Replacing radar/chartplotter display--can I use existing radar cable?

[c34no1471]

I am considering replacing my ten-year-old, dealer-installed, Raymarine RL70RC radar/chartplotter display with the new C70 display.  I do not, repeat, do not, want to go to the trouble of replacing the radar cable (the set-up has the 2KW 18-inch Raymarine Pathfinder radome, mast-mounted, as part of the original installation).  The package (radome and radar/chartplotter display) had a software and hardware upgrade by Raymarine in 2004, but I don't think that affects the answer.  If necessary, I'd buy and install the new RD218 radome.  But I am really not interested in messing with the cable.

Can anyone tell me whether or not I can reuse the existing, ten-year-old, installed radar cable and connect it directy into the new C70 display (and if necessary to a new RD218 radome)?

I've asked Raymarine, by e-mail, Thursday morning.  No response yet.

Many thanks!

George Alberts
Breezing Up, Hull Number 1471
Chesapeake Bay

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

George,
I think your best bet would be to Call Raymarine on the phone and talk to their cust support reps. Their number is 603-881-5200 just in case you don't have it. I just installed a C80 chart plotter and am using the same radome as your old one. The C70 that you're looking at, I believe is the new digital radar. I think your cable would be compatable with the C80 that I have but I'm not sure about the digital system. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it and the blood has started to circulate a little in my brain I remember reading that the digital radar uses a eithernet cable,much like the one on your computer but with "marinized" RJ 45 type modular connectors.
This info should be on their web page if you check it out.

Also, there are installers that are certified by Raymarine if you care to use one of those. That's what I did.

Hope this helped at least a little. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Mike

[c34no1471]

Mike,

Thanks for your advice! 

I got an e-mail reply this morning from Raymarine, saying that my old radar cable, "if sound," can be used.  They said I might have to replace the radome, depending on what was exactly done when it got a hardware upgrade in 2004.  They also said I would have to use the new power cable to the C70 display (ouch--I hate running cables). 

I asked them a second question, in an e-mail, but I agree I'd be better off calling them.  The second question is--do I need a "heading sensor" for the new radome, if I go that way?  I am hoping my autopilot (an ST4000) makes that unnecessary.

By the way, the reason I'm so sensitive about running cables makes a long and boring story.  In short, I decided to replace the now-ragged spiral cable on my RAM mic at the helm, and ended up replacing the RAM mic with its shiny new spiral cable, the power cable, and the fixed VHF!  In hindsight, I might have just spliced a new spiral cable to the existing RAM mic....But now I have a fancy new fixed-mount VHF, a new Ram mic, and scrapes and bruises from running and hiding cable.

Regards,

George

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

George,
I think you can download a pdf file of the owners/installation manual from the Raymarine website. I thought the C70 was the new digital HD radar but I see now that the C70 is the smaller version of the C80 that I have and I have the same radome that you have and I don,t have a separate power cable. Mine gets it's power from the chart plotter. There is a Y-cable that is necessary if you have an open array radome but yours is a enclosed radome like mine. The manual does mention some software incompatibility issues so you will have to figure out the software version of the radome.

My radar DOES use the auto-pilot for it's heading info so you should be OK there.

Mike     

[Ken Juul]

If you ask RM they will tell you that you need a compass with a high refresh rate for the MARPA to be accurate. If I remember correctly it must be 10 hz. The compasses in the auto pilots only refresh at about 1 hz.  I did not buy the extra compass, radar heading works fine as well as the MARPA.

[c34no1471]

You are exactly right.  According to my latest information from Raymarine, the autopilot provides (via SeaTalk) a 1Hz heading signal, which they say should be adequate.

Thanks!

[c34no1471]

One last (I hope) issue I must resolve before biting the bullet and buying the display--Raymarine has told me I need to replace the existing RL70RC power cable with the new power cable. The on-line documentation provided by Raymarine for the C70 unit says it has a power cable "prepared for connecting to your boat's DC power supply; the cable is supplied with a length of screen exposed before the positive and negative wire tails (once you pull the tail end a bit away from the main cable body).  This screen should be clamped to your boat's earth/ground with the saddle clamp, as shown...."  It is clear to me how to connect the positive and negative leads into my power supply.  The "screen" connection baffles me.  Is it intended to tie a shield around the power wires into a lightning grounding system (which I don't have)?  Will the system work without clamping the screen?  If not a lightning grounding system, what is the "boat's earth/ground" if not the negative side of the power supply? I notice in the diagram they supply that the power cable plug has three pins/leads, by the way.

I know this is a naive question.  I'll call Raymarine and ask them, but I thought I'd run it by this forum first.  Thanks!

[Ken Juul]

The screen goes to your ground bar as does the neg power lead.  They serve different functions so they each have a connection.