One of our receivers apparently got wet even though the crew had placed a plastic bag over it. Now all we get is a few dotted black lines across the screen. It appears as though the receiver is still working; you can still scroll through the screens. You just can't read it.

Any suggestions? We've tried letting it air dry for a few days with no success.

Also, we'e continuing to have a problem with one unit only lasting 20-30 minutes on brand new batteries. It's getting expensive to replace so many batteries. Is it time to put all the units in the shop? And are there loaners available? What's the turnaround time?

Kurt, I sent you a note. I don't know if doing the 32 will save it but it might be worth a try.

Everybody with ProMark2 receivers should have the ProMark2 FAQ handy.

You can get the FAQ from the ftp server at

ftp://ftp.thalesnavigation.com

I thought the Promark 2's were waterproof . . . kinda like the Promark Xcm's.

I thought the same thing about my Husky with TDS on it. Dad said it was raining too much, to which I still think his negative attitude caused it. We chased a ghost in our DC setup (cables, guns and data collectors) until they dried out (2-3 days) I think it was likely the 9 pin cable but who knows. Either way a highly water resistant box does not necessarily mean highly water resistant cables. As to Kurt's problem, I have no clue. Unfortunately it sounds like a shop visit will be in your unit's future.

Shawn

The ProMark2 antenna is waterproof to IPX-7, the receiver is water resistant to wind driven rain Mil 810E. There is a significant difference between the two specs.

From the data sheet:

Environmental Characteristics
Receiver
• Operating Temp.: -10°C to 60°C
(14°F to 140°F)
• Storage Temp.: -20°C to 70°C
(-4°F to 158°F)
• Weather: MIL-STD 810E for wind-driven rain
• Shock: 1.5 meter (4.9 ft) drop to concrete

Ashtech ProAntenna
• Operating Temp.: -55°C to 85°C
(-67°F to 185°F)
• Weather: Waterproof
• Shock: 2 m (6.6 ft) drop to concrete

I'm aware there are various specs to "waterproof", but, in general houldn't something that is waterproof, be waterproof within reason?

I mean, there was a plastic bag over this unit. I'm assuming that no direct wind driven rain hit the unit.

In the case of my Promark Xcm's(they are also waterproof(?), in fact, according to the brocure, THEY EVEN FLOAT), just wiping off the keys with a too-wet rag will cause water to get in the display.

SO . . . WHAT REALLY IS WATERPROOF? Maybe this claim should be completely dropped from everyone's spec sheets, unless the units are TRULY WATERPROOF.

The ProMark2 is not waterproof. It is spec'd to wind driven rain. No where in the data sheet do we refer to the ProMark2 as "waterproof" at all.

Please do a websearch for Mil-Std 810E, that will explain the rating. The PM-X was IPX-7, I believe. That is immersible.

It looks like my display is coming back. I've been letting it air dry for about a week now (like we used to do with instruments that fogged up). I've got about 80% of the display now.

Take my advice. If it looks like it's going to rain, get those things put up. They were going to charge $450 to fix since it's out of warranty.

Don't know if this will work for pro mark, but I used it on my Geodimeter 600 data collector after a heavy down pour shut it down.
I set it on the dashboard of the truck with the defroster on low heat. Took 2 days of driving to and from work and it worked fine after that.
PNH