Marine Electronics,
Rigged Right.

First check: Battery switch on? Breakers at the console tripped? Most "dead screen" calls are actually a popped breaker or a loose ground behind the helm.

Quick reset: Hold the power button 10 seconds, then cycle battery power at the switch for 30 seconds before turning back on.

If it still won't boot — there's usually a blown inline fuse on the 12V power lead, or the NMEA backbone is pulling the unit into a fault state. We carry every common fuse, terminator, and drop cable in the service truck.

Check the antenna view: GPS pucks need open sky. Any new t-top canvas, solar panel, or accessory mounted above the puck can block the signal.

Inside the unit: Settings → System → Reset GPS almanac. Give it 10–15 minutes of clear-sky time to re-acquire.

If it drifts or loses fix underway — usually a corroded antenna connection or water intrusion in the GPS puck. These fail silently after 4–6 Florida summers. We replace them same-day.

First: Check the amplifier gain and protect lights. A solid red "protect" light on a JL Audio amp almost always means a blown speaker, a shorted lead, or a thermal overload.

Fader / zone setup: On Fusion and Garmin audio zones, it's easy to accidentally fade all output to a zone that isn't wired. Try balancing the zones in the head unit's audio settings.

Subs specifically: If you hear highs/mids but no low end, the sub amp channel is either in protect mode or the low-pass crossover got bumped above the subwoofer's range. We tune and verify the crossover on-site.

Touch issues: Salt film, sunscreen, and UV haze on the glass throw off capacitive touch. Clean with a microfiber and isopropyl alcohol (70%) — not Windex.

Lines on screen: Usually a failing LCD ribbon or a display unit that's taken hard vibration from a rough run. Garmin and Simrad both honor warranty swaps if the unit is under 2 years — we handle the RMA paperwork.

Flickering: Almost always dirty power. A failing battery, loose terminal, or under-spec wire gauge causes voltage dips that show up first on the biggest screen. We test every power feed with a scope to catch this.

Number one cause: A corroded antenna connection at the base of the antenna or at the PL-259 behind the radio. You can receive on a bad antenna — you can't transmit.

Second: Squelch too high, or PTT (push-to-talk) switch on the mic has failed. Test with a different mic if you have one.

If you see "HI SWR" or "ANT" error — your antenna is shot or the coax has water in it. We stock Shakespeare antennas and can test SWR on-site.

Start with calibration: If it was swapped, moved, or the boat was hauled, the compass needs a full dockside and sea-trial calibration. Without it, the unit is guessing.

Magnetic interference: Speakers, phones, tools, and even new cup holders with magnetic bases next to the heading sensor will throw it off. Check what's changed near the autopilot compass.

If the rudder hunts: It's a gain/response tuning issue. Every boat is different — we dial these in underway during a sea trial.

Check gain and range: Set range to auto and gain to 50–60% to start. "No bottom" at high speed is usually aerated water passing the transducer — normal.

If it's dead at idle too: The transducer cable has a break, a pinched connector, or the unit's transducer port has failed. We test continuity and swap whatever's bad.

Chirp vs. traditional settings: Running a CHIRP transducer on a unit set to traditional 200kHz won't work correctly. We verify the sonar mode matches your hardware.

Is it transmitting? Make sure you're out of standby and the range is set to 0.5–1nm for close-in targets. Radars set too long on range make everything look blank.

Gain, sea clutter, rain clutter: Leave all three on auto to start. Manual settings are a rabbit hole that most people get wrong.

If the scanner isn't spinning or the heading line is frozen — that's a motor or drive-belt issue inside the dome. Call us, we've seen every failure mode.

Step one: On the phone, "forget" the stereo, then pair fresh. Bluetooth caches get corrupt after an iOS/Android update.

Only one device at a time: Fusion and JL units often pair fine, but if two phones are both trying to connect, the first one "wins" and blocks the second.

If it still won't connect — the stereo firmware is probably outdated. Most Fusion units haven't been updated in years. We update firmware on-site and re-pair in 10 minutes.

Check breaker first. Then check the switch contacts for corrosion — rocker switches at the helm fail from salt air all the time.

LED specific: Bad ground. 90% of LED nav light failures are a corroded ground ring terminal, not the bulb. The light can work intermittently on a marginal ground.

Lumishore / underwater LEDs: These have drivers that can fail independently from the bulb. If one zone is dead and others are fine, the driver is usually the culprit — we stock replacements.

Garmin: Active Captain app over Wi-Fi is the easiest way. Updates push directly to the chartplotter once your phone is paired.

Simrad/B&G/Lowrance: Download updates at simrad-yachting.com to an SD card, then insert at the unit and follow prompts.

Heads-up: NEVER interrupt a firmware update. A bricked unit is an expensive mistake. If you're unsure, we'll come out and run the update ourselves — included with any service call.

Flat service-call fee depending on location — we'll quote it when you call so you know exactly what you're in for before we drive. Keys and West Palm runs include travel time.

If the fix is under 30 minutes once we're on-board (re-seat a connector, reset a unit, etc.), you're usually out the door for just the service-call fee. Anything beyond that is billed honestly at a straight labor rate.

What we bring every call: Full tool kit, multimeter & scope, crimps & connectors, common fuses, spare cables (NMEA 2000, Ethernet, USB), and anti-corrosion spray. If it's a simple fix, we fix it on the first visit.