Another Lowrance question

[Rick G]

Just picked up a used lowrance 520c from an online auction site. The sonar works great but the gps doesnt. I get a pop up message that said gps module not responding. So my question is did I buy a lemon or am I missing something?

[LMITOUT]

First item to check is the cable connections to the GPS puck.

Second thing would be the power to the NMEA network. Make sure it's hooked up and also make sure the fuse is good. There should be two fuses: one for the 520 and one for the NMEA. The network requires 12V to operate. It is recommended to put a switch inline with this 12V source to turn off the network when not in use because it will draw a small amount of power even with the graph off.

Do you have the red or blue network connectors?

[Rick G]

I have the blue network cables. The power cable and transducer cable are brand new and hooked up correct both fuses are good.

[gregg52]

not to burst your bubble

but i have 2 of those i woulda sold you

they dont read half the time

[LMITOUT]

If you have a multimeter you can measure the voltage on these pins to verify you're getting 12V to the puck. This is on the cable end that connects to the puck.

If you have 12V DC across these pins then it's very possible that the puck is bad.

[mamohr686]

Did you hook up both sets of power cables? One for the unit, and the second set for the network/gps.

[Rick G]

I do have power going to the antena puck. I found a used 3000 model puck on c list that Im picking up in the morning. I hope this fixes it Thanks for all the info and advice its much appriciated.

[PerchJerker]

Did you hook up both sets of power cables? One for the unit, and the second set for the network/gps.

I believe this is your issue. The GPS Module Not Responding message typically means that the network is not being powered correctly.

[Rick G]

Hooked up the new antenna and nada still no gps. I went through everything twice with a multimeter and all wiring is good and carrying 12.2v. I do have both power cables hooked up with the 3a fuses that came with the pc27 kit and have them run to a good working acc switch. I dont think I could have bad enough luck to have bought two bad antennas. Do I need the antenna hooked up to aquire sattilites?

[Jim Almquist]

Do I need the antenna hooked up to aquire sattilites?

Yes

It is also a good idea to have your boat outside to avoid having a interference from your garage.

[Carpenter]

I've gone thru quite a bit of the 3000 antennas as well. Lowrance is sending me a 4000 this week (hopefully). I know if you have 12V at the connection to the puck then it's the puck that's bad

[PerchJerker]

If you're sure that you have the power connected to the network correctly (and it sounds like you do, ie. 2 sets of power cables and 2 fuses), then your next 2 steps are:

1. Test the power at the antenna connection to make sure the 12+ volts are getting to the antenna itself.

2. Review your network to make sure you have the correct terminators on it and have it terminated correctly. Should be two 120 ohm terminators, etc.

It's possible your gps puck is bad, but in my opinion (and experience) this is not very likely. Some of them would go bad but it was a very small percentage.

Good luck getting it going!

[Rick G]

I got it to work granted I had to go to one of the big box stores in town today and plop down retail price for a brand new gps puck but its worth it I guess. Thanks again to everyone for all the info.

[LMITOUT]

Good to hear. Now go out and enjoy your new toy!