FURUNO NAVNET VX1

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Anonymous

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I recently purchased a boat that came with a Furuno system. I do not know much about Furuno or its capabilities or how to troubleshoot problems. If someone could answer a few questions it would be very helpfull. I know I have a RDP-139, Bff? Black sounder box, thru hole tranducer and radar. What models I am not sure of yet.

1. Is this system still relevant as far as tecnology?
2. Is there a way to refurbish the sytem and typically how much does it cost? (screen/trackball)
3. My sounder fuction just gives me a blue screen, previous owner replaced the black box last year and it was working for him after that. How do I diagnose the problem?
4. Would this syste be worth anything to anyone if I were to sell it and upgrade?

Any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Rbifi-
Thanks for posting.
Your newly purchased boat has a NavNet 1 system. The RDP139 means it is a 10.4” display. The radar could either be 2.2kW or 4kW if it is a dome, or if it is an open array it could be 4kW, 6kW, or 12kW. The original sounder module would have been either the BBFF1 (600W/1000W), or a BBFF3 (1kW/2kW/3kW). Depending on when the sounder module was replaced it could now be a DFF1 or a DFF3.
The cartography used would either be C-MapNT from Jeppesen or Navionics Classic.
This would be indicated on the chart draw.

1-Yes, this system is still relevant in today’s technology. In fact many of the system components are still used with the NavNet vx2 products that are still offered for sale. However, you might want to check on the age of your chart cartridge and update it if necessary.

2-If you send the display, (RDP139), to our Camas, Washington facility we could do a thorough check out and update the software if needed. We will contact you with an estimate for any repairs.

3-The sounder problem could be something as simple as programming or a loose connection. There is a status light on the sounder module that will help narrow down the issue. A local authorized dealer would be able to help you with that or you could call our tech support department while you are on the boat for assistance. However a local authorized dealer would be able to eyeball all the parts to help you determine what components you actually have installed. Our dealers are all listed on our website by clicking the “Find a Dealer” link in the upper right corner.

4-There is definitely value to your current system. If you wanted to upgrade to our current NavNet vx2 system all that would be needed is to replace the RDP139 display for a RDP149, which is the vx2 display. All the peripheral components are compatible.

Please let us know if you have any other questions or we can be of further help.

Melville
 
OK, Here is what I have...
RDP-139 Display, old needs screen and track ball.
RSB-0071 Radar, what range is this?
DFF1 Sounder Module
525ST-MSD Trisducer

The green light on the DFF1 is every 2 seconds, normal according to the manual.
The Triducer has a small cut in the insulation of the wire but does not seem to be into the bare wire (Ican see a blue wire inside), I cannot pull the plug out of the center of the triducer, yes I did pull the pin and remove the threaded collar.
When I tried to perform a self test of the components from the display the radar and navigation went through step by step and came out fine as far as I could tell but when I tested the sounder the screen flashed the test screen and went right back to the menu. it did not even give me enough time to read what was there. I do plan on contacting the tech department but any additional info you can give would be great. If I do need a replacement part, given the DFF1 module I have, is there a better transducer than the replacement of 525STID-MSD??? Thanks for your help.
 
Rbifi
If the sounder status light continues flashing after three minutes, then the sounder is seeing your NavNet. If you had a bad network cable, the sounder light would go solid after three mins. It sounds like your sounder source setting is wrong in the RDP139. It should be set to SOUNDER. It would be best if you can call into tech support so that they can go over all your settings. The sounder test returning to the menu, instead of running the test, means that the NavNet does not see the sounder. This is most commonly just settings within the display not being proper. (East Coast tech support 410-479-4420 or West coast 360-834-9300) Johnny.
 
I recently purchased a boat with Furuno Navnet VX1 10.5" RDP-139 Multifunction Display/4kw radar dome and transducer. Is this system still viable? Can I upgrade it? Can I download charts for my area (Houston, TX)? Any recommendations: I plan to go on two to three day fishing trips offshore about a 100 miles or so (very different than where I grew up in Florida where if you traveled 100 mile you would have just past the Bahamas!!!). I will be fishing for swordfish at night so would like radar. The Gulf of Mexico is also full of oil rigs that normally win the boat/oil rig collision battle. Again, radar that can ID rigs, ships and weather would be nice. I don't need to spot birds or anything fancy, I just don't want to run into something. Any advice on improving the bottom machine? As we all know, owning a boat gives me plenty of opportunities to spend money. If this stuff is decent I have other things that I can spend money on so don't feel compelled to recommend the latest and greatest if this stuff would work. Thanks for your time and your thoughts!
 
