I Have A Lemon

Well after updating software on my Humminbird 898 SI HD and meeting up with Redge on Tenkiller yesterday we have come up with the conclusion that my unit is a lemon. Redge looked at it and tried adjusting and nothing. Then we hooked it up to a different transducer still no luck. Finally we hooked Redge's unit up to my transducer and his worked just fine. At least we ruled out the transducer. So it has to be the unit itself. Redge is going to talk to someone and see what we need to do next. Just makes a guy sick to have a unit for 1 1/2 yrs and drop the kind of money I did and you can't get it to work right. I just hope Humminbird makes it right in the long run. That is the next step before this thing ends up in the bottom of the lake.

That blows. Let me guess, only 1 year warranty???

Oh no, well that stinks! Ugh, I feel for ya man! Hopefully HB will step up and do right by you!

The one time I had to deal with HB they were awesome. Hopefully it will be the same for you.

Well as I said at the camp that is the experience I had with HB as well several years back. Since then I have been a devoted Lowrance Owner. Hope you get it worked out Jamie without much more frustration. If not well them HB's will not make a trotline weight cause they ain't heavy enough.......Ranger

Any news from HB yet?

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Originally Posted by Woodworker42

Any news from HB yet?

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No, I haven't contacted them yet. I went and registered it with their select product program. This is suppose to move any work to priority level and adds a year to the warranty. Well all barring it gets approved. Will take up to 7-10 days to hear back if it gets approved. Plus I'm working midnights and I have a tendency to be a little cranky from time to time, may not be a good time to try and sweet talk anyone.

Jiggin, Thanks for the update. Keep us posted as to what happens.

Midnights have to be sorta not fun.:(

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Originally Posted by crappie_jiggin

Plus I'm working midnights and I have a tendency to be a little cranky from time to time, may not be a good time to try and sweet talk anyone.

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I know that guy! Been there done that! I hate working midnights. Thankfully I am far enough up the totem pole I don't have to any more unless I want to which is NEVER.

Jiggin, I had my first HB in 1980 or 81 (the old flasher) I have always had great service from HB. I did own a Lowrance once, but could not get service. Called four times and waited 30 mins. each time and then they would hang my call up. So that is why I have a Humminbird. I talked to a guy that was at the crappie camp and he just removed two lowrance and installed Humminbird. So to each his own as they say. Both unit will help you catch fish when working properly. Hope you find HB customer service as good as it has been for me. dj

I am a Lowrance guy because of the imaging and i feel comfortable working it. However, their customer service does not exist if you need it. Now since they have moved to California, they dont work on them either. If a hard boot dont fix them over the phone, they think they are doing you a service by offering you a new one at cost. that is not service. i dont know what to tell you. Hope HB comes through!!!

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Originally Posted by fishn_a_ledge

I am a Lowrance guy because of the imaging and i feel comfortable working it. However, their customer service does not exist if you need it. Now since they have moved to California, they dont work on them either. If a hard boot dont fix them over the phone, they think they are doing you a service by offering you a new one at cost. that is not service. i dont know what to tell you. Hope HB comes through!!!

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Well you folks have helped me make a decision on the brand of FF I will be looking at the most this fall.

Well I finally got my customer number for my Humminbird. Now all I have to do is call them Tuesday and see what we need to do next

Well, I sent my Humminbird off for repair today. Now to see if they can fix it or replace it.

Positive thoughts headed your way !

Just received an email stating that they did not found any problems with my unit. Well I guess all I can do is re-install it on my boat and see if anything has changed, if not I guess Humminbird will get an ear full or they will not be recommended by me any more. I have other forum members who have seen it themselves and they even realize it's not working like it should.

Did you send in the TD also?

Sorry to hear about Hummingbird's response. It's hard to believe that both Hummingbird and Lowrance have taken such customer "unfriendly" positions in regard to servicing their products. When Lowrance was located in Tulsa, they had great service and were always helpful. Surely, there is someone in Oklahoma that can service both brands of units or at least give advice. Does anyone know anyone?? There was a woman in Tulsa that I heard was very knowledgeable about Lowrance and would even go out on your boat with you to give instructions on the Lowrance. I don't know if she is still around. I'm looking at upgrading both of my units, however, I'm not sure I want to spend the money with either of these companies, given their service attitude.

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Originally Posted by Redge

Did you send in the TD also?

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Yes I did Kirk. Said both are in good working condition and no problems found. Just how my luck goes.

Jamie, do you know when you will have your unit back on your boat and ready to test? rdjj

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Originally Posted by rdjj71m

Jamie, do you know when you will have your unit back on your boat and ready to test? rdjj

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I'm hoping to have it by this Thursday so I can go see if anything has changed. If not it will be Friday. If can't go check it out on one of those 2 days then I'll have to wait till next week some time.

Jamie, If everything goes as planned I will be over a xkiller Thursday - Saturday. I really would like to see what your locator screen looks like. I also have a spare xducer that I could bring. Something just doesn't fit. My 998c is as close to your 898c HD as we can get, except you have the bright screen, all other spec. are the same. So it would be a good comparison. If you would like to get together call or PM me. rdjj

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Originally Posted by rdjj71m

Jamie, If everything goes as planned I will be over a xkiller Thursday - Saturday. I really would like to see what your locator screen looks like. I also have a spare xducer that I could bring. Something just doesn't fit. My 998c is as close to your 898c HD as we can get, except you have the bright screen, all other spec. are the same. So it would be a good comparison. If you would like to get together call or PM me. rdjj

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Kirk, has looked at it as well. We hooked my unit up to another tranducer and it made no difference. We hooked one of his units up to my transducer and it worked like it was suppose to. That's when it was decided it had to be the unit itself. That's when I contacted Humminbird to send it in for them to look at it. If you want to meet on the lake Thursday(barring I have it back and hooked up) I would be more than happy to let you play with it as well. My plan is to put in at Strayhorn and go to one of my brush piles I have close by just to see if it is working properly. Send me a # to contact you in a pm and I'll call you.

Well Humminbird is hooked up and I headed for the lake this morning to meet up with rdjj71m. We played with the unit for nearly 3 hrs. I am not fully satisfied with what I am able to do, so I guess I am at a lose as to what to do. I don't want to go spend any more money, but yet don't want to keep this one. I must say after getting it back it was a little better. They informed me there wasn't anything wrong with it. They did mention in the letter that came back with it to change from fresh water setting to salt water sallow so we did that and it did help it out, but again very little.

I really would like to just hook onto he boat and drag it down to Alabama and have them prove to me it is working as they say out on the water.

Check all your wiring and where you have the transducer wire routed. Friend had a unit that had problems and sent it back to H/B a number of times. Each time they found no problems. When they receive a unit, the first thing they do is restore the defaults. That usually clears up any problems do to electrical interference etc. It turned out that he had a jumble of assorted wires under the console with his excess transducer wire in a coil with all the other wiring. I guess electrical current was scrambling the brain of the H/B unit. Once the defaults were restored, it would be okay for a short time, then go goofy again. Pretty sure in the installation instructions, there's a specific way to deal with excess transducer cable. When your friend tries his unit on your boat, it probably isn't on long enough for the electrical interference to mess it up. If you find a place where the wiring is bundled or touching, fix that and do a restore defaults and try again.

Snapshots of the same brush pile. No definition in brush and shows no fish.

While your in Alabama be sure to fish the Alabama River man that was a fishy lookin place with all the cypress trees. Talked to a few fisherman and after looking at their pictures it is. Yeah Boy!!!!!!.......Ranger