Garmin or Simrad Don't make the ssme mistake I did

For those of you thinking about purchasing Simrad electronics, READ THIS. OK I had no choice but to upgrade my Simrad electronics on The Path a 2008 45' NW Trawler. I purchased her in December 2013 and eight (8) months later my main Simrad XC44 unit died, so now my Simrad on the bridge and my radar were inoperable. I called Simrad to see what I needed to do to get this unit repaired. Apparently Navico is now the parent company to leading marine electronics brands: Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G. So I guess I was speaking to Navico. They told me that they were not servicing the Simrad CX44 any longer. I told them that was not very good customer relations and I was told it was a corporate decision and they would give me some credit to upgrade my Simrad CX44, but the upgrade would not work with my other Simrad electronics. After taking this unit to several electronic repair facilities I realized that it could not be fixed because no one had the parts. I also could not find a replacement and Simrad said their new units would not operate my other Simrad electronics. After calling Simrad (Navico) several times, they finally agreed to give me some credit for my old Simrad electronics. I also checked into buying Garmin electronics. Since I mistakingly thought I was getting a good deal with Simrad, I ended up refitting with new Simrad electronics. After purchasing the Simrad units I realized what they did was give me a rebate, but then charged me MSRP instead of their advertised discounted price. So I really didn't get much of a deal. So now I supposedly have the newest and greatest Simrad electronics. It's been a few months since this upgrade and my radar is not functioning properly, my radar overlay on my GPS is not functioning properly, and the company I purchased the equipment from has still not fixed these issues. I am not mentioning the company name at this time because I'm hoping they will eventually get these Simrad electronics working properly. The company did say they were going to replace my new Simrad radar. The Simrad units are not very user friendly and I am very disappointed that I didn't purchase Garmin. I just hope this post helps you make your decision when it's time for you to purchase your new electronics.
Tailwinds,
Capt Mike

Can you tell us exactly what Simrad components you bought?

drmnj said:

I just hope this post helps you make your decision when it's time for you to purchase your new electronics.
Tailwinds,
Capt Mike

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Mike

My 2 cents worth ----------

The key on electronics is service. The best product out there is no good if your service providers are not up to snuff. It sounds like you are doing your own trouble shooting, bad move IMHO. I know a few instrument techs that can make anything work provided parts and pieces can be sourced. One of the best sources is old stuff sitting in the basement somewhere. Get a really good tech guy to look things over.

I do know though that senior SImrad people from the old days echo your findings, at least in the PNW. Hopefully the Raymarine Flir marriage will prove better than the Navico polygamists for dealing with the old stuff.

twistedtree said:

Can you tell us exactly what Simrad components you bought?

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Sure
(2) SIMRAD: NSS-12 MULTIFUNCTION TOUCH DISPLAY
(1) SIMRAD: GS25 GPS ANTENNA
(1) SIMRAD: NEP-2 ETHERNET EXPANSION PORT
(1) SIMRAD: 4G BROADBAND RADAR
(1) SIMRAD: BSM-2 BROADBAND SOUNDER MODULE
(1) GEMECO: B265LH BROADBAND TRANSDUCER
(1) SIMRAD: WIFI 1 WIRELESS BRIDGE

sunchaser said:

Mike My 2 cents worth ---------- The key on electronics is service. The best product out there is no good if your service providers are not up to snuff. It sounds like you are doing your own trouble shooting, bad move IMHO. I know a few instrument techs that can make anything work provided parts and pieces can be sourced. One of the best sources is old stuff sitting in the basement somewhere. Get a really good tech guy to look things over. I do know though that senior SImrad people from the old days echo your findings, at least in the PNW. Hopefully the Raymarine Flir marriage will prove better than the Navico polygamists for dealing with the old stuff.

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Actually I'm using a very reputable electronics dealer who is doing the trouble shooting. They just told me they ordered another Simrad radar because the new one they installed is not working properly. So far they have been pretty cooperative, I just don't think I should be having these type of problems with brand new equipment. It's been 3 months since I did this upgrade and I still do not have a properly operating Simrad system.

