505/508 - MFD and charts

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MFD and charts

Printed From: myHanse.com
Category: Hints & Tips
Forum Name: 505/508
Forum Description: 505/508 Hints, Tips and News
URL: https://www.myhanse.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15379
Printed Date: 26 March 2026 at 23:37
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.06 - https://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: MFD and charts

Posted By: Nelson01
Subject: MFD and charts
Date Posted: 02 October 2025 at 07:24

This is mostly a FYI post.This is a heads up to all of you with multiple MFD,and I did not find any posts on this issue.

We have 3 MFD's on boat....one at chart table and two at the pods.As we returned to boat in august, when turning on MFD's,the navionic charts were not displaying on the 2 pods(the card is on the master/chart table).After multiple re-boot of the mfd at the pod, charts appeared and all was good until shut down.Daily,we had to go through re-boot process.

The radar was functioning on all 3 MFD,therefore should not be NEP,the Ethernet communication was functioning ........and after multiple hours of diagnosis ,NEP was changed to no avail.

All 3 MFD's had the latest update.

B&G's before last recommendation was a master reset.........no changes.

Finally,a wise (3 rd different technician),decided to try with a new Navionic card.......wich solved the problem.

Therefore,not sure why a sd card wich functions in the MFD in wich is inserted, but only communicates intermittently with slave MFD is defective but be aware.

A simple fix, but be aware that those SD cards can partially fail

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Marc

H508#11 UNEVIE

Replies:

Posted By: Lyn
Date Posted: 02 October 2025 at 13:04

I have a similar setup (2 helm station MFDs & 1 in the saloon) and experienced a similar event in July. Normally, I keep the card in the saloon MFD and it broadcasts the detailed charts & depths to the helm locations. As I understand it from my search for causes, the MFDs communicate via an ethernet hub that must be hidden and isn't clear to me which circuit powers it. That day, the depths & details weren't showing at the helm. Powering the saloon MFD off & back on didn't cure the problem. I turned off & on the circuits (CZONE) on my boat associated with the MFDs, autopilot, radar, etc. I moved the card to one of the helm locations, and it broadcast it to the other helm station but not the saloon. I could sail.

So, I figured something must have disrupted the communication path from the saloon MFD to the hub. Except upon my next trip to the boat, it worked again and I was able to move the card back below. The key difference being that in "Dock Unattended" nearly switchable circuit is turned off. Perhaps I wasn't cycling power to the ethernet hub.

Posted By: Wayne's World
Date Posted: 02 October 2025 at 22:54

We occasionally have a situation where one of our 3 MFD doesn't get the chart data. Sometimes both the helm MFDs don't get the chart data. But the nav station MFD always has the full data. Our fix so far has been to do a shutdown of all MFDs the turn off the power to all nav equipment at the 12V panel, wait for 1-2 minutes then turn the power back and and power up each MFD and this normally fixes the problem for several months. We live on board and always leave at least the nav station MFD on and often the STBD side helm MFD so the system does not get completely turned off all that often.

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Wayne W
Cruising, currently in the Pacific until the end of 2026.