Jeff, if you could get hold of a seperate ducer in any way, do it and try that. It just sounds like you're getting an interference problem, or your u.s. is funky. I remember reading about complaints when minn-kota first introduced the u.s., but not much after a few years of getting the bugs worked out. If you can't borrow a ducer, call Vexilar and talk to a tech and explain the problem you're having. It might just need to have the brushes cleaned.