Humminbird issues

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05-23-2010, 07:12 PM
Locator79

Humminbird issues

I will try my best to make this make sense. For a couple weeks I have noticed that when I'm on the front deck of my aluminum boat, I hear a slight..tick...tick...tick...tick. I could not find any cause to this, noise, and thought maybe I had a pin hole leak somewhere, but could find nothing. Every now and again my screen will stop reading the depth, and stop returning bottom contour, and have a messy screen with 100' depth or so, temp still works. I noticed today just playing around, that the ticking sound comes from what sounds like the transducer and only happens when the display starts to screw up. If I turn the unit off, the ticking sound will stop. If I turn the unit back on (and if it works like it should) no sound, the second it starts messing up, ticking sound comes back. Any suggestions? Do I need a new transducer?
05-23-2010, 07:50 PM
whofan

Should be the opposite of what your saying. The ticking is the sound the transducer is sending out. If the ticking stops your graph is freezing up.
I would contact Humminbird and look for a software update first. Then if that don`t fix it, look at the transducer.
I had this same problem with a old Lowrance I had it was a software issue. Mine was the shallow water issue with the 510c. My old X75 kept on ticking and was flawless.
I now run a Vexilar Edge II that works good like the old Lowrance I had.
Ticking is good.
Lowrance didn`t have a fix at the time for my 510c, I was fed up. I cut my losses and bought a graph that worked.
05-23-2010, 09:47 PM
SpeckWick

I have this same issue with my HB. It's a 568 Combo. The ticking isn't the problem, but the bottom disappears and depths show ridiculous numbers. Actually today the depth was right, but showed no bottom. No structure, no fish. The unit is 4 months old. No reason for all this. They want me to send it back for repair, but this is the time of year I use it most. It's an inconvenience I was trying to avoid by buying what I thought was an upgrade from my old FF. Fished two tournaments now with no console FF in the last couple weeks. GPS works fine, but worthless if I can't see what I'm marking. Now I have a couple weeks between tourneys so I guess it's going in for service. Still not happy about having a 4 month old unit fixed. Replacement or refund would seem more fair to me, but whatever I guess. Really makes my plans for a HB SI later in the year a little less certain. Might have to look at the Lowrance now I guess.
05-24-2010, 07:52 AM
ykkapslabhunter

I had to send in my 4 yr old 787 a couple of months ago. Dropped it off @ UPS on friday and it was back on my door the following Wednesday.

Yours messing up when sitting still or riding?
05-24-2010, 02:35 PM
Locator79

Quote:

Originally Posted by ykkapslabhunter

I had to send in my 4 yr old 787 a couple of months ago. Dropped it off @ UPS on friday and it was back on my door the following Wednesday.

Yours messing up when sitting still or riding?

Not 100% sure but I think it mostly does it while moving, i have also noticed that in deeper water it seems ok, but if I get in around 8' or less, it starts acting up.
05-24-2010, 02:37 PM
Locator79

Quote:

Originally Posted by whofan

Should be the opposite of what your saying. The ticking is the sound the transducer is sending out. If the ticking stops your graph is freezing up.
I would contact Humminbird and look for a software update first. Then if that don`t fix it, look at the transducer.
I had this same problem with a old Lowrance I had it was a software issue. Mine was the shallow water issue with the 510c. My old X75 kept on ticking and was flawless.
I now run a Vexilar Edge II that works good like the old Lowrance I had.
Ticking is good.
Lowrance didn`t have a fix at the time for my 510c, I was fed up. I cut my losses and bought a graph that worked.

I'm not sure what your saying, I have never had a transducer make any noise. The graph doesn't freeze, it still moves, just doesn't read the correct depth, and gets a messy screen. It only happens if I hear the tick, no tick, graph is fine.
05-24-2010, 03:26 PM
CatFan

When your unit stops hearing the returns, it may increase the output power to find the bottom. That's why the ticking is more noticable when the display is messed up.

It can lose the signal because of excess signal bouncing off the bottom of the boat and then the bottom again, because of interference from other sonars, or due to transuder or transducer installation problems. The transducer will always make the sound when in operation, but it is more noticable in situations that cause the unit to increase power.
05-24-2010, 03:36 PM
Locator79

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatFan

When your unit stops hearing the returns, it may increase the output power to find the bottom. That's why the ticking is more noticable when the display is messed up.

