Lowrance Glitched out... Ditched it for a Garmin- Here's why - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

ProfessorLongArms · 01-30-2020, 01:25 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9evqcTYNz4

Last time I had trouble with my Hook5, it turned out to just be a bad battery.
This time around, I'm on brand new batteries and it's consistent across two sets of connectors on two different Kayaks.

In the video, the unit has been on for about 15 mins. Works fine, then the screen dims, I get the brightness screen like I just tapped the power button, it freezes, and powers down. Last trip out, I was forced to use the map in 30 second bursts if it'd say on for that long.

As you can see with the multimeter connected to the Battery, the voltage doesn't really drop to a level that would cause a power-down.

One thing I noticed is I can't do a hard reset anymore which is weird, and the power button is non responsive once it gets into that cycle of powering down after 60-90 seconds.

I'm out of warranty, but was (thanks to Andy's advice) able to get a Westmarine warranty.

I'm tempted to just upgrade with store credit to a Hook2 5x, (Or another line altogether for that matter... all that really matters to me is that I can upload waypoints and that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg) though I've already invested in a second transducer/power setup for my 2nd kayak that only works with this one. Any thoughts?

FISH11 · 01-30-2020, 01:53 PM

Check the connectors at both FF and battery ends of you cables if the terminals aren't a nice brass color, it might be slight corrosion. Try cleaning the terminal with something like a sharp knife edge. Scrape them until there is brass color and always apply some die-electric grease on all the connector. I always check mine before every trip. Not an issue in fresh water, but saltwater is a BITCH.

jruiz · 01-30-2020, 03:20 PM

Go through your settings and have your supply voltage displayed on your screen. You could have perfectly good voltage at the battery but could be low or intermittent by the time it reaches your FF. I usually have the voltage, heading, and speed displayed on my screen

Finngo · 01-31-2020, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jruiz

Go through your settings and have your supply voltage displayed on your screen. You could have perfectly good voltage at the battery but could be low or intermittent by the time it reaches your FF. I usually have the voltage, heading, and speed displayed on my screen

+1

ProfessorLongArms · 01-31-2020, 01:45 PM

Thanks for the input.

This was actually trip number two where the behavior had consistently showed up. Between trips, I ordered a set of carb files and made every contact I could find bright. . . Still nothing.

I realized I just activated my Westmarine warranty with my factory one dying off, so I went in to see what they could do for me.
Awesome manager at the MDR store.
Didn't ask to see the transducer.
Just took the head unit and gave me full credit on what I paid since the old Hooks are no longer in the line.
Again, thanks for the tip Andy. I'll never buy anything of consequence from WM without the extended warranty.

I wanted to have the same transducer on two kayaks, but ideally the option to switch the head unit between the two.
Trackback has been nice, and lowrance is *Decent* but after a bunch of research I went with Garmin.

In case it's of use, here's why-

1) their Echomaps 4 is on clearance right now, and that's the only model south of 400 bucks that will let you download/upload waypoints either by wifi or SD card. (https://www.westmarine.com/buy/garmi...3?recordNum=92 )
Probably a sign they're getting ready to release... they're definitely due after almost 4 years, but I'll take the deal

Small screen was the biggest drawback, but the 5 inch screen was more than I want to spend and the Striker 5 has no SD card or Wifi compatibility.
Plus I've still got 20/15 so I'm gonna use it til it's gone

2) I really like the looks of these features where you can (as with raymarine and Humminbird) paint the map with the terrain as the sonar picks it up.
That's a huge feature for me since I'm often scouting dive spots when I'm out fishing.

3)Also looks like their version of downscan (clearvu) goes much deeper than Lowrance, and I practically never used it deeper than 50 feet.

4) Interchangeability- Originally, I just bought a spare transducer/power cable for my 2nd kayak and just used my head unit/battery interchangeably.

I was tempted to get a cheap hook2 4x for when I take people out so they'd have a unit, but it looks like the transducers are non-interchangeable with the 5x.

The Humminbird Helix 5 looks *nice* but I'd need to shell out a good bit of money if I ever wanted a second unit that's compatible.

The Garmin Striker series actually uses the same transducer and I'm able to get a Striker 4 plus refurbished for about 150 bucks with an identical transducer.
That's pretty crazy cheap considering their transducers go for about 100 bucks, *and* a twenty dollar power cable.

Nickrivers · 02-04-2020, 08:23 AM

I've only used my Hook2 5 a handful of times and its amazing. Coming from the chirp models a few years back, the Tripleshot is just miles ahead in both clarity and capability. However, I have heard of a few Hook2's glitching out for numerous reasons, so I bought the warranty and I'm hoping for the best.

That being said, 2 of my friends have used Garmin for years and recently I've been blown away by the value and user interfaces on these models. One had problems with a transducer and they sent him a new one no questions asked.

Next time im in the market for a FF, definitely going Garmin.

