Captain Bill:
I am curious why you would expect more recent MFDs to have more problems.
Gordmay
That version 9 update you reference was 5 updates ago. It did not fix my problem obviously.
Autumm
Thank you for pointing out that while I was at sea yet another update is out that purports to address
depth sounder issues. It has been 60 days since I last updated to V13. Sounds like I am woefully delinquent.
I will dutifully download the update (V14) and install it when I fly to
Mexico at the end of the month.
In the mean time since we both have a B60 I am keen to know how the update works for you.
I am about to give up hope for this e7D/B60 problem. The "fix" is perpetually in the future with the next software update it seems.
The problem actually seems to have gotten worst since the V13 update. In moderately deep water like 400 feet the display will start decrementing down to 1 feet over say one minute, then return to a bogus 30 feet for 5-20 minutes. Recently coming out of deep water the bottom was picked up believably at 300-400 feet and tracked all the way down to the 20 feet we anchored in. But then the next day following the same track out of the anchorage, the depth stuck at 30-60 feet well out into 200+ depth (as noted on the charts) and then did its decrementing down to 1-10 feet again, before later in the day settling in at believable depths in the 100s of feet range. Nerve racking.
Having exhausted debug strategies, I am beginning to think that Raymarine has added so many features to the e7D that they have basically
lost control of its ability to function reliably as a
depth sounder.
They have suggested hooking up a B744V to test if its better. I looked at doing this but its wildly impractical to rig it up and then sail around trying to dynamically confirm performance underway.
I find it strange that they would not suggest another B60 instead.
Why are they making apparent corrections to the depth sounder code in the 14th release of their operating system?