Raymarine E Series Problems

[richardhula]

Originally Posted by rabend

Jon,

Thanks for staying on topic The factory reset is required after the software upgrade. Because of my input, Raymarine has corrected their instructions on their web-site, and you should be able to use them.

Regards,

Bob

I have C80 on which I have upgraded firmware many times. My gripe is that whilst Routes/Tracks & Waypoints can be saved out to CF card before upgrade, all my customised settings can't, at least not that I can see. After the now recommended (double) factory reset I have to spend 20 minutes restoring all my settings. Same with E series apparently.

Incidentally I have attached diagram of full NAV/COMS set-up on my boat for anyone interested.

Richard

[Acadia]

Crak, Ram;

Maretron EMS100 NMEA 2000 Engine Monitoring System - Part No. EMS100-01 for Sale. Buy a Maretron EMS100 NMEA 2000 Engine Monitoring System - Part No.

If the link does not work google Maretron ems100

There is a compatible engine list, not sure if yours will work (ym series is there)

[Trim50]

It has been quite some time since I last posted on this subject, but it seems that I am still having the same problem with my E80 screen going black while using the dimmer function.

In November I sent the unit into Raymarine to be repaired. They said they tested it for well over 72 hours and it never happened. They upgraded the software at my expense and sent the unit back to me. A few weeks ago we were crossing to Catalina at night, and 2 hours into the crossing with the engine running and Balmar alt pumping plenty of juice, the unit strated blinking again while in dimmer mode.

The system works perfectly fine in all other modes which easily suggests that there is an issue with the graphics dimmer function...possibly in combination with the radar overlay. As I explained this to the Warranty/Service manager, I was told they can't do anything to help me. In fact, the manager "Mike" actually yelled over the phone at me completely unprovoked! I explained to him that I have spent 10s of thousands of dollars on their products and now he is yelling at me?!?!? WTF kind of company and customer service is this???

Has anyone else experienced this kind of customer service from Raymarine?

[shawnbush12]

when my E120 is in dimmer mode it goes black then flashes pure white sometimes. Is this what your e80 is doing too?

[Highlander40]

Defjef,
I have the E120 and it does have a grid option. Don't like it, I turned it off.
My unit was blinking off right out of the box. The yard who did the install gave me a loaner (they do about 50 installs/yr on this unit). I had to update the software because the loaner would not read my new chart card. The update was flawless and easy. Today my unit came back and we will see.

Having used a Northstar 961XD for 9 years I can make some comparisons.
The 10 year old unit had a full on computer mounted below, the ray does it all in the dash.
The Raymarine unit is a little better in some of the route following procedures. The latest software update allows one button track following and autopilot engagement. One button track restart and a few other nice features. Overall the E120 is not much faster scrolling but handles other transitions with a bit more grace.
The old unit took me over 19,000. nm and I never thought that the transition to the Raymarine would be so easy. I didn't need to read the manual but I do have a good understanding of piloting and navigation.

By the way, my Northstar backlight failed right out of the box too, except that it went totally blank instead of the two second blank outs that the E120 did. Over it's life, the Northstar required several hardware and software upgrades including a new motherboard and hard drive.
The guys at the yard said that my service life with the Northstar was unusual and they had many problems compared to only one issue on the Ray E120. The only reason that I switched to Raymarine is that Northstar built in an operational end point and would not update the tides and currents, I said by-by.

All in all the Raymarine is simple and reliable.

[Trim50]

Originally Posted by shawnbush12

when my E120 is in dimmer mode it goes black then flashes pure white sometimes. Is this what your e80 is doing too?

Yes..exactly what it does.

[DeepFrz]

All in all the Raymarine is simple and reliable.

Highlander;
How do you know this if you just got it back from repair today?

That is quite a glowing report about a product that failed "right out of the box".

[Highlander40]

Well, I have been using one or another E120 for about two months.
Without a single lockup or glitch other than the display blink. The unit did not fail or become useless. I sent it back as a preventative measure.

One of my favorite cruising areas is coastal Maine where there are so many rocks that you never see in the fog. A chartplotter adds real situational awareness.

The software is more straight forward and logical than what I had. Every step of the process is slightly better. The mouse is WAY better. The whole thing responds to your comand without delay.

Before choosing Raymarine, I spent some time with a garmin touch screen model-- NOT as good as what I had before. Trying to use that screen in a seaway would be like brain surgery at sea. The mouse was the main weak point on the Northstar but that unit was still WAY ahead of its time.

It's so easy to complain about products that are on the cutting edge when the rewards of sweating out the details are fantastic!

[richardhula]

Originally Posted by Trim50

It has been quite some time since I last posted on this subject, but it seems that I am still having the same problem with my E80 screen going black while using the dimmer function.

In November I sent the unit into Raymarine to be repaired. They said they tested it for well over 72 hours and it never happened. They upgraded the software at my expense and sent the unit back to me. A few weeks ago we were crossing to Catalina at night, and 2 hours into the crossing with the engine running and Balmar alt pumping plenty of juice, the unit strated blinking again while in dimmer mode.

The system works perfectly fine in all other modes which easily suggests that there is an issue with the graphics dimmer function...possibly in combination with the radar overlay. As I explained this to the Warranty/Service manager, I was told they can't do anything to help me. In fact, the manager "Mike" actually yelled over the phone at me completely unprovoked! I explained to him that I have spent 10s of thousands of dollars on their products and now he is yelling at me?!?!? WTF kind of company and customer service is this???

Has anyone else experienced this kind of customer service from Raymarine?

He is yelling at you because:

a) this is the hundredth complaint he has had today

b) he knows he is about to loose his job shortly (so why bother to be nice?)

c) he works for Raymarine & is therefore not too bright (they can't afford people with social skills)

Raymarine has the potential to be a market leader but are blowing it on incredibly poor customer service. Focusing on new technology without first bug fixing the existing stuff. Not listening to customer feedback. General slowness in finally accepting problematic issues & fixing them. Blaming third party's when they are unable to resolve problems (particularly with their RNS software).

Phew! that makes me feel better ;-)

[Highlander40]

I also talked to a Raymarine tech and he also said that after many hours the unit had not failed. I said "do you have a log of the performance of the screen or did you WATCH IT for xx hours, like I DID? " He said NO!

I asked, when this thing finally goes all black, it's toast as far as navigating goes? He said YES! I explained that this soon to happen result was not aceptable and he agreed to replace the transformers so that I would feel more "comfortable", I said good.

One other thing that came up with the tech as well as with the installer-
The units are somewhat picky about power quality. Since the loaner I have been using has NOT blinked, I am assuming that the original unit had a flaw.

One bit of advice- I had the installer return it (they buy a lot of Ray stuff) so that might have created some leverage.

[Ram]

In Fairness, I Have to say Im very happy with the uinit and the service, I had the blinking problum for the last 3 years and reall did not let it bother me much with over a 1000 hours running time, I sent it back a few months ago more than a year out of warrenty and they installed a new screen at no charge and did the repair, up grade the software and sent it back to me ==the cost including shipping and insurance was $150

[rabend]

Richard,

I had the exact same problem you had with your E80. I know from numerous sources that this is a common problem. My dealer solved the problem by replacing my E-Series display under warranty. If you contact the BOATUS Consumer Protection dept., they can help you. Hope this helps.

Regards,

Bob