Smart Controller loses connection with base station

[BarkinMadDog]

I recently purchased a new Smart Controller (April 2020, E15023). Installation was a breeze. However the connection between the base unit and the controller is sporadic at best. Battery strength is full, but signal strength reads either full bars or no bars. The connection between the two just keeps dropping. The handset and the base station cannot stay connected for more than a minute or two.

I have tried a number of different locations on the boat to rule out any stray RF or magnetic interference. The rest of the devices on the SeaTalk bus work fine and i'm getting a good 12V reading at the base station. SW version on the handset is 2.00. When the controller sees the base station i do see a full set of SeaTalk data.

Please help me understand if there are any other troubleshooting steps to take before I have to unfortunately send it back/get it serviced.

Thanks in advance.