# Humminbird Sonar Performance Degrading



## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

I've mounted a dualbeam transducer for my 788CI. Over the course of 8 trips, the performance of the sonar has degraded to the point where I can only intermittently mark the bottom. When I first took the unit out (thousand Islands region), I marked the bottom anywhere from 4 feet to 150 feet at 35MPH. I marked good suspended fish arches as well.

Over the course of the past 8 trips, the performance has steadily degraded. Now I can barely mark the bottom. Yesterday on Lake Erie, the unit marked bottom every 15=20 seconds (maybe). The chart speed is set to ULTRA, and when sonar returns actually came, the chart speeds slowed way down, reminded me of a computer grinding on the swap file or something.

I don't think that I've got the 'ducer mounted wrong as it worked perfectly at first, then slowly degraded, and the geometry hasn't changed. I've also found a few posts of similar behavior on the net whilst googling. I'm about to order another 'ducer, and contact HBIRD suport of course, but I need to get a new ducer on this so my parents can take the boat back up to the 1000 Islands on July 31, so if I have to bite the $85 bullet and order a ducer and not wait on Hbird, I will.

...but I'd like to be a bit more confident that it's the 'ducer and not the head unit.. the chart speed slowdown worries me that it might be the head unit.

Any thoughts?

One thing to try would be to put my head unit on someone else's boat, who has a compatible unit (MS-M Mounting Base 100, 300, 500, 700 or Matrix Series ). I don't know if I'm gonna be able to make that happen in time for my parent's trip. Might have to mount the old Sitex again, what a PITA.


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Put a post on Walleye Central lots of bird guys over there, some pro staffers running 7,8 and 11 series units. You don't need to be registered.

Are you running an AP?


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## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

If by AP you mean autopilot, no, we just have a Terrova.


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

COmmodore 64 said:


> If by AP you mean autopilot, no, we just have a Terrova.


Does it have Ipilot? or just regular Terrova? Did you mount your power wires or tranducer cable close to a VHF radio or other power wires?. You could be getting interference. Papascott has alot of interference on his Bird while his Ipilot is working, HBird has a filter to help cure this. 

Does it happen ALL the time or just sometimes?


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## brn2fsh (Feb 28, 2010)

Hey, Google "Unofficial humminbird" You'll find a unnoficial humminbird site where guys ask questions about all their units. They have a support site where their engineering guys look in on and answer questions. Free to register and these guys know their stuff. hope this helps.


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## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

K gonefishin said:


> Does it have Ipilot? or just regular Terrova? Did you mount your power wires or tranducer cable close to a VHF radio or other power wires?. You could be getting interference. Papascott has alot of interference on his Bird while his Ipilot is working, HBird has a filter to help cure this.
> 
> Does it happen ALL the time or just sometimes?


Happens ALL the time. Even when the Terrova is not on. Or plugged in.


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## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

brn2fsh said:


> Hey, Google "Unofficial humminbird" You'll find a unnoficial humminbird site where guys ask questions about all their units. They have a support site where their engineering guys look in on and answer questions. Free to register and these guys know their stuff. hope this helps.


Thanks. DOne.

This problem is not unheard of, people reporting the EXACT same symptoms. Unfortunately, it probably isn't the transducer, which means I gotta take the whole F'ing thing off and send it back and run all the wires again for my SItex (external puck) to use in the interim. BAH.

http://www.xumba.scholleco.com/viewtopic.php?p=14414#14414


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## raider44 (Jun 29, 2008)

C64 I'm having the same problems with my 778c. I was posting about it on a lake Ontario forum when a member pointed out to me that a similar post was made on ogf. We've sent ours in twice now... several other guys ate having similar problems with their 700 bird models. We just got ours replaced because a refund couldn't be given. Hopefully our new 778c actually marks fish and bottom going over 7mph and worse yet at tolling speeds. After researching the model it seems that the problem is indeed with hunmingbird. Good luck.


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## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

Unit is on the way back to Humminbird for testing. I'll let everyone know the verdict as soon as I know it.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

I recently purchased two 788 CI units. One for the front and one for the console. The one up front works great! I swapped out the transom transducer on this one for the trolling motor transducer before I even installed them. This may be the reason the one up front works..? The one on console will mark bottom but there is very little detail of the bottom and I know it is not marking fish. Also, it dropped the temp and speed from the sonar window. Restored default, etc with no change. GPS is working.


