What to do when radar wont spin

[doradodiver]

New to me boat - Raymarine chartplotter from 2019, assuming Quantum radar is about the same age.

I searched through the threads but not finding much. Are there are keywords I should be using other than 'radar wont spin'..?

I get an alert code -80251 and it won't spin. Raymarine online and other forums.. no news on this code.

Generically speaking I've seen two common answers for other models:
1. climb the mast and go poke it to see if it is stuck
2. buy a new one

If I involve an electronics guy to repair, the bill will immediately be larger than just buying a new dome. If that is the answer I'm ok with it, but hoping there is at least one thing I can try.

For reference I've made sure I also attempted it while connected to shore power. Some threads mentioned low power could be an issue.

[donradcliffe]

You don't really expect a raymarine radar to still be working after 5 years, do you? One of the boats I deliver is on their 3rd raymarine radar since 2018.

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by doradodiver

New to me boat - Raymarine chartplotter from 2019, assuming Quantum radar is about the same age.

I searched through the threads but not finding much. Are there are keywords I should be using other than 'radar wont spin'..?

I get an alert code -80251 and it won't spin. Raymarine online and other forums.. no news on this code.

Generically speaking I've seen two common answers for other models:
1. climb the mast and go poke it to see if it is stuck
2. buy a new one

If I involve an electronics guy to repair, the bill will immediately be larger than just buying a new dome. If that is the answer I'm ok with it, but hoping there is at least one thing I can try.

For reference I've made sure I also attempted it while connected to shore power. Some threads mentioned low power could be an issue.

If the most common issue is that they're stuck or have insufficient power, a mast climb will be the best way to test. Bringing a multimeter up to see if proper voltage is being delivered (wires/connections corroded). Also could be belt slippage if it's an older model

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

You don't really expect a raymarine radar to still be working after 5 years, do you? One of the boats I deliver is on their 3rd raymarine radar since 2018.

Here's an article where a sailor replaces the belt on his 13 year old Raymarine.
so yep, they last more than 5 years.

https://svislandspirit.com/raymarine...-radar-repair/

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by doradodiver

New to me boat - Raymarine chartplotter from 2019, assuming Quantum radar is about the same age.

I searched through the threads but not finding much. Are there are keywords I should be using other than 'radar wont spin'..?

I get an alert code -80251 and it won't spin. Raymarine online and other forums.. no news on this code.

Generically speaking I've seen two common answers for other models:
1. climb the mast and go poke it to see if it is stuck
2. buy a new one

If I involve an electronics guy to repair, the bill will immediately be larger than just buying a new dome. If that is the answer I'm ok with it, but hoping there is at least one thing I can try.

For reference I've made sure I also attempted it while connected to shore power. Some threads mentioned low power could be an issue.

First I would check for any wire bundle splices or connecting strips, likely at the base of the mast under the floor. Corrosion etc can prevail down there . That could result in low power to the dome or lack of signal or etc.

[JPA Cate]

Just a short comment here: salt air causing corrosion on electrical connections on boats is an extremely common situation, a possible issue with anything on a boat powered by electricity. The radome not spinning can be due to low voltage, slipping or broken belt, and perhaps something of which I know nothing.

But, since all the electrical connections but one are below the spreaders, it is a convenient general place to start. If you assess and clean up all of them, you may find your problem solved. If it is not, it will be time to see what you find aloft.

Can't speak for your Raymarine radar; but we were still using an old Furuno on this boat, 15 yrs old, and perhaps longer. Eventually, it did require replacement.

Ann

[Jim Cate]

On our previous boat we had a Furuno radar. When it was some decade old or so it too would fail to start spinning the rotor when I turned it on. Kinda by accident I discovered that I I gave the mast a good whack with my hand it would start spinning as usual. A bit of spray lube on the motor bearing cleared it up nicely.

No idea of whether this is related to your problem.

Jim

[wholybee]

I fixed a Quantum radar on a friends bot with this issue.(I don't recall the error code he got). If checking all the connections doesn't work, take it down, remove the cover, and power it up with the cover off. In my friends case, there are some plastic shields covering and protecting the circuit boards. One had become dislodged and was jamming the rotating antenna. Once I put it back in place it worked fine.
But check whatever you can before bringing the thing down, and be careful. My friends installation didn't have a safety line attached to it, which made the remove a bit hair raising. I fabricated a safety line when I reinstalled it.

[SailingHarmonie]

If the only error is related to not turning, check the belt! The most likely to be the cause, and the easiest to fix. I have a client who used superglue to put the two ends of a radar belt back together as a temporary fix until they could get somewhere a new belt could be sourced.

Sometimes it really is the simple things.

[David Mathis]

These have a switch on the rear of the base which will stop the spin if in the down position. It’s the simplest check so climb the mast to check it. If it’s down, flip it up and you will have rotation unless it has other issues.

[doradodiver]

Update -

Verified connectivity and power. Got an inspection - Per a Raymarine tech that code means 'broken'. They want me to send it back to the factory.

Unfortunately they can't know how much it'll cost to fix until they get it back, so debating just buying something different instead.

Anyone do a factory repair before on radar?