By Keven Thomas,
Sr. Tech Support & Products Manager

Troubleshooting can be very frustrating for an installer. You spend a lot of time on the boat trying to figure out why something in the installation isn’t working as it should, only to find out the problem was due to the very thing you should have checked in the first place. The following are some tips on are a few simple things to look at first.

Is it a connectivity issue? A safe bet is to start with the software version of the component. Are the units a version out, or if there are multiple units on the boat, is one of the units not the same software version as the other?

Is it an Ethernet and NMEA 2k Network Issue? I’ve seen both issues stop units from seeing radar and sonar from another unit. Is the Ethernet cable kinked, loose or have corrosion in the ends? NMEA 2k issues can range from being bad T-connectors, a bad terminator or a bad drop. NMEA 2k issues are tough to deal with if you don’t have the Maretron N2K Meter.

Taking the NMEA 2k backbone back to just 1 working device and start adding 1 device at a time will help narrow down the issue, although a bit time consuming. Of course, this also depends on the issues you are having with the boat.

Other Issues to take under consideration: Is there good power on the boat? Are the fuses good? Has a rat chewed through the wires? You just never know what it is going to be on a given install. A good flashlight, a trained eye and a little bit of patience will pay off in the end with a finished job and a happy customer.