Raymarine Axiom Freezing / Unusable with Navionics Charts. Anyone else?

[SV Confianza]

Hi all,

Struggling with an issue with our Axiom and Navionics charts for some time. I've been communicating on and off with Raymarine support since last August, and they're unable to offer any answers.

In certain areas, the chart plotter slows down so much that it becomes unusable. It's better represented by the video we took: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BnmkPcKm1wWETDHt9

Previously, Raymarine had suggested that I wait for an update that included some changes to the Navionics library:

"I think you should wait for the library fix from navionics in our next software push. send me your address and i will mail you a light house chart as an experiment to see if it locks up in same areas if you like, just provide address."

I told them that switching to lighthouse wasn't acceptable. I have tried lighthouse charts in the past and they were not close to a Navionics or a C-Map. They also don't have sonar charts/imagery.

After waiting for the update that supposedly involved the Navionics library fix, there may have been some slight improvement. The plotter doesn't totally freeze, just fills in extremely slowly (as shown in the video).

Raymarine has also pointed to a possible Navionics Platinum + card issue. However, this happens on two different cards purchased at different times (US East and US South).

They escalated the issue internally a few months ago, but the only response I got (after I had to follow up), was:

"we have no updates here, we cant duplicate your issue, your the only capt reporting issues in Chesapeake and we didnt manufacture the chart. I can send you a light house card to try in same area, if you want to test it let me know.
Are we sure its not part of their reported card issue from last fall?"

Anyone else having the same issue?

[LAGERTHA]

I have the same issue, and I have no answers or fixs I had thought that its a memory issue and I have to add a SD card link to the chartplotter, but that's a guess.

[Wainui]

My Axiom takes 20 minutes or more to get a GPS fix.
Hasn’t frozen yet.

[nwh10]

SV Confianza -- watched your video...that's pretty awful. Does the problem occur all the time? Even when you first turn on the MFD?

We have an older unit - an ES128 that came with our boat. It completely freezes intermittently. The display is hot to the touch when this happens. A reboot gets it going again. A couple of people have suggested a factory reset which I will do as soon as I can get back aboard (snow has to melt...again).

Anyway, have you tried a factory reset? I know it's kind of drastic, and you'll want to back up all your routes and waypoints first. I'd also be inclined to take Raymarine up of their offer of trying a Lighthouse card. Then maybe you could narrow down the problem to the unit or the card.

[flpaoli]

Reading this and a few other threads I've read in the recent months, I get this bad feeling about branded chart plotters. It's like the support won't last beyond a couple of years and they'll make little effort to make it interconnect with other brands or help you diagnose problems.


Makes me think if I ever own a boat the best approach for a reasonably tech literate person is to have opencpn as chart plotter on a weather proof marine all-in-one PC or tablet, with NMEA data pickups from the instruments.

[SV Confianza]

Originally Posted by nwh10

SV Confianza -- watched your video...that's pretty awful. Does the problem occur all the time? Even when you first turn on the MFD?

We have an older unit - an ES128 that came with our boat. It completely freezes intermittently. The display is hot to the touch when this happens. A reboot gets it going again. A couple of people have suggested a factory reset which I will do as soon as I can get back aboard (snow has to melt...again).

Anyway, have you tried a factory reset? I know it's kind of drastic, and you'll want to back up all your routes and waypoints first. I'd also be inclined to take Raymarine up of their offer of trying a Lighthouse card. Then maybe you could narrow down the problem to the unit or the card.

It happens in only certain areas, but it does happen after start up as well. This is probably unrelated, but after my most recent update, the whole plotter seems to slow down after 6-7 hours of use (including a slight delay in touch controls for engaging the autopilot). The charts issue has always been persistent, though.

If I remember right, the first thing they suggested was a factory reset, and I've already been through that process. No change.

I am afraid of taking their suggestion, because I worry that they will just say "see, it's a navionics problem." And that's just not really good enough. They sell chart plotters and should work with decent charts. The lighthouse charts are not remotely competitive.

[SV Confianza]

Originally Posted by flpaoli

Reading this and a few other threads I've read in the recent months, I get this bad feeling about branded chart plotters. It's like the support won't last beyond a couple of years and they'll make little effort to make it interconnect with other brands or help you diagnose problems.


Makes me think if I ever own a boat the best approach for a reasonably tech literate person is to have opencpn as chart plotter on a weather proof marine all-in-one PC or tablet, with NMEA data pickups from the instruments.

I'm just starting to tinker with OpenPlotter to replace our backup chart plotter. Mostly for fun actually. So far, there are definite disadvantages to the main commercial systems (for instance compatibility of chart brands, ironically). But it should be a fun project anyway.

Going to put in a couple of screens for the boat's data, navigation, and charts. I have some holes cut out already for some old equipment that Connie came with, so why not modernize the whole chart table area with some pretty touch screens.

[nwh10]

Originally Posted by SV Confianza

It happens in only certain areas, but it does happen after start up as well. This is probably unrelated, but after my most recent update, the whole plotter seems to slow down after 6-7 hours of use (including a slight delay in touch controls for engaging the autopilot). The charts issue has always been persistent, though.

