Raymarine Pathfinder upgrades

The Raymarine Pathfinder family of radar and chartplotter systems was introduced in 1997, and immediately set the standard for performance and value in the light marine electronics market. From its inception, Pathfinder has always been on the cutting edge of digital radar, chart, and sonar technology with their combination of high-speed processors, enhanced memory, high-resolution displays, and superior scanner technology.

In 2002 Raymarine introduced the Pathfinder PLUS series displays to critical acclaim. This improved generation of displays featured faster microprocessors, increased memory capacity, and Raymarine's new Second Generation High Speed Bus (hsb2) networking, which expands the number of possible interconnected displays up to 10, including up to 1 PC based station using RayTech Navigator software.

It was with great pride that Raymarine also introduced a program by which owners of first generation Pathfinder displays could upgrade them, thus extending their investment in this revolutionary system. The upgrade is performed by trained Raymarine factory technicians, and enables full support for all of the latest Pathfinder PLUS features and capabilities.

What does the hsb2 upgrade consist of?

When your have your HSB series Pathfinder display upgraded to Pathfinder PLUS with hsb2, you are getting back a display with all of the functionality of the latest factory built equipment. You HSB series display will be carefully disassembled, inspected, and cleaned (as necessary). Next, Raymarine will replace your old CPU with the latest Pathfinder PLUS spec unit. At the same time, we will also upgrade your unit's on board memory from 8 MB to 16MB. To make your display compatible with the hsb2 network, we will modify the hsb2 circuitry to the latest specifications, and install a removable hsb2 bus terminator. Last, your display will receive the latest version of our hsb2 series operating software. After a full check out, the unit is boxed and returned to you along with a new Owner's handbook, detailing all the new features and functions.

What Pathfinder displays can be upgraded?

Any Pathfinder HSB series display can be upgraded to Pathfinder PLUS with hsb2. The Pathfinder HSB series displays consisted of the following models:

• · Radar: RL70, RL70RC, R70, R70RC, RL70C, RL70CRC, RL80C, RL80CRC
• · Chartplotter: Raychart 520, Raychart 530, Raychart 631
• · Fishfinder/Sonar: L755RC, L760, L760RC, L1250, L1250RC

• Unfortunately, due to internal hardware limitations, the SL70, SL72, and SL74 stand-alone radar systems cannot be upgraded to Pathfinder PLUS with hsb2. Please contact Raymarine Technical Support for information on updating to a new generation display, and reusing the radar scanner for these models.

If I have more than one display, do I need to upgrade all of them?

Yes. The original HSB system supported a maximum of two interconnected displays sharing radar, sonar and C-MAP NT data. The hsb2 system now supports up to ten interconnected displays. There are some software and internal hardware differences between versions, that make HSB and hsb2 displays incompatible. If you currently have a two station HSB system, then you must upgrade both displays in order to maintain their hsb2 connectivity. Failure to upgrade all of the displays to hsb2 level would result in the loss of the ability to share radar, sonar, and C-MAP NT chart data.

Why should I upgrade my display?

There are many advantages to upgrading to the latest Pathfinder PLUS with hsb2 technology. For starters, Pathfinder PLUS displays offer exciting new features like Radar/Chart overlay, C-MAP NT+ support, and the ability to expand to up to 10 displays, all sharing and controlling radar, chart and sonar information. One of these stations can be an onboard PC system running Raymarine's RayTech Navigator or RayTech Sail Racer Software. Upgrading also extends the life of your investment, providing many more years of enjoyment from your marine electronics. Pathfinder PLUS with hsb2 offers these enhancements over the previous HSB system:

• · hsb2 connectivity for up to 10 displays on the bus
• · Radar/Chart Overlay (Color units only)
• · Day/Night screen control (Color units only)
• · Alphanumeric entry of data using ST80 Navigator Keypad
• · Route building from waypoint list
• · Smart Route^TM feature (turns the track into a route)
• · Read/Write to C-Cards (routes and waypoints)
• · Enter waypoints as TD's
• · MARPA on all 7" Products
• · Support for DSM250 HDFI Sonar
  Support for hsb2 integration of RayTech Navigator PC product

What is this upgrade going to cost me?

This upgrade can only be performed in the Raymarine service centers located in Nashua, New Hampshire USA or Portsmouth UK. The upgrade involves replacing numerous components inside the display, and in the process, upgrades the main processor (CPU) and memory to the latest production specifications. There is a flat rate charge for the hardware/software upgrade, which includes all of the necessary parts and labor. The cost is explained in the following table.

Where can I find out more information?

Raymarine's Internet site, www.raymarine.com, is your 24-7 source for information on all of the latest innovations in marine electronics. Here you will find details on features, specifications, system integration, and frequently asked questions and answers from other Raymarine customers. If you can't find the answer to your question, you can submit your question via the web, or call Raymarine Technical Support directly at 1-800-539-5539, x2444. Our staff of experienced Product Support specialists stands ready to answer all of your questions, from the most basic operations, to challenging network and system integration plans.