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## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

Sounds like my issue...see if it keeps degrading. It was a steady degrade until marks the bottom intermittently.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

This was my first time out with it. However, it did seem to degrade as the evening went on. Lost the speed and temp towards the end of the evening. There is night and day difference between the one up front and this one. I guess I could plug the unit into the transducer up front to see how it performs on that transducer. That way I would know if it is the head unit or the ducer. However, this will be a pain in @XX as it is monted in the deck with a dash mount. Can you really buy anything that works anymore...!


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## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

Got the unit back on Saturday, not bad turnaround. 8 days from when I shipped it to when I received it back. They tested it and said it was the transducer. Yesterday I installed the new transducer. Hope to get out this weekend to test it.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

COmmodore 64 said:


> Got the unit back on Saturday, not bad turnaround. 8 days from when I shipped it to when I received it back. They tested it and said it was the transducer. Yesterday I installed the new transducer. Hope to get out this weekend to test it.


Commodore, thanks for the info! I tried switching my two units on Tuesday and it appears to also be a transducer issue. HB customer service has been great as they indicated on Tuesday they woud send another transom transducer UPS 2nd day. I did not have to return the other one which is nice because I am going to need it to help pull the new transducer to the back of the boat. 

I hope this transducer is OK. I asked if they knew if a particular lot of transducers was bad and they stated no. This is scary... I work in manufacturing and we have complete lot traceability if we find out we have an issue with one of our parts. It amazes me with all the issue reported on the net they have not or can not narrow it down to a particular lot #. This is very expensive for them!


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## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

They have to have gotten a bad batch or something. There's several reports of this behavior. Although, I suppose if they've sold thousands of units, a few dozen issues is a pretty low failure rate. I know someone who used to work in manufacturing, steering columns, IIRC. When they had a bad run, they'd keep the parts...and sneak 1 or 2 in each case of good parts going out the door. Unbelievable.


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## drjkl1 (Jul 2, 2009)

I was down in KY a couple weeks ago and the sonar on my gps/sonar (581i) was not marking fish and the bottom was pretty weak. I actually got a very helpful lady from Humminbird (wow that was suprising) who ran me thru a bunch of settings while I was on the water to see what could be done, but while it increased sensitivity it didn't help much. Bottom line it was the transducer & I was lucky it was the fairly common model (XNT 9 20 T) and I picked one up locally while humminbird sent me a new one as well. Folks at the marina told me they had been selling a lot of that model.....hmmmm. Hopped in the water at the dock where I was staying and installed a new one & I told my buddy that either the transducer was working or they stocked the lake with fish overnight.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

I am getting very frustrated...! I received the new transducer and tried it this afternoon and the exact same thing! Could it possibly be another bad transducer? I checked the volts when you first power the system up and it states 12V. I was told by HB need at least 10. I don't know what else it could be...?


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

triton189 said:


> I am getting very frustrated...! I received the new transducer and tried it this afternoon and the exact same thing! Could it possibly be another bad transducer? I checked the volts when you first power the system up and it states 12V. I was told by HB need at least 10. I don't know what else it could be...?


Yes it could be. A bad run is a bad run any way you slice it. I would take it back and get a 8 series model or get a dual beam or quad beam...something different from what you have or you very well could be plagued by this same issue for awhile.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

I spoke with HB this afternoon and they are going to send me a Quad Beem transducer. The previous two have been dual beems. Hopefully, this will solve the issue..!


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## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

I'm trying mine out tomorrow, so I'll let you know. Still haven't gotten out on the water to try the new one.


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## COmmodore 64 (Jun 24, 2006)

OK graph worked great yesterday. I hope it continues. It worked great with the first transducer I had for about 4 trips before it crapped out.


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

COmmodore 64 said:


> OK graph worked great yesterday. I hope it continues. It worked great with the first transducer I had for about 4 trips before it crapped out.


Commodore, glad to hear yours is now working! I hope to have my new transducer on Monday. I want to resolve this issue before the fishing starts to turn on. How do you like it?


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## triton189 (Nov 6, 2009)

triton189 said:


> Commodore, glad to hear yours is now working! I hope to have my new transducer on Monday. I want to resolve this issue before the fishing starts to turn on. How do you like it?


Received my Quad Beam transducer on Friday. That is a quick turnaround as I called HB on Wednesday afteroon. Although, it is very frustraiting having issues with a brand new unit HB customer service was great. Two new transducers all received two days within contact and the second was the "upgraded" Quad Beam. I tried it yesterday and it worked great...! Come on fall...!


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