01-30-2020, 01:25 PM	#1
ProfessorLongArms Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 401	Lowrance Glitched out... Ditched it for a Garmin- Here's why https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9evqcTYNz4 Last time I had trouble with my Hook5, it turned out to just be a bad battery. This time around, I'm on brand new batteries and it's consistent across two sets of connectors on two different Kayaks. In the video, the unit has been on for about 15 mins. Works fine, then the screen dims, I get the brightness screen like I just tapped the power button, it freezes, and powers down. Last trip out, I was forced to use the map in 30 second bursts if it'd say on for that long. As you can see with the multimeter connected to the Battery, the voltage doesn't really drop to a level that would cause a power-down. One thing I noticed is I can't do a hard reset anymore which is weird, and the power button is non responsive once it gets into that cycle of powering down after 60-90 seconds. I'm out of warranty, but was (thanks to Andy's advice) able to get a Westmarine warranty. I'm tempted to just upgrade with store credit to a Hook2 5x, (Or another line altogether for that matter... all that really matters to me is that I can upload waypoints and that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg) though I've already invested in a second transducer/power setup for my 2nd kayak that only works with this one. Any thoughts? Last edited by ProfessorLongArms; 01-31-2020 at 01:59 PM.

01-30-2020, 01:53 PM	#2
FISH11 Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla Posts: 2,643	Check the connectors at both FF and battery ends of you cables if the terminals aren't a nice brass color, it might be slight corrosion. Try cleaning the terminal with something like a sharp knife edge. Scrape them until there is brass color and always apply some die-electric grease on all the connector. I always check mine before every trip. Not an issue in fresh water, but saltwater is a BITCH. __________________ MARK ......... 2016 MALIBU X FACTOR, 2020 SOLO SKIFF (Fishing Kayak on Steroids )

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01-30-2020, 03:20 PM	#3
jruiz Large Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: La Verne, CA Posts: 1,011	Go through your settings and have your supply voltage displayed on your screen. You could have perfectly good voltage at the battery but could be low or intermittent by the time it reaches your FF. I usually have the voltage, heading, and speed displayed on my screen

01-31-2020, 01:45 PM	#5
ProfessorLongArms Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 401	Thanks for the input. This was actually trip number two where the behavior had consistently showed up. Between trips, I ordered a set of carb files and made every contact I could find bright. . . Still nothing. I realized I just activated my Westmarine warranty with my factory one dying off, so I went in to see what they could do for me. Awesome manager at the MDR store. Didn't ask to see the transducer. Just took the head unit and gave me full credit on what I paid since the old Hooks are no longer in the line. Again, thanks for the tip Andy. I'll never buy anything of consequence from WM without the extended warranty. I wanted to have the same transducer on two kayaks, but ideally the option to switch the head unit between the two. Trackback has been nice, and lowrance is Decent but after a bunch of research I went with Garmin. In case it's of use, here's why- 1) their Echomaps 4 is on clearance right now, and that's the only model south of 400 bucks that will let you download/upload waypoints either by wifi or SD card. (https://www.westmarine.com/buy/garmi...3?recordNum=92 ) Probably a sign they're getting ready to release... they're definitely due after almost 4 years, but I'll take the deal Small screen was the biggest drawback, but the 5 inch screen was more than I want to spend and the Striker 5 has no SD card or Wifi compatibility. Plus I've still got 20/15 so I'm gonna use it til it's gone 2) I really like the looks of these features where you can (as with raymarine and Humminbird) paint the map with the terrain as the sonar picks it up. That's a huge feature for me since I'm often scouting dive spots when I'm out fishing. 3)Also looks like their version of downscan (clearvu) goes much deeper than Lowrance, and I practically never used it deeper than 50 feet. 4) Interchangeability- Originally, I just bought a spare transducer/power cable for my 2nd kayak and just used my head unit/battery interchangeably. I was tempted to get a cheap hook2 4x for when I take people out so they'd have a unit, but it looks like the transducers are non-interchangeable with the 5x. The Humminbird Helix 5 looks nice but I'd need to shell out a good bit of money if I ever wanted a second unit that's compatible. The Garmin Striker series actually uses the same transducer and I'm able to get a Striker 4 plus refurbished for about 150 bucks with an identical transducer. That's pretty crazy cheap considering their transducers go for about 100 bucks, and a twenty dollar power cable.

02-04-2020, 08:23 AM	#6
Nickrivers Member Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Santa Paula Posts: 32	I've only used my Hook2 5 a handful of times and its amazing. Coming from the chirp models a few years back, the Tripleshot is just miles ahead in both clarity and capability. However, I have heard of a few Hook2's glitching out for numerous reasons, so I bought the warranty and I'm hoping for the best. That being said, 2 of my friends have used Garmin for years and recently I've been blown away by the value and user interfaces on these models. One had problems with a transducer and they sent him a new one no questions asked. Next time im in the market for a FF, definitely going Garmin.