If I remember right, the first thing they suggested was a factory reset, and I've already been through that process. No change.

I am afraid of taking their suggestion, because I worry that they will just say "see, it's a navionics problem." And that's just not really good enough. They sell chart plotters and should work with decent charts. The lighthouse charts are not remotely competitive.

I totally get it about the Lighthouse charts being inferior. But I'd want to try to isolate the problem.

I understand your temptation to dump the system and go with something simply and generic. I've been tempted to do that too.

Raymarine tech support suggested that I update the underlying Lighthouse software to see if the freezing would stop. Not a great suggestion...Raymarine themselves have stated that LH3 will slow down this old system. It's not snappy now, so I see no point in doing that.

My husband and I have talked about replacing the MFD, but it's not exactly plug and play. It's complicated and expensive. And for what? Another unit that stops working after x number of years? That's really not exciting. A complicating factor which resides on an even older unit - a C80 - but it's working. I'm torn, but I digress, sorry.

You're not alone, though, trying to troubleshoot cranky electronics.

[neflier]

Had the same problem, Raymarine provided the attached procedure and it solved it. I found that if I make too many changes on the charts page, the problem returns, so I configure the way I want and then don't touch the settings. Ideal-no, usable-yes. Hopefully they get this fixed permanently.

[Ratbasher]

I had my original-model Axiom 9 re-boot itself at random intervals over the last 3 seasons. Raymarine hadn't any explanation other than the usual 'update software'; no sh!t Sherlock - the software, installation and all instruments had all been exhaustively tested. Last season in the Celtic Sea it went one better. After rebooting itself just as I was about to go over shallows in thickening fog I was surprised that the depth seemed to have increased markedly - 15 rather than the 4-5 metres I'd been in before the system crashed. Then I realised that the wretched thing had changed itself from metres to feet. Later on I saw that the tidal info on the chart seemed to contradict the reality of what I was seeing; I then realised that it had reset its clock, meaning that the info displayed was about 4 hours out. This proved the value of the old adage that 'plans are unimportant - but planning is critical'. I knew the chart and I knew the times when tide gates were open - just as well as the tide in the channel I was heading for runs at 10kts+......

A new chartplotter was fitted soon after

[fxykty]

We have a 2020 Axiom +. We had a problem with chart freezing and very slow loading. A corrupted chart card caused the freezing (probably - replacing it with a new card removed the issues). Turning off community edits also speeds up loading performance.

We run our primary plotter with Navionics charts. We run in parallel on a laptop (not rugged or for outdoor use except in benign conditions) OpenCPN with the almost useless CM15 base map and the very useful, almost critical, MBTiles satellite images. We would never swap OpenCPN for a chart plotter - the usability and reliability require an IT pro. However, the feature set is worth it as it complements but doesn’t replace a dedicated plotter. YMMV

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by Wainui

My Axiom takes 20 minutes or more to get a GPS fix.
Hasn’t frozen yet.

Thats really long. Is your Axiom down below? can it See the sky? By the time my Axiom+ gets to the home screen I have a GPS postion fix. There's only the bimini canvas between the axiom and the sky

[SV Confianza]

Originally Posted by fxykty

We have a 2020 Axiom +. We had a problem with chart freezing and very slow loading. A corrupted chart card caused the freezing (probably - replacing it with a new card removed the issues). Turning off community edits also speeds up loading performance.

We run our primary plotter with Navionics charts. We run in parallel on a laptop (not rugged or for outdoor use except in benign conditions) OpenCPN with the almost useless CM15 base map and the very useful, almost critical, MBTiles satellite images. We would never swap OpenCPN for a chart plotter - the usability and reliability require an IT pro. However, the feature set is worth it as it complements but doesn’t replace a dedicated plotter. YMMV

I can try reaching out to Navionics and seeing if they’ll replace the card thanks.

[SV Confianza]

Originally Posted by neflier

Had the same problem, Raymarine provided the attached procedure and it solved it. I found that if I make too many changes on the charts page, the problem returns, so I configure the way I want and then don't touch the settings. Ideal-no, usable-yes. Hopefully they get this fixed permanently.

Thanks for the first hand account. Will try it and see if it works.

[DadsHome]

Late to this discussion, but I joined the forum after coming across the original poster's video. The same problem on my Axiom drove me crazy a while back. Response to touch screen was painfully slow, sometimes halting completely for 10 or 20 seconds. The issue would come and go, of course usually showing up when I was in a busy harbor I'd never been in before, trying to make my way in a narrowly dredged channel.

To make a long story short, it went away and never came back when I discovered (for completely different reasons) a very subtle leak into the "field attachable" (that is, you do the wiring) drop cable connector I connected to the NMEA 2000 connector on the Axiom. We're talking barely a film of moisture inside the connector here, but I think enough to cause some sort of intermittent cross-talk between two of the cable's data wires. The intermittency was probably explained by it only happening after the connector got wet and then persisting until it dried out. Replaced the connector and wrapped it thoroughly with waterproofing, and have not seen it since (at least 2 seasons). HTH.