Ultrex voltage issue

I have a Ultrex that I purchased in 2018. Spotlock is the best thing I've ever added to a boat. Assuming the boat already had an outboard LOL


I can't brag on this feature enough. Expensive, yes. Worth the money , absolutely yes.


But last few trips I noticed Spotlock would not stay locked down more than a minute or 2. Thought the GPS wasn't getting a clear signal.


So yesterday I called Minn Kota service dept. Surprised as they do a great job of customer service. Was told it could be one of three things.
1---foot pedal has to clear of any obstacle and from experience this could any thing as it's got to get the signal unobstructed .
2---Voltage not high enough from batteries. Even though everything worked great except spot lock .
2-- I pilot head and I'm still under warranty so no charge to send this and it's easy to replace.


Turns out one of the batteries was weaker than well water. So I replaced both batteries as they are past the 3 year mark.


When the monsoon passes I'll be on the water to make certain my issue is resolved.
I'm posting this in case anyone else is trying to trouble shoot their Ultrex.


High tech for a redneck LOL

Thanks


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Agree with you on SpotLock. I also bought mine in 2018. I rate that higher than my fish finders as a must have for fishing brush piles.

From time to time I have the same problem with spot lock. They replaced the board last year but that did not help any.

My trolling motor batteries are one year old large h8 batteries. The spot lock problems occurs erratically throughout the day so I don't think it is the batteries as the batteries always show 13 + when I start the day. Plus the problem doesn't occur every day, just once in a while.

I don't understand what the location of the foot pedal would have to do with it since the signal comes from the puck. I have a pontoon so I moved my puck to the top rail next to the gate so it would get a better signal.

I prefer the remote over the foot pedal so I generally have the foot pedal set next to the metal panels at the front of the boat to get it out of the way. I haven't paid any attention to where the foot pedal was sitting when I have this problem. I will try moving it into the open to see if it helps with this problem the next time this occurs.

It's not the location of the foot pedal but what may be under the foot pedal. I once couldn't get locked down. Looked under the pedal and the strap used to store trolling motor was only partially under the pedal and I cleared it out from underneath the pedal. Worked flawlessly.

It can be anything. Leaves, pull cord, strap etc etc. It's probably not your puck if it flashes red light to indicate it's on. I would keep an eye on the area directly under the pedal as this is a common occurrence among the several guys I know that uses Ultrex.

The folks at Minn Kota can be very helpful and there is a slew of Frequently asked questions on the website.

I wholeheartedly agree with your high rating.

There is no doubt mine drifts off further than 5 feet. It's worse the calmer the condition.

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The robot programming could be better if done by the average pimple face kid. Case in point...headed upstream traveling faster than .5 mph and push spotlock first move it makes is it flips the head around and thrusts backwards. Then it decides that it has overcompensated and decides it needs to go forward. But it doesn't take the 180 back to home it completes the 360 and now the cord is wrapped. After a while it has twisted the head completely around twice. Anybody feel free to dispute what I just said. And tell me how they stop it.

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Following along here because mine is doing the same but I’m wondering if it’s not my puck because it is mounted on the back of the boat up above the transducer on the transom and was that way when I got it becauseI assuming it was linked to the unit that was previously on the console . Going to move the puck up to the front and see if that helps !

It is my understanding that if you are moving and hit spot lock , the trolling motor is going back to the spot you chose to engage spot lock. The moving boat passes by the spot you chose and after it slows down to almost a stop it will search for the location you engaged. It's not going to stop on the spot. No brakes. It acts like an anchor.
When moving and hit spot lock it has to turn around. I know this from experience LOL But it will work perfectly if you get on your chosen spot in a slow easy motion.
I have learned that if I drop a waypoint then go back to it slowly that I can sit right on top of a drop off, brush pile etc etc

Hope to fish tomorrow and see if my problems are solved.

But after it achieves it's GPS spot.....Does it wrap the power cord around the head?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by catchNgrease

The robot programming could be better if done by the average pimple face kid. Case in point...headed upstream traveling faster than .5 mph and push spotlock first move it makes is it flips the head around and thrusts backwards. Then it decides that it has overcompensated and decides it needs to go forward. But it doesn't take the 180 back to home it completes the 360 and now the cord is wrapped. After a while it has twisted the head completely around twice. Anybody feel free to dispute what I just said. And tell me how they stop it.

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This is normal and why they tell you to slow down before you set spot lock. If I am moving at 10 on the trolling motor, the back and forth will be large and the acceleration as it sets up can almost knock you off your feet. If I am going at a 2 or 3 the hunting for spot lock is minimal and at a reasonable speed during the back and forth motion.

Forgot to say, I had the problem with the cord winding around in the past. But one of the last updates stopped that problem. Are you running the latest software update?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Speckalator

It is my understanding that if you are moving and hit spot lock , the trolling motor is going back to the spot you chose to engage spot lock. The moving boat passes by the spot you chose and after it slows down to almost a stop it will search for the location you engaged. It's not going to stop on the spot. No brakes. It acts like an anchor.
When moving and hit spot lock it has to turn around. I know this from experience LOL But it will work perfectly if you get on your chosen spot in a slow easy motion.
I have learned that if I drop a waypoint then go back to it slowly that I can sit right on top of a drop off, brush pile etc etc

Hope to fish tomorrow and see if my problems are solved.

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This is the way I try to handle it on new locations now. Older locations I know the approximate area and will slow down to least a two before I hit spot lock on the remote.

Went this afternoon to check on my spot lock . The new batteries fixed the kicking off issue. Simply not enough voltage with one of the batteries deader than a door nail. It's a 24 volt system. So the one battery was doing the work of 2 as far as operating the foot pedal. I don't have to go up on the settings to move along at good clip.

Was very windy, and cold at 50 degree air and high winds. So I stopped in an exposed area on main lake and engaged spot lock and worked perfectly. Got some rods out and sat there tying baits. No problems.

Because the foot pedal worked before I was surprised this fixed it, thought sure the I-pilot head had to be replaced.

Have yet to have issues with power cord but because I do not run Humminbird I do have a power cord that would sync this motor to Humminbird. Just ty it up and it's out of the way too.

Best thing I've ever added to a boat--Ultrex.