lowrance sucks - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

salty pirate · 08-08-2013, 04:13 PM

f-ing hate getting the run around. Don't buy lowrance product's unless you like shit doesn't work. I bought the elite-7 hdi in February this year. the thing is bad ass except the amp scope cuts out at 100ft. I have been going through it with tech support since about week 3 of having it. well they sent me a new unit and I got it back on the water after fishing without sonar for 2 weeks and its the same f-ing problem. This is the response I got yesterday.

Hello Eli,
Sorry to hear that this issue seems to be continuing with the replacement unit. I submitted the information and screen caps to Product management but we have had no other reports of this in the field from other users so I'll admit that I'm not sure what may be occurring with regards to the amplitude scope. The only thing that I can suggest (and I realize that this isn't a fix but rather simply a "workaround") would be to turn the amplitude scope off for the time being and I'll try to keep you notified should a change occur.
Thank you for choosing Navico products!
C___________h
CS Technical Operations Lead

Navico Technical Support

Corporate a-hole's. That is what the first guy told me when I called the first time I noticed the problem! I paid $800 for a product that has a broken feature and all they have to say is don't use the feature.

Anyone else have this crappy unit?

old_rookie · 08-08-2013, 05:06 PM

Did they have you check you source voltage?

TJones · 08-08-2013, 05:20 PM

thinking i would switch from hummingbird . i had a bad unit from the get go myself .

. returned it to bass pro , bought same unit from west marine but lost the rebate because i was not with in rebate date of purchase anymore . bass pro did not have a new unit at time , and is on national back order .

Cadillyak · 08-08-2013, 05:24 PM

I bought a lowrance elite 5 HDI in may from west marine. After a few months I realized I wasn't satisfied with my purchase when I compared it to an HDS 7. I brought my unit into west marine, told them I was unhappy with my purchase. They let me trade my unit in no questions asked. I now have an HDS 5. Where did u purchase your unit? I would suggest an HDS unit if u spent That kind of $$$. Just my 2 pennies. I have yet to deal with Lowrance directly.

Fiskadoro · 08-08-2013, 05:28 PM

I'll give you fifty bucks for it....

TJones · 08-08-2013, 05:29 PM

i down graded from a 898 si which is bas ess . unbelievable picture . just a little over kill , what am i saying ? no such thing .

jorluivil · 08-08-2013, 05:55 PM

Is there a possibility that the you're expecting more than the unit was built to handle? I did a sh*t load of research before I bought my HDS-5, most of it had to do with the differences between the 83/200 transducer and the 50/200. After talking to a Lowrance Rep at the FHS I came to find out that the standard 83/200 gives lower quality reading in depths exceeding 100 feet. I'm no Lowrance guru but I'm willing to bet that the scope on your unit isn't setup to perform in depths exceeding 100'. If you're having issues with it in all depths its safe to say the unit is bad but if its only happening in depths exceeding 100' than (like I said earlier) you're expecting more than the unit was built to handle.........just my 2pesos

P.S.
Lowrance DOES NOT suck

salty pirate · 08-08-2013, 05:57 PM

ok here is the screen shots for those that want to see what mean. I got the unit from bass pro and will see if there is anything they will do. It has been months though so I don't expect much.

salty pirate · 08-08-2013, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old_rookie

Did they have you check you source voltage?

do you mean whats on the display? it's over 12v

icelogger · 08-08-2013, 06:38 PM

I picked up the Elite 7 last week. I'm waiting on my battery from OEX which should arrive tomorrow to install it in my new PA. I will test this issue as soon as I can and reply back. I will be doing the through hull duct seal mount until I figure out how to install the 83/200 on the new lorance ready mount in the hobie pro angler(which was not designed for the 83/200 by the way)

I too bought this unit for depths greater than 100 ft. Even though I don't pay much attention to the amplitude of the waveform for interpretation, this should of been worked out in R&D if that's the case.

What type of transducer mount are you using? Could your ducer mount have anything to do with this issue.

Lipripper92592 · 08-08-2013, 06:43 PM

So when the unit is fired up amplitude cuts out like the 3rd shot, just a blank white background? How long does it take until it comes back on the display? I'm guessing you have tried setting back the factory defaults and get the same result? IF you shot some video of the behavior and sent it to Lowrance, it might convince them it is not user error but a faulty unit or bad programming.

salty pirate · 08-08-2013, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icelogger

I picked up the Elite 7 last week. I'm waiting on my battery from OEX which should arrive tomorrow to install it in my new PA. I will test this issue as soon as I can and reply back. I will be doing the through hull duct seal mount until I figure out how to install the 83/200 on the new lorance ready mount in the hobie pro angler(which was not designed for the 83/200 by the way)

I too bought this unit for depths greater than 100 ft. Even though I don't pay much attention to the amplitude of the waveform for interpretation, this should of been worked out in R&D if that's the case.

