Winter and my Humminbird.....

[peguinpower]

Its working again!

After a quick bath in formalin, overnight air dry, and a date with a heat gun, I was very careful, shes working again. I have to do water tests but its seems promising.

I rebuilt the whole unit by slipping a silica gel pack inside (for the moisture), sealing the screw holes with 3M 5200 sealant and taping the seal around the case shut with tape.

I do have an extra transducer assembly (complete) it anyone wants it.

/bing

[GregAndrew]

That sounds promising, where did you get the silica packets?

[fishdude]

Wow, I thought I was the only one with a hummingbird problem. Exact same thing as dsafety with mine. In and out some times works then nothing then works again.

I will be looking into lowrance next time.

[dsafety]

Originally Posted by fishdude

Wow, I thought I was the only one with a hummingbird problem. Exact same thing as dsafety with mine. In and out some times works then nothing then works again.

I will be looking into lowrance next time.

I called Humminbird and explained the problem of the unit sometimes only registering 1.2' depth. The technician said that these things can sometimes get confused when the depth changes drastically and quickly such as when we go over the LJ Canyon.

The recommendation was that I set the max depth at something other than Auto. I have not yet tried that solution. They also said that if this procedure did not fix the problem, it was probably a hardware problem which would be covered by the warranty.

I will keep everyone posted on this as the troubleshooting continues.

Bob

Bob

[Pescavore1]

Originally Posted by dsafety

I called Humminbird and explained the problem of the unit sometimes only registering 1.2' depth. The technician said that these things can sometimes get confused when the depth changes drastically and quickly such as when we go over the LJ Canyon.

The recommendation was that I set the max depth at something other than Auto. I have not yet tried that solution. They also said that if this procedure did not fix the problem, it was probably a hardware problem which would be covered by the warranty.

I will keep everyone posted on this as the troubleshooting continues.

Bob

Bob

I've had the same problem with erratic depth reading, both deep and shallow. I called Humminbird and they also told me to try changing the depth setting from Auto to a fixed depth. It didn't solve the problem so I sent it in for warranty repair and all they did was a "complementary software update."

My next step is to use use my extended warranty purchased from West Marine, and apply the cost of the ff to upgrade to Lowrance or something else.

Jay

[peguinpower]

Originally Posted by Pescavore1

I've had the same problem with erratic depth reading, both deep and shallow. I called Humminbird and they also told me to try changing the depth setting from Auto to a fixed depth. It didn't solve the problem so I sent it in for warranty repair and all they did was a "complementary software update."

My next step is to use use my extended warranty purchased from West Marine, and apply the cost of the ff to upgrade to Lowrance or something else.

Jay

Come to think of it, I got that erratic depth reading whent he unit as halfway dry.

If I had the option for an exchange, thats what I'd do. But If I had to do a fix, I'd try the blow dryer fix with the unit.

/bing

[Scotto]

If you are re-using desiccant or it was not in a ziplock or jsut to be safe, bake it first to get all the moisture out of it. No need to add moisture inside the unit. Dielectric grease works great on those Furuno pins too.

[peguinpower]

Originally Posted by GregAndrew

That sounds promising, where did you get the silica packets?

I got mine from a box that one of my camera lenses came in. I do know Samy's camera has 'em.

Guys...two things....

Humminbird has a flat rate to repair their units, whatever the issue is. Prices vary from model to model but almost all the mid priced units service rate are around 80 bucks. If its completely fried, I would think you would get a refurb. Their customer service is A++.

Secondly, its pretty easy to open the cases and dry it out with a blow dryer. Ive done that in the past to minimize condensation and it works. I just havent done it in a while and this is the first time that I actually had it not work due to really bad condensation. It has to be said that I had it at Pyramid lake quite a few times this year at freezing temps. That might have someting to do with it. I will report if I got it working good again.

/bing

[dtownfan]

mmmmmmmmmmmm.......i am hoping the 2010 570 hummingbird sonar unit i have ready for the kayak is gonna cooperate! i have been piecing my new fishing kayak together for the last several months. i used the $240 in gift cards my students gave me (X-mas presents) to Cabelas to purchase it. right now it is sitting downstairs waiting the chance to read bottom. i will be picking up my new kayak on the 27th. can't wait!

my brother has used them in Michigan's UP his whole life. he recommended hummingbird to me. he tried to talk me into the the new 597ci combo due to the performance he has had with a slightly older model. he uses his as a portable between several boats (a few of the the great lakes and smaller inland lakes) and even as an ice fishing unit for the gps topical graphs through navgonics. never a problem (knock on wood). this summer his track plotter and way points put me on walleyes during summer vaca.

i will share my experiences as soon as she is mounted and tested.

where do you store the head unit while not in use? just curious.

[peguinpower]

I talked to humminbird about the issue and they recommended that I ease the unit coming out of the car when there is a great temp difference. You can wrap it in a towel or a jacket and place it on your kayak for a few minutes before unwrapping to acclimate. A fleece or neoprene bag would even be better.

Its hard for me to blame them. My waterproof camera and my slr lenses do the same thing. I just hope its a condensation problem and not shorted out.

The last occasion, it looked like it was raining in my ff

/bing

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by peguinpower

I talked to humminbird about the issue and they recommended that I ease the unit coming out of the car when there is a great temp difference. You can wrap it in a towel or a jacket.....

Hey if you have to baby it... just use a disposable diaper as a cover

Sorry bing..... After what you said on the water about your past Garmin use I just could not resist bing

As to the breaking pin issue Furuno's are the worse after using one of them for years my Garmins seem bullet proof.

Jim

[peguinpower]

Originally Posted by GregAndrew

I am going to pick up a couple of those packets and throw em in after doing the hair dryer trick. Hopefully that will last for a while. What type of tape did you use for the housing Bing?

Yep. If its dry inside, then there should be less condensation. I used to blow dry the inside once a year when condensation started showing again, but I have been remiss.

Originally Posted by Jim Day

Hey if you have to baby it... just use a disposable diaper as a cover

Sorry bing..... After what you said on the water about your past Garmin use I just could not resist bing

As to the breaking pin issue Furuno's are the worse after using one of them for years my Garmins seem bullet proof.

Jim

Garmin wanted 125 to fix the pins If I were a careful person, it shouldnt be a problem. Problem is, I am not a gentle person