spent a lot of time in standby, the heater is running, but the Magnetron is not, thus there would be a difference. The newer units do not use a magnetron. Have fun.

Just to clarify what Pitchondesign said. The heater is the filament in the magnetron. A magnetron it type of vacuum tube. The tube is on in standby, just not full on. The purpose of the standby delay when the radar is first turned on is to allow the magnetron to warm up so that the transmit frequency is stable.