What type of transducer mount are you using? Could your ducer mount have anything to do with this issue.

83/200 455/800 ducer. it is mounted to the lowrance ready mount on pa12. I had no problem installing the transducer.

salty pirate · 08-08-2013, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lipripper92592

So when the unit is fired up amplitude cuts out like the 3rd shot, just a blank white background? How long does it take until it comes back on the display? I'm guessing you have tried setting back the factory defaults and get the same result? IF you shot some video of the behavior and sent it to Lowrance, it might convince them it is not user error but a faulty unit or bad programming.

the amp scope goes blank like the in 3rd shot at about 110ft. I still get bottom readings, just no amp scope. the scope then goes back on once I get to about 90ft.

I recorded about an hour of sonar through all different depths and the amp scope works at all depths when played back at home

Fiskadoro · 08-08-2013, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salty pirate

the amp scope goes blank like the in 3rd shot at about 110ft. I still get bottom readings, just no amp scope. the scope then goes back on once I get to about 90ft. I recorded about an hour of sonar through all different depths and the amp scope works at all depths when played back at home

Ohhhh the horror!

Actually those screen shots are beautiful. Is there any chance you have a setting that's shutting it off at depth?

If not did you use the same transducer setup for both units?

The fact that both units had the exact same rather bizarre issue suggests that it's not the units themselves but either default setting they came with or a issue with the transducer install. Default setting seems unlikely because there's not a bunch of people with the same problem.

That leaves the transducer... I'd pull the transducer out of it's mount hook it to the unit direct then drop it over the side down away from the yak and see if it's still's a problem.

Cadillyak · 08-08-2013, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Is there a possibility that the you're expecting more than the unit was built to handle? I did a sh*t load of research before I bought my HDS-5, most of it had to do with the differences between the 83/200 transducer and the 50/200. After talking to a Lowrance Rep at the FHS I came to find out that the standard 83/200 gives lower quality reading in depths exceeding 100 feet. I'm no Lowrance guru but I'm willing to bet that the scope on your unit isn't setup to perform in depths exceeding 100'. If you're having issues with it in all depths its safe to say the unit is bad but if its only happening in depths exceeding 100' than (like I said earlier) you're expecting more than the unit was built to handle.........just my 2pesos

P.S.
Lowrance DOES NOT suck

X2. There the difference between 83/200 transducer and 50/200 transducer is like night and day.

Fiskadoro · 08-08-2013, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cadillyak

X2. There the difference between 83/200 transducer and 50/200 transducer is like night and day.

X3

Try the transducer bare or just another transducer. Chances are that even though the unit still reads the scope is cutting out because it's not getting enough information back from the transducer to fully function.

salty pirate · 08-08-2013, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

X3

Try the transducer bare or just another transducer. Chances are that even though the unit still reads the scope is cutting out because it's not getting enough information back from the transducer to fully function.

thanks I am using the original transducer. I will bring the extra one they sent with the new unit and try hanging it over the side. I did not install the new one because it is the 83/200 only and not the 83/200 455/800

Fiskadoro · 08-08-2013, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salty pirate

thanks I am using the original transducer. I will bring the extra one they sent with the new unit and try hanging it over the side. I did not install the new one because it is the 83/200 only and not the 83/200 455/800

There you go. You're definitely going to be able to fix this. It only makes sense it's the transducer or the transducer install.

It's kinda in the math. You have had two units, they both failed in the exact same manner. That's a 100% failure rate. Yet if you type in your problem into google even though they sold a bunch of these units no-one else seems to have had the same issue.

When I saw that I was like hmmmmmmm.....even if only 10% failed like yours the problem would be all over the web.

That suggests that it's not the units but something with transducer or install, because you used the same transducer setup with both units, and they both failed in the same manner.

With that in mind I RAISE MY OFFER to $350

old_rookie · 08-09-2013, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salty pirate

do you mean whats on the display? it's over 12v

I was thinking from the battery - but the display value might be good enough - I'm thinking back to my electronic troubleshooting days. Good luck.

salty pirate · 08-10-2013, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

Ohhhh the horror!

Actually those screen shots are beautiful. Is there any chance you have a setting that's shutting it off at depth?

If not did you use the same transducer setup for both units?

The fact that both units had the exact same rather bizarre issue suggests that it's not the units themselves but either default setting they came with or a issue with the transducer install. Default setting seems unlikely because there's not a bunch of people with the same problem.

That leaves the transducer... I'd pull the transducer out of it's mount hook it to the unit direct then drop it over the side down away from the yak and see if it's still's a problem.

I brought the new transducer with me to test today. I hung it over the side like you said (had high hopes) it did the same thing. amp scope goes blank past 100ft. I cant believe I'm the only one with this problem. I guess that solves the mystery of a boched install or bad ducer, the unit is also new. all this leads me to believe that lowrance still SUCKS!!!