We had some Simrad components professionally installed this year, and they have performed flawlessly. Not as extensive as Captain Mike's (yet); we have the NSE12 MFD, AP28 autopilot, and the structurescan. Pretty much plug and play, and very intuitive.
Unlike the more or less complete Furuno suite we had installed a couple of years ago, where every single major component was faulty. That took a year to get sorted out. (It was the Navnet2 version, which had been around for years so you would think they would have sorted everything out long ago.)
The local dealer (Seacom in Campbell River) have been very good to deal with, and they are finding that Simrad has really improved their customer service lately.
I'm very happy with the Simrad.

I'm not going to defend Simrad or their parent corporation, but let me throw out a couple of food for thought items....

Was your CX44 NMEA2000 compliant? If not, there's no way the new units will talk with the old ones. I just went through the same thing when I replaced my Raymarine radar that got blown out by a lightening strike. Putting in a new radar was no problem, but the new radar wouldn't talk with the old Raymarine plotter I had.

That meant I had to also buy a new Raymarine c125 plotter so I could overlay the radar image on top of the plotter image.

IMHO that's the price you pay with electronics. They're good, but they don't last forever and the chances that the new stuff won't talk with the old stuff are increasing.

GFC said:

I'm not going to defend Simrad or their parent corporation, but let me throw out a couple of food for thought items.... Was your CX44 NMEA2000 compliant? If not, there's no way the new units will talk with the old ones. I just went through the same thing when I replaced my Raymarine radar that got blown out by a lightening strike. Putting in a new radar was no problem, but the new radar wouldn't talk with the old Raymarine plotter I had. That meant I had to also buy a new Raymarine c125 plotter so I could overlay the radar image on top of the plotter image. IMHO that's the price you pay with electronics. They're good, but they don't last forever and the chances that the new stuff won't talk with the old stuff are increasing.

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I'm really not sure if my CX44 was NMEA2000 compliant. I have heard that many others have had similar problems with the CX44. When I spoke with the technician at Commercial Marine Electronics in Fort Lauderdale I was told that if Simrad would give certain certain needed codes he would be able to repair the unit, but they had no intention of doing so. In this case I just think they really could care less about the small guys.

I updated the software for my NSS-12 last year and shortly after the radar started acting erratically. I found out that the radar software had to be updated also. I would make sure you have the latest software for both the radar and the NSS unit. My experience so far with this system has been positive. The radar and the sonar units were shipped damaged but were replaced promptly.

Garmin GMR-18 HD Marine Radar

Garmin GMR-18 HD Marine Radar

I didn't want to post a new post, so I am adding to this one.

I have an old 90s-era radar that works normally most of the time. I may not change it until it dies. Still, my fellow local boaters will tell you, I will go out in any sort of weather because I am a generally obstinate personality and Eastern NC is not Alaska or the North Atlantic either. But that's a different conversation.

I am looking this one (Garmin GMR-18 HD Marine Radar) over, because it will integrate with my Garmin 740s and offers an improvement in resolution and features for me. I have read reviews on Amazon, one of which mentions water intrusion and another mentions a mysterious software error. Anyone here have personal experience with the Garmin Radar, specifically the GMR-18 HD?

Thanks!

I have the 740s and GMR-18hd. It replaced a Raymarine R10XX. There have been no problems at all and it is a vast improvement over the old system. Make sure the little red O - rings are installed correctly when you put the connections together, that is the only place water could ingress.

I also have a Garmin GMR-18 HD with a GPSMAP 740s. It replaced a Furuno M721, which had a larger screen, but was not as easy to see, day or night. The Garmin has been rock-solid for over a year now. I have the latest firmware installed and I believe the radar shipped with the latest updates from the factory. This is a very usable combo. If I had it to do over, I might spend more and get the GRM-24 HD because larger antennas mean better horizontal beam width, but for the price, I am very, very pleased. As Bob mentioned, make sure to make the connections properly and you should be good to go.

Larry
m/v Boomarang

The new generation of marine electronics are solid and reliable- and all manufacturers have had problems. Overall, the Simrad system the OP upgraded to is quality gear- and I'm saying this from my professional standpoint as a Raymarine Pro Staffer.

Hopefully, the OP will get things sorted out in short order. As with all electronics installs, make sure the power and grounds are good, and the software/firmware has the latest updates.

Glad to know the radar works well with the 740s. Thanks all!