C80 MFD / RD218 Radar Problem

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum charris,

The most common cause for the symptom reported within a system which had been previously working, no physical changes have taken place, and no removal and/or re-installation of equipment has taken place is insufficient power to the radome or pedestal. Accordingly, it is recommended that all power and ground leads be inspected from the batteries through the breaker panel to the pedestal (for open array radar systems only) and MFD to ensure that appropriate gauges of marine grade wire have been used, that they are free of damage, corrosion, and that all electrical connections are tight. After verifying that this is so, then the vessel should be connected to shore power, it batteries be permitted to be fully charged, and that afterwards and while still connected to shore power that the system be tested. Should the problem persist, then it is recommended that the radar cable be tested per the procedure specified within the FAQ found here. Should the radar cable be found to have suffered a failure, then it should be replace. Should no fault be found with the radar cable, then the problem would typically indicate a failure within the radome or pedestal. As Raymarine can no longer provide parts and service for radomes and pedestals featuring analog video interfaces, it would either be necessary to replace the radome or pedestal with one from the second hand market or replace the MFD, radome or pedestal, and radar cable with currently manufactured product. Far less frequently, the symptoms reported are rooted in the MFD. Should the cable test have passed and you believe that the problem may be rooted in the MFD, then it is recommended that the MFD be sent to Raymarine’s Product Repair Center to be bench checked. With respect to servicing C-Series Classic MFDs, please note that Raymarine's ability to service these retired MFDs is no quite limited.