E70310 – Raystar 150 GPS/GLONASS Antenna

The Raymarine Raystar 150 (RS150) is a high-performance GPS/GNSS receiver that serves as a dedicated external antenna and sensor for your marine electronics network. It significantly upgrades the precision and responsiveness of your boat’s positioning data. The RS150 is the successor to the earlier RS130 sensor, and it brings notable improvements: a 72-channel tracking capacity and a rapid 10 Hz update rate, meaning it can output position fixes up to ten times per second. It’s also a multi-GNSS device – in addition to standard GPS, it can track GLONASS satellites (and is Galileo/BeiDou ready for future expansions), giving it a larger pool of satellites to draw from. In practice, this means more reliable fixes and potentially better accuracy, as the unit isn’t relying on just one constellation.

One of the standout features of the RS150 is its support for SBAS (Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems) like WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS, and GAGAN. When in range of these geostationary satellites, the RS150 will apply differential corrections to the GPS data, which can improve horizontal accuracy from about 15 meters down to 5 meters (95% of the time). This level of accuracy can be crucial for tight navigation situations, such as entering a marina or navigating a narrow channel, where knowing your position within a few meters matters. The fast 10 Hz update rate complements this by providing very smooth and up-to-date position and course information – if you’re traveling at speed or maneuvering quickly, your chartplotter or instrument will display movement fluidly without the “stutter” that 1 Hz GPS data can produce.

Integrating the RS150 into your system is straightforward. It uses the SeaTalkng interface, Raymarine’s proprietary flavor of NMEA 2000. In fact, the RS150 is NMEA2000-certified (you can use an optional DeviceNet adapter if plugging into a standard N2K backbone), so it can work as a GNSS source for non-Raymarine systems as well. Typically, you’d connect it to a spare spur port on your SeaTalkng backbone, and instantly the GPS data becomes available to all your connected devices: chartplotters, instrument displays, autopilots, VHF radios (for DSC), AIS transceivers, etc. It’s a direct replacement in cases where older Raystar antennas were used, and it can coexist with an MFD’s internal GPS – though generally, you’d configure your system to prioritize the RS150 as the primary GPS source because of its superior performance. Power consumption is negligible – at about 30 mA (0.03 A) at 12V, it draws practically no power, meaning you can leave it on without concern (it’s often on whenever your instruments or MFD are on, by virtue of being on the network).

The RS150’s form factor is a small puck antenna that’s meant to be mounted externally. It measures roughly 4.3 inches in diameter and only about 1 inch high, so it’s easy to find a spot for it on a cabin roof, radar arch, or even on a rail mount. For surface mounting, it comes with a gasket and you can bolt it down using the included studs and finger nuts – a design that ensures a waterproof seal and secure attachment without needing access to the top of the unit with screws. The standard RS150 package (E70310) includes a 6-meter SeaTalkng spur cable to run to your network, which is usually plenty for most installations. If you prefer to mount it higher, Raymarine offers an optional pole mount kit (part number T70327 or A80370, depending on region) which allows you to attach the RS150 to a standard antenna pole – handy for sailboat installations on a stern rail or powerboats where the roof is crowded and a pole might give it a clearer view.

Built for marine use, the RS150 has a robust and waterproof housing. It’s rated IPx6, which handles powerful water jets, and in practice it’s proven to be extremely reliable in salt spray and UV exposure over years. Its operating temperature spans from -25°C to +55°C (-13°F to 131°F), and it can be stored up to 70°C (158°F) without damage – reflecting the conditions it might face if mounted atop a dark surface in the tropics or in a freezing winter storage yard. The device is also very resistant to electrical interference and is designed to coexist with radar, radios, and other emitters without issue. As a testament to its success: the 72-channel Raystar RS150 effectively replaces the older RS130 GPS sensor, offering faster updates and better accuracy, and it’s been widely adopted both as OEM equipment on new Raymarine-equipped vessels and as an upgrade for older systems. Users who have upgraded to the RS150 often report more consistent tracking on their chartplotter (no jumpiness in the boat icon) and improved performance of features like radar overlay, which require heading and position data to be in sync – the high update rate and 9-axis stabilization of the data (since the RS150 works in tandem with the network’s heading sensor) make this possible.

In summary, the Raymarine RS150 GPS/GLONASS antenna is a top-tier GNSS solution for demanding marine navigation. It provides the accuracy, update speed, and reliability needed for modern electronic navigation systems. Whether you’re outfitting a new boat or upgrading an older one, adding the RS150 will ensure that your position and speed information is always pinpoint and up-to-the-moment. This means safer navigation (especially in close quarters), better autopilot performance (since the pilot gets precise COG information), and overall a higher level of confidence in your onboard electronics. It’s a small device that makes a big difference in the way your marine system perceives the world.