Many of us had trouble with our GPS units because of the decommissioning of two old satellites and the activation of two new satellites. Some GPS units required new software, some went to work without doing anything, some require additional hardware, and some will never work correctly with WAAS again.
I seem to be one of the unfortunate souls that have suffered with Raymarine's A65. I knew Raymarine was a big name in marine electronics and purchased the GPS/chartplotter expecting a fully operational product. I had lots of problems initially......power problems that were solved with a BlueSeas ACR and other problems that required me to load new software supplied by Raymarine. In their defense, Raymarine did respond (I wish it could have been faster) and the unit has worked well since then.
But now comes along the GPS/WAAS fiasco and the A65 is a unit that requires new hardware to continue operating with WAAS. I have heard Raymarine charging anywhere from $70 to $150 for a "new" antenna. This inconsistency of pricing bothers me! I believe all A65's are still under the 2 year warranty given by Raymarine. The unit was advertised and sold to be WAAS ready......but it isn't anymore! Should Raymarine take responsibility for the early obsolesce of the WAAS capability of this unit? How much notice do you think Raymarine had as to the FAA's plan on decommissioning the satellites? Knowing how the government works, I would have to venture that a plan was in place for many years. I believe Raymarine continued to sell and advertise the A65 as WAAS ready until very recently.
So, what's the consensus here..................should the owners of units still under warranty have to shell out more money for the antenna? If we do have to pay, shouldn't Raymarine charge everyone the same price?
It doesn't seem like the correct way to do business and promote happy customers. I am not happy but at least we are not talking about another pocketful of money. The A65 was "entry level"......but why in the world would I ever consider upgrading in the future to a Raymarine C or E series electronics?
Howard
