[CA] [CA11] Tacktick Wind transducer

[mikedefieslife]

I have a Tacktick wind transducer and NM30 display.

I've noticed that in the 'health' menu the value for the transducer which I presume to be the signal strength is 01.9. By contrast the hull transmitter reads 29.6.

I assume that higher is better, but oddly it doesn't seem to matter where I move the transducer. It can be at the top of the mast (30' away) or right next to the NM30 display (1' away) and the signal reading is still the same.

I don't think it's causing me an issue, though one time I did lose connection and have to re-network them, but I'm just curious as to what is happening.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Mike,

The menu which you are looking at is indeed providing sign strength information. The minimum recommended value for reliable communications is 3.0. The low value reported may be indicative of a battery which nearing the end of its life. How old is the wind transducer?

[mikedefieslife]

The transducer is about 4 years old. The battery is brand new. I changed the battery as sometimes at night the display would lose signal/connection with the transducer. As it only happened at night, I presumed it was a weak battery, hence the new one.

Whether with the old battery or the new battery the signal is never more than 1.9 no matter how close the transducer is to the display.

This one is actually a replacement. Back in 2014 there was problem with the original one, and Raymarine replaced it under warranty.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Mike,

Are you using LED masthead lighting?

[mikedefieslife]

Sometimes, but that has nothing to do with the signal being 1.9 since it's like that in the daytime when holding the transducer in the cockpit.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Mike,

In fact LED lighting can interfere with some communications. Please click here to view a article addressing the interference whci. While the LED may not reflect why the reported value which you have specified is so low, it may, coupled with low signal strength be the reason for communications failures when operating at night. Given the low value when closely positioned to one another it is recommended that the masthead be sent to Raymarine’s Product Repair Center to be bench checked / serviced.