I will return to bass pro if they let me. I might try the same unit but with the 50/200 455/800 if I could get some proof that the amp scope works on that one. I really like the layout of the elite-7 but cant accept the amp scope not working.

Thanks guys for the help/ ideas on how to test this p.o.s.

Eli

08-08-2013, 04:13 PM	#1
salty pirate Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: where the hell is Temecula Posts: 268	lowrance sucks f-ing hate getting the run around. Don't buy lowrance product's unless you like shit doesn't work. I bought the elite-7 hdi in February this year. the thing is bad ass except the amp scope cuts out at 100ft. I have been going through it with tech support since about week 3 of having it. well they sent me a new unit and I got it back on the water after fishing without sonar for 2 weeks and its the same f-ing problem. This is the response I got yesterday. Hello Eli, Sorry to hear that this issue seems to be continuing with the replacement unit. I submitted the information and screen caps to Product management but we have had no other reports of this in the field from other users so I'll admit that I'm not sure what may be occurring with regards to the amplitude scope. The only thing that I can suggest (and I realize that this isn't a fix but rather simply a "workaround") would be to turn the amplitude scope off for the time being and I'll try to keep you notified should a change occur. Thank you for choosing Navico products! C___________h CS Technical Operations Lead Navico Technical Support Corporate a-hole's. That is what the first guy told me when I called the first time I noticed the problem! I paid $800 for a product that has a broken feature and all they have to say is don't use the feature. Anyone else have this crappy unit?

08-08-2013, 05:20 PM	#3
TJones Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,526	i bought a hds 5 thinking i would switch from hummingbird . i had a bad unit from the get go myself . . returned it to bass pro , bought same unit from west marine but lost the rebate because i was not with in rebate date of purchase anymore . bass pro did not have a new unit at time , and is on national back order .

08-08-2013, 05:24 PM	#4
Cadillyak Team Get $$ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 841	Lowrance I bought a lowrance elite 5 HDI in may from west marine. After a few months I realized I wasn't satisfied with my purchase when I compared it to an HDS 7. I brought my unit into west marine, told them I was unhappy with my purchase. They let me trade my unit in no questions asked. I now have an HDS 5. Where did u purchase your unit? I would suggest an HDS unit if u spent That kind of $$$. Just my 2 pennies. I have yet to deal with Lowrance directly. __________________ The "Y" is silent 2012 Olive PA 12 2011 Papaya Outback

08-08-2013, 05:28 PM	#5
Fiskadoro ....... Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,509	hhhhhmmmmm.... I'll give you fifty bucks for it....

08-08-2013, 05:29 PM	#6
TJones Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2,526	hds pretty good unit? i down graded from a 898 si which is bas ess . unbelievable picture . just a little over kill , what am i saying ? no such thing .

08-08-2013, 05:06 PM	#2
old_rookie Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Santee Posts: 904	Did they have you check you source voltage?

08-08-2013, 05:55 PM	#7
jorluivil Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 6,856	Is there a possibility that the you're expecting more than the unit was built to handle? I did a sh*t load of research before I bought my HDS-5, most of it had to do with the differences between the 83/200 transducer and the 50/200. After talking to a Lowrance Rep at the FHS I came to find out that the standard 83/200 gives lower quality reading in depths exceeding 100 feet. I'm no Lowrance guru but I'm willing to bet that the scope on your unit isn't setup to perform in depths exceeding 100'. If you're having issues with it in all depths its safe to say the unit is bad but if its only happening in depths exceeding 100' than (like I said earlier) you're expecting more than the unit was built to handle.........just my 2pesos P.S. Lowrance DOES NOT suck __________________ www.facebook.com/Teamsewer

08-08-2013, 06:38 PM	#10
icelogger Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: All over the country Posts: 109	I picked up the Elite 7 last week. I'm waiting on my battery from OEX which should arrive tomorrow to install it in my new PA. I will test this issue as soon as I can and reply back. I will be doing the through hull duct seal mount until I figure out how to install the 83/200 on the new lorance ready mount in the hobie pro angler(which was not designed for the 83/200 by the way) I too bought this unit for depths greater than 100 ft. Even though I don't pay much attention to the amplitude of the waveform for interpretation, this should of been worked out in R&D if that's the case. What type of transducer mount are you using? Could your ducer mount have anything to do with this issue.

08-08-2013, 06:43 PM	#11
Lipripper92592 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 516	So when the unit is fired up amplitude cuts out like the 3rd shot, just a blank white background? How long does it take until it comes back on the display? I'm guessing you have tried setting back the factory defaults and get the same result? IF you shot some video of the behavior and sent it to Lowrance, it might convince them it is not user error but a faulty unit or bad programming.