[CA] [CA11] Axiom 9 RV Sounder issues

[ktcarter]

I confirmed the sonar was set in auto range.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

ktcarter,

We're one step short of believing that there may be a problem with your MFD. One of our techs believed that the system may be resulting from electrical noise, quite possibly AC ripple, in the power system. To test for the latter, the engine(s) and all equipment (except for the MFD) should be powered ON. The MFD's power cable would then be unplugged from the back side of the MFD and the DC voltage level would be measured at the cable's power pins using a multimeter configured to measure DC voltage. The voltage level should be approximately that of the engine's charging system or the electronics battery(s). The multimeter would then be configured to measure AC voltage and the voltage level would again be measured at the cable's power pins. if an AC voltage measuring 0.01 VAC or greater is measured, then a power condition would be recommended for the system. Should no AC ripple be measured, then it would be recommended that the MFD be sent to Raymarine’s Product Repair Center to be bench checked / serviced.

[ktcarter]

I am getting 13-14 volts DC and 000 volts AC.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Ktcarter,

Thanks, It does not appear that any AC ripple was measured. Should no AC ripple be measured, then it would be recommended that the MFD be sent to Raymarine’s Product Repair Center to be bench checked / serviced.

[ktcarter]

Several questions.

What is the process for sending it back to be bench tested?
How long does this normally take?
Does Raymarine have a loaner unit they can send me to use while mine is being repaired?

This is prime fishing season on our lakes and i fish every weekend and plan to go to the Keys next month.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

ktcarter,

The process for sending a product in to Raymarine's Repair Center may be found here. At this time of year, it will typically require 7-10 business days (following receipt of the product) to return the repaired product. Unfortunately, Raymarine does not offer a loaner program. As the symptoms described do not appear to be show stopping, you may want to consider waiting for a more convenient time to send the MFD to Raymarine's Product Repair Center. Should the product have been registered via Raymarine's within the first 30 days of ownership, then a third year of warranty would have been added to the registered product.

[ktcarter]

Thanks for all of your help. I will send it back ASAP

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

You're welcome.

[cgcothran]

I recently upgraded our eS MFD to Lighthouse 3. Everything seemed to work fine at the dock, but when we took the boat out yesterday the Chirp Sounder reproduced the behavior shown in KCarter's youtube videos. Has there been a fix to getting the Chirp Sounder to work? I updated the MFDs to the latest release of Lighthouse 3. The update was performed on Sunday, June 16, 2019.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum cgcothran

In the case of ktcarter, we believe that the problem is rooted within the MFD's fishfinder circuitry or that of the low power / high frequency conical CHIRP element of RV transducer. This is evident in the faint bottom return shown within the Sonar channel of both videos. In this case, it would be recommended that the MFD be tested with RV transducer or that the MFD along with the transducer be sent to Raymarine's Raymarine’s Product Repair Center to be bench checked / serviced.

Following the LightHouse 3 v3.9.46 software update, it is recommended that a Power ON Factory Reset be commanded to address any anomalies or instability of the system following the software update. Should you have performed this reset and should the problem persist, then please respond accordingly.