The NavNet1 Series dates back to roughly 2002. Navionics stopped selling charts for these units but C-map still has new updated chips. If the unit is Navionics programmed, you might speak with your local dealer about having it converted to C-map. They are still solid machines and the display units can normally be swapped out for the same size Vx2 (next series) without much problems. The older network sounders that was sold about the same time as these are good but take a bit more user intervention compared to the newer digital network sounders. If you are buying one, I would suggest the DFF1 with a good transducer.
 
I recently purchased 2002 33' contender with RDP-139 with 36 mile radar dome ,sounder and software version 19500001019.2 and C-map with 2005 date. All works very well, but, the chart is hard to use because the background is dark color not light blue as in my old Garmin charts, also the boat icon is tiny and difficult to see in heavy weather. I understand I can have a local dealer upgrade the software version, will this help? Also is there a newer map and would this help? Will getting a new head unit solve these problems and can I still use the radar and sounder as they work well . I live in sw fla gulf coast near PuntaGorda., fla. serial # is 4313-2910 for display. please help. there is a dealer in cape coral , fla listed on your web site. cvgt3
 
I would recommend turning up both the panel brill and the display brill, then trying your different "HUE" settings. Manual SET will follow the setup you configure for the chart configuration.
 
Hi everyone

I hope i am not repeating a previous inquiry.
I have a RDP139 onboard; it is impossible to find the Navionics classic chips that i need and i am thinking of installing a transducer for the depth sounder(at the mo, my sounder is a linked to another system but i would like a back up).

Am i better replacing the rdp139 display with a vx2 display?
If yes will the connectors for gps, radar, depth transducer and second cockpit screen be the same?

Should i try to adapt cmap chips into the Navionics classics slot?(knowing.that will i still struggle to find them)

Is it possible to adapt cf or sd navionics in the classic slot?

What model depth transducer do you recommand for the rdp139 and vx2?
I need the one glued to the inside of the hull, not going through the thick alu hull.

Thanks for your help
 
Yes this has been asked on the Forum many times.
Navionics stopped updating the CLASSIC chip set in 2009 and stopped selling these NAVCHART chips in 2012. Many owners of the NN1 units have worked with their dealers to reprogram the units to C-map and use the NT+ charts on the FP chip. C-map is still currently updating its map set with current data. If you keep the unit Navionics, you would need to seek out a used map chip.

If the unit is in good condition and you plan to use the boat in a general area, the NavNet 1 units are still viable. If you want greater chart coverage, support for AIS, better LCD, and faster processing; an upgrade to the Vx2 display might be something to consider. The Vx2 10.4" (RPD149) is a plug and play replacement for the 10.4" NavNet 1 (RPD139)
You can NOT convert a NN1 into a Vx2 having it read SD cards. It would be like trying to build a car from parts. You would pay 5 times the cost of a new Vx2 and only get the 90 day parts warrantee.

To select a transducer, we would need to know what network sounder you plan to use. If you are not wanting to see bottom structure, you could select a smart transducer and directly connect to the display. The problem is you are going to have a hard time finding a transducer that will shoot thru an alu hull.
 
I was wandering if anyone can help me figure out my Furuno system. I purchased a new boat with a Furuno NAVnet C-MAP NT unit. The type is RDP-139. Is this a NAVnet1 system? Also, the transducer apparently had been removed and only the radar and GPS system were functioning. I purchased a traducer model P66 (Furuno 235DST-PWE) and attached it to the DATA 1 port (only port it would hook up to). However, when I turn the system on, I don't seem to be able to activate the transducer. The screen gives no indication of any return signal when the appropriate sonar screen is selected.
Tim
 
Is this a NAVnet1 system?

Yes

I purchased a traducer model P66 (Furuno 235DST-PWE) and attached it to the DATA 1 port (only port it would hook up to). However, when I turn the system on, I don't seem to be able to activate the transducer. The screen gives no indication of any return signal when the appropriate sonar screen is selected.

The display itself isn't a sounder. If you wish to see bottom structure on the display you would need to add a network sounder and what I call a dumb transducer. You have added a smart transducer to your display. This is basically a transducer with brains to spit out NMEA 0183 data (Depth, Water Speed, and Water Temp) into the display. This data can be displayed in your digital data boxes but it will NOT allow you to use it as a sounder/fishfinder. To see this digital data, you must ensure that you have setup your display temp source, depth source, and water speed source settings to NMEA (not ETR).
 
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