Lowrance GPS Help

Originally the boat had a LCX-28 at the stern and a LMS-520c on the bow and the GPS signal was loud and clear with WAAS everytime out and a position error consistantly under 20 ft if not 15 most of the time.

I added another LMS-520 which sits beside the LCX-28. The LMS-2000 GPS puck is networked as well so I can get mapping on all three units. Now my position error is all over the place and WAAS is in and out also. Tonight while on the lake I shut off the 520 at the stern by the 28, but the error was still high on the 28 so I unplugged the network cable from the 520 (which is still off) and the error dropped right to 15 ft and held steady. I hooked the cable back up and the error didn’t change so I then turned the 520 back on and it looked OK for about a minute and then it started drifting all over again.

Obviously the new location of the 520 isn’t blocking the puck (which is fairly close) because the error is low when the 520 is off and unplugged. The 28 and 520 share the same power source….my boat has a 12V bus and a ground bus.

Any ideas? Why is the new 520 interfering with the 28? I’ve even swapped the 520’s to make sure it wasn’t the new unit but same result.

I have a feeling Lowrance is going to put out some better software, hopefully soon, seems there is some issues with the current versions… Just a guess from what I see on the forums.

Could it possibly be that the network is powered more than
once?
Just a thought.

Dan

Well, I used the power wire that has the black and red. There was a white wire also but no mention of that in the manual for the new 520. ????

The other power wire had a red/black/bare shield which I took as the NEMA power from what I read in the manual. I traced the cables from the 28 and noticed that it had both power wires connected which I figured is how they powered the network (through the 28).

The new 520 has v1.5 and the old 520 is v1.4.

Hah!!

I just went out to the garage and checked mine and I have

one of each as well.

I bought mine at the same time??

I went to the Lowrance site to see if I could get the

1.5 update and they still have the 1.4 available???

I can’t help you with what mine are doing on the water

because I have only been out once this year (1 hour)

and I only ran the console unit.

Lowrance 520c Updates

Keep us posted!

Dan

Yeah, I noticed they only had 1.4 online also. Kinda odd.

I’m going to have to take the boat out into the driveway got get a signal, pull the dash off, and start playing around with wires. I don’t know what else to try. Really frustrating.

If you recall, the boat came with all blue network components and I found a red-blue adaptor cable so that I could utilize the red double-T that came with the 520. I used the red 120 ohm resistor on the end of the T to terminate, but can’t see why a blue 120 ohm on the bow end and a red 120 ohm on the stern end of the bus would cause any issues. There is an open port on the double T, but again, don’t know why that would be an issue.

Since there was a lack of room for the new T, I had to double-back the network cable to the new T and zip-tied that to the existing bus so they are side by side. Maybe there is some cross-talk? I guess I’ll have to get the screwdriver out and take all those dang screws out of the dash again. grrrr

RE: Lowrance LMS-520c Software Updates

According to Lowrance (6/29/2007) a 1.6 software update
will be available in a couple of days.
This will correct a problem with the 1.4 version saying
the memory is full when there is ample waypoint storage
available.
The 1.5 version also fixed the memory full problem but
Lowrance couldn’t answer as to why the update isn’t available on their website.
The 1.6 version will also fix a radar interface issue.

Has anyone experienced the “memory full” problem on their
1.4 or 1.5 version 520??
Make sure your waypoints are sharing if you are running
these different versions.

Dan

Haven’t had the 520(s) long enough to run into memory issues yet. I did notice that the newer one with v1.5 does share waypoints with the X-28 just fine. Haven’t messed with the 520 with v1.4 to see if that works or not, but I’m heading out the garage to dig into this problem with the GPS so I may try it for S&G’s.

Found the problem. The 520 is too close to the puck. Moved the 520 to the other side of the 28 and everything is great…move it back to the bracket and you can see the satellite strength on the 28 decrease across the board. This is with the network cable unplugged from the 520, so it comes down to the 520 electrically interfering with the puck. What a PITA. Now I have to move the puck since there is no other location for the 520 on my tiller. It’s almost a matter of inches to whether or not it works or doesn’t.

Anybody know how to plug a hole about the size you need for the GPS puck cable??? I’m going to have to move it across to the other side of the boat at the rear and drill a new hole. The GPS puck was mounted by the factory so I had no factor in the original placement, but now I get to move it. Now I also need a long network extension cable (red-blue adaptor type) to reach the network bus. Good luck with that!

Danno, I attached my gps ant. down with a clear silicone adhesive. I didn’t want to drill any extra holes in my boat in case I had to move it. So far it is holding just fine.

Jon

Just called LEI to see what the status of my order is for an extension cable and T (both blue) and the cable is being process today while the T is on backorder for 6-8 WEEKS!! You’ve got to be kidding me. Summer will be over before I ever get a chance to get the GPS working!

Anyone know of a source for a T?