Raymarine Radar Drive Belt Repaired/Replaced

We have a Raymarine non digital 2002 unit that was repaired in 2006 by Raymarine and now this year 2015 the drive belt stopped spinning the radar. This presented an error message on the Chartplotter screen that would show up when you switched over to the radar, that error message said ANTENNA NOT ROTATING. So we called Raymarine support and they said that it is the drive belt, so we ordered another drive belt for $15.00. Well, drive belt #1 arrived and I tried to replace this WITHOUT bringing the unit down to the deck and taking it all apart. Instead, since the old original drive belt stretched over the antenna to come off, I thought I could stretch the new one over the antenna. While doing this at the spreaders in a bosun chair, I stretched the new drive belt over the antenna and of course it snapped. So, I put the old one back on by stretching it onto the antenna and the unit started working again! WHAT??? But it stopped working after 3 days!

Next I ordered another drive belt and this time, while in Hope Town Bahamas I went up to the spreaders and removed the radar and brought in down to the deck. Then in the cockpit, I removed the anteanna and installed the new belt. The antenna simply unscrews with 4 screws and lifts off, then the new belt is placed under the antenna and the antenna is screwed back down. The actual repair took about 20 minutes tops, but the job took 5 hours!

So, back up the mast, haul up the radar and mount it back down and rewire the unit. Reseal the wires into the mast and the radar and fire it up. Sure enough it worked great and we are back up and running with our 2002/2006/2015 Raymarine radar unit!

If your radar presents an error that the antenna is not roatating, then buy this $15.00 belt (which is a 4" diameter O ring!) and install a new one, chances are your radar will start rotating again.

Here is a photo album of the process
ipyoa.com/photos/62-hayden/album?albumid=557

Photo of the Radar drive belt.


Hayden

David
The error message presents on the screen when your change display from charts to radar. Once on radar the screen had the error message if....antenna not rotating...

When you power on the Raymarine chart plotter/radar head unit, it then also powers up the radar antenna land spins it for a one minute warm up. At this point the screen says warming up and it is counting down from 60 to 0.

Once it would reach 0, it would then pop up the error message.

When I watch the radar do this with the cover off I noticed the drive motor, a very small motor, was turning but the belt was slipping! Wow, an easy fix.

Replacing the belt would be difficult up the mady so we brought it down. The antenna unscrews and the belt goes on from the bottom.

Hayden