front graph question

John Garcia · Post by **John Garcia** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:24 pm

Bare with me on this question/ problem:

I have a 510C on my bow and had a new transducer put on the trolling motor early last year. My graph was working fine until about a month ago. It powers up, displays all the menus and options but periodically changes the depth reading drastically. It also does not display anything but the bottom at any depth beyond 30' or so. I have a X15 on the console, it is working fine and displays all the structure below at all depths.

I have adjusted ping speed, chart speed, sensitivity, depth ranges up, down, sideways and backwards. I have even borrowed a friends 135 to try in its place and it too does the same things.

I understand this is probably not going to be the unit but either a transducer or power problem. Now...where do I begin without randomly replacing everything?

I already tried hiring someone to sit at the console and read the graph to me while I am on the trolling motor, Did not work to well

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Ken Sauret · Post by **Ken Sauret** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:35 pm

It will not be a power problem. If your unit powers up then the hot and ground are both working fine.

The problem is with the transducer. It needs to be replaced. This past year Lowrance has been working diligently on getting improved consistency and performance out of their ducers. Order a new one and put it on and I'm certain you will be pleased.

John Garcia · Post by **John Garcia** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:12 am

Thank you Ken,

I was gonna call you but I did not want to bother you over the weekend. I will order a new transducer and hope that this one last longer than a year.

hydro · Post by **hydro** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 6:52 am

I had an X85 a few years back that did the same thing . I replaced the transducer and it fixed the problem after I called Lowrance and talked with their tech support .
According to the guy I spoke with he said you should turn off your trolling motor mounted transducer whenever it is out of the water . If your fishfinder is in "Auto"
and you take it out of the water it keeps jacking up the power trying to get a bottom reading and burns out the transducer prematurely . I started shutting off the front unit for driving the boat from then on.

Ken Sauret · Post by **Ken Sauret** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 7:27 pm

I haven't heard of the transducer burning out prematurely but if you stop chart before you pull your trolling motor the unit will remember it's last know depth lock. Then when you deploy the trolling motor at your next stop, start the chart and it will find the bottom quicker. On the HDS units just hit the power key and enter. This will put the unit in Standby, shutting off the ducer, then when you put the trolling motor back in the water hit the power key again and hit exit taking the unit out of standby.