It can lose the signal because of excess signal bouncing off the bottom of the boat and then the bottom again, because of interference from other sonars, or due to transuder or transducer installation problems. The transducer will always make the sound when in operation, but it is more noticable in situations that cause the unit to increase power.

AH HA, so at least it sounds like its narrowed down to a transducer issue
05-24-2010, 04:15 PM
CatFan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locator79

AH HA, so at least it sounds like its narrowed down to a transducer issue

That would be my guess. How is it installed? Have you checked that it is square with the water surface?
05-24-2010, 04:37 PM
Locator79

Its on the TM, everything looks like it should, transducer itself has a few scratches on it, but nothing major. I have another transducer, I think I'll mount on there and go from there. Thanks for the help guys.
05-24-2010, 11:07 PM
FroggerZack

My guess is that ticking noise is a short in the transducer. Thus the messed up screen when it's ticking.

Is this possible Cane Pole? I'm only a layman with limited technical knowledge.....
05-25-2010, 03:42 PM
Hitek

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpeckWick

I have this same issue with my HB. It's a 568 Combo. The ticking isn't the problem, but the bottom disappears and depths show ridiculous numbers. Actually today the depth was right, but showed no bottom. No structure, no fish. The unit is 4 months old. No reason for all this. They want me to send it back for repair, but this is the time of year I use it most. It's an inconvenience I was trying to avoid by buying what I thought was an upgrade from my old FF. Fished two tournaments now with no console FF in the last couple weeks. GPS works fine, but worthless if I can't see what I'm marking. Now I have a couple weeks between tourneys so I guess it's going in for service. Still not happy about having a 4 month old unit fixed. Replacement or refund would seem more fair to me, but whatever I guess. Really makes my plans for a HB SI later in the year a little less certain. Might have to look at the Lowrance now I guess.

An then you might have problems even getting someone on the phone to talk to you. I had your same problems with my 777 and I was in the same mood you are in. It took me a few times of sending it back to finally get them to just replace it, this was about 18 months later. It was still better than the experience my dad had with Lowrance. He had a unit (forget what model) and messed up the transducer. He called to get another transducer and was told that they no longer made that model and the transducer for the new model would not work. They did offer to let him upgrade for almost the price of a new one. He went and bought a humminbird.
05-25-2010, 04:07 PM
mduncan62

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locator79

Its on the TM, everything looks like it should, transducer itself has a few scratches on it, but nothing major. I have another transducer, I think I'll mount on there and go from there. Thanks for the help guys.

I'd check the rubber covering the wires from the trasducer to the unit and make sure there isn't a cut in the rubber. I've seen them arc accross the wires before. Probably not the case, but can't hurt to check.
05-27-2010, 11:06 AM
brushnjigs

SpeckWick
Sorry guys I love my Lowrance units and I have never had any issues with any of the units that I have had. Now for the stupid numbers coming in shallow water, check to see if there is a shallow reading on your unit, if not decrease the sensitivity setting while in shallow water.
05-27-2010, 11:10 AM
brushnjigs

Locator,
Sounds like you have a broken wire on the ducer. Also you should hear the ducer clicking.
06-01-2010, 01:34 PM
crappie14

Had the same ticking noise from my Humminbird 580 GPS combo and it turned out to be the Navionics chip that I had installed in the unit. With the chip installed it would go act up with high depths readings and the loose the GPS displays even from having a view option to see the screen. What was crazy is there was times it would work perfect, then either the depth or the GPS would act up. When I finally removed the Navionics chip it started working perfect again. Took the same chip to a new HB unit and it works perfect. Don't see how the chip could be causing the problem but with the chip removed all is working.
06-01-2010, 03:33 PM
Locator79

Replaced the transducer, and it fixed the problem. After getting the old one off, it had a few bad spots at the transducer where the wires go in, like mduncan62 suggested. All the years I've been running around in this boat, I have never noticed the ticking. But now that I'm listening for it, I can hear the transom ducer doing it too. Learn something new every day! Thanks for the help!