Sounder Problems maybe?

[deb]

Help!
I am trying to work out if the hummingbird is on its way out or am I running over a 'spooky' spot from time to time.
Scenario; Leave Vicky Pt wander over to Peel, fish, come back to Macleay via northeast coochie mudlo, go past the red beacon where the rock shelf comes out, aim for the jetty on Macleay, cross over the shipping channel and as you come over the channel so to speak back into 7m water. Two spikes jump up on the screen to 1m, the sounder settles, we turn right at the yellow and bingo! sounder refuses to sound except for 1m flat ??? ??? ???. Turn it off for a while, 2 hours or so , come back to the boat, turn it on, works normally all the way back to Vicky Pt...
It is only doing this at this location!!!!! ??? ???
What do you think??

Cheers :D

[Fitzy]

Sounds a bit funny. I'm thinking that your transducer may be on the way out. You can get it sent to BLA to be tested. Take it to your local Humminbird dealer/agent.

Fitzy..

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

Dreamdays,

You didn't tell us the most important thing are you running in manual mode or auto? I gather the sounder does its job well otherwise?

Auto can do some wierd stuff when things happen quickly as the brains of the sounder tries to give you the best image based on parameters preset in the chip. The reponse of the sounder to abrupt cahnges can be slightly delayed & then exagerated by another abrupt change.

That image (in auto) is an interpretation of the actual sounding. #In manual mode, you get the actual sounding.

I know Lowrance has an email help desk linked to their web site - I got a response within 2 days from them on a question. Hummingbird are big on PR, I'm sure they would have the same.


chris

[deb]

Hullo
The sounder is running in 'auto' mode most of the time, I generally don't tune it down till we are near where we want to fish.
The transducer is just on twelve months old, I had the bottom of the boat touched up a year ago and at the same time had the transducer cut through the first deck and sealed onto the bottom, to shoot through the hull, got sick of knocking it around on the outside.

What is really stumping me is, it can be on for the same duration in time, over uneven ground, eg running out the river to mud or buzzing around peel or the passage and doesn't play up !

If I get a day off soon will try to get in touch with Hummingbird direct, service is near impossible on the weekend!
Cheers

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

give her a run over the same spot in manual mode - crank the sensitivity up till the screen is snowing then back it down slightly & turn off the filters & signal processors. Run in 2D.

I think you are simply encountering a unique set of circumstances (change of depth, boat banking thru a turn, thermocline etc) in that spot that your auto mode is interpreting all wrong.

chris

ps you are turning right at the yellow on its northern side between the beacon & coochie

[deb]

Heh Heh :D :D
Yes we do turn on the northern side! The bowls club turns on a good feed occasionally and we have friends not far from there ;)
Thanks for the idea, hopefully, if the weather settles soon and I get a Sat Off sooner or later, will buzz out again, I will sort this out fairly quickly as we have a few top bay trips planned in six weeks 8) 8)
cheers

[Big_Kev]

Deb if this is happening in the same spot all the time, is there an underwater cable there.
May have something to do with it i'm not sure but that is my first thought.
Cheers Kev

[deb]

Now, thats a good idea 8) given the sounders frequency is 200khz, And, something I can check out quite easily,from the desk, will make some inquiries and let you know