Radar & Heading Sensors "X" 'd Out on MFD12

[Anonymous]

I am experiencing a problem where the radar sensor and heading sensor are no longer “seen”/connected (are “X” out) on MFD 12 display… This also causes the SOG reading to be missing on my networked FI-50 Speed display unit and autopilot control unit. GPS is otherwise being seen just fine (no "X" there) so I do at least get SOG and heading info on the MFD-12 from there…

Firmware on the MFD-12 was updated over the winter to latest v 2.07 but the missing sensors/connectivity issue wasn't resolved with the update...

Any ideas of what I should be checking? I’ve taken a look at the setup menus but there’s so many checkboxes in there so not even sure where to begin…

Thanks,

Dan B.

 

[Johnny Electron]

It sounds like your system is having Radar de-selection issues.
This can be caused when something is not consistently staying connected to your network.
For example if you have an older network sounder that is not controlled (by power sync) and it is not consistently power on before you bring up your system. Another example is having the BBWX1 weather unit with the older VX2 firmware/programming. Your system reshuffles the IP addresses because your network is changing. This can cause the radar to "de-select". You can always go under MENU - RADAR - General and re-select it. It is better to find the cause and resolve it. Heading is a different issue. It is normal for heading to be off if the heading source is not on. (For example your auto pilot) It should come back after a few minutes of turning it on. If this is happening with a good heading source on; then most likely someone has put a heading checkmark on a NMEA port that no heading has been wired into. You should NEVER put checkmarks into your setup unless the data is there. I hope that explains things a bit. Since there are so many variables, I recommend you work with tech support or your local authorized dealer.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks... The entire system is of the same age as it was all installed together when the boat was built, I'll take a look at the RADAR/MENU for any irregularities...

I only recall the SOG/COG box being checked in the setups out of the many options but I can definitely have another look next time I'm at the boat (3 hours away). The autopilot control head is missing data the same as the FI-50 speed display so I suspect that's all related to the heading sensor... I did take a look at it and it's powered up correctly, etc, the only abnormality I saw was that the "status" light was slowing blinking... Not sure if this is "new" issue or not (The heading sensor was mounted in a very out-of-way inconvenient location for easy access...) or just asking for deviation calibration for better accuracy?

 

[Johnny Electron]

For items like your FI50 unit(s) the data needs to be on the NMEA 2000 network. You might need to ensure you are outputting the right sentences to the NMEA 2000 network from your MFD (if that is where the data is bridged from). Like I said lots of variables depending on how everything is wired up.