WAAS GPS changes.......who's responsible for what?

[oldrcap]

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

[FairWeather]

Howard,

I agree with you especially if the unit is still under warranty.

My thoughts on a warranty, if the unit doesn't work it's broken. A broken unit under warranty should be fixed!

No questions asked!

[Jim Z]

There's no way that RM did not know about the government plans. Their business depends on how in touch they are with the outside influences. I've been dealing with government contracts off and on for nearly 20 years and the length of time it takes just to approve the funds for something like that are unreal compared to what a company in the private sector can do. I agree, if it's under warranty and it does not work for reasons outside of abuse it should be fixed.

That said, you may want to read the fine print of the terms and conditions of their warranty for certain exclusions. I've found RM to be fair and the squeaky wheel sometimes gets the oil just to shut it up.

[oldrcap]

Thanks for your comments......but just because we all agree it is covered, RM says it's not. Not much I can do as I see it except to boycott any future purchases (which I might do).

I know how slow government works and have been searching on the internet (with no luck) for an announcement stating when those satellites would be decommissioned. I even emailed the FAA but seriously doubt they will respond.

Howard

[Jim Z]

I'm sure you could find it out there. WAAS went online in 2003 and they've been improving it ever sense then. Good luck with it and let us know if you win the battle.

[Jim Z]

Did a little snooping around and found one case where West Marine stepped up and exchanged the RS12 antenna for the RS125. Might be worth a shot to contact the place you purchased it from... Obviously they can't sell the RS12 anymore so if it's "broken" they need to replace it with one that works, the RS125. Again, IMHO...

[yachter55]

last year I purchased a standard horizion cp155c with a 12 channel waas. claims to have max os upgrade. will it work ? I never installed it.