Author Topic: Bad news  (Read 15230 times)

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Offline Foster78

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Bad news
« on: December 19, 2010, 10:40:10 PM »
I got my transducer on and went to the lake. It worked great for a minute, I made a run across the lake and when I stop the unit was showing 1990 feet deep so I go and look at the transducer to see if it was tilted or something and it was gone. It broke off from the plastic mounts. All that was left were the wires and what was left of the plastic. Has anyone else had this problem? How do I need to contact at Humminbird?


Offline Jolly Roger

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2010, 05:16:34 AM »
Foster,
where exactly did the transducer break?

Did the plastic linkage between the transducer and the stainless steel bracket break or did the "ears" on the transducer break?

If possible make a photo and post it. Sorry to hear that you have trouble already.

Regards / Harry
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Offline Humminbird_Greg

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2010, 11:01:30 AM »
Sorry to hear that Foster.  Call the Humminbird Customer Resource folks at 1-800-633-1468 about getting a replacement transducer.  It should not have broken unless you hit something.  Did you have it mounted low in the water?  Like Harry, I would like to see what is left of it and where it was mounted.

Greg Walters at Humminbird
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Offline sonar2000

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2010, 09:35:07 PM »
The newer transducers are made to have some wiggle in them when installed in order to help prevent breakage. If the installer tightened the transduce to the bracket and did not leave any wiggle then it may have hit something and broken. Usually this just breaks the transducer off the bracket and does not tear it off the cable. Unless you hit someting fairly solid and it grabbed the transducer and pulled it off the cable after breaking off the bracket.
Interesting it broke completly off.
Chuck (sonar2000)

Offline George

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2010, 10:15:44 AM »
Foster78

HB's customer service is the best, give them a call. 

I have a Quadra Beam Transom mount, so far I have broken two mounts.  The transducer is just peaking below the hull and it still catches something when in shallow water, even though the outboard motor is significantly lower then the transducer.  I have not lost the transducer, just broke the mounts, HB replaced it the first time the second time is on my dime.

Again give them a call, they will probably replace it, then before you reinstall it, take a look and see if you need to raise it a little bit.

George
« Last Edit: December 21, 2010, 10:17:31 AM by George »

Offline sonar2000

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2010, 01:07:58 PM »
With the "bigfoot" transducer there seems to be a very fine line on the positioning of the transducer for each boat.
Placeing the transducer so it does not hit anything in the water makes it susceptable to "cavitation" problems especially when on plane.
Positioning it below the keel line makes it susceptable to striking something in the water and thus breakage.
The bracket is made to allow the transducer to move a bit if struck but sometimes not enough to prevent the break.
Maybe a different bracket that will in effect pivot out of the way if struck.
HMMMMMM, some of our more creative guys will make such a bracket or some may already have done so.
Chuck (sonar2000) 
« Last Edit: December 21, 2010, 02:58:17 PM by sonar2000 »

Offline xSilmarilSx

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2010, 01:49:55 PM »
Since most transducer break on the mounting point where they are the weakest, I have thought of a new method of mounting a transducer that will not break off..

Switch from a transom mount to a plastic thru-hull transducer.
And  make a transom bracket using 1/4" aluminum plate and glue everything
the best you can.

So the transducer will not fly off if it strike a surface object or just from water pressure/plastic fatigue in the mount.

The transducer will be dead if it strike a big enough target at speed because it can't kick-up like normal transom mounts. But a big enough object to kill a thru-hull unit will also kill a transom mount unit.
Maybe try that with a Bronze thru-hull?

Offline Foster78

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #7 on: December 21, 2010, 06:53:00 PM »
It was mounted above the bottom of the boat so nothing could hit it.

Offline sonar2000

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #8 on: December 21, 2010, 06:58:27 PM »
Humminbird XPTH-9-HDSI-180-T Plastic Thru-Hull Transducer
I am guessing that this is the transducer you are talking about.....
For the price of the transducer we could probably make a bracket to prevent breakage for a lot less. 
Now this may not be viable for all.  But in our usage we have the transducer mounted on a trolling motor bracket and pole with a Johnny Ray ducer bracket. If we hit an object the pin on the trolling mount breaks and lets the transducer move out of the way.
However this does not work well on plane as the whole thing creats a big drag in the water.  We raise the mounting asembly out of the water until back on troll speed.
I think you guys may be on to something here. Hopefully some others will add to this.. 
Chuck (sonar2000)

Offline Foster78

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #9 on: December 21, 2010, 07:11:25 PM »
Another look at it

Offline Foster78

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #10 on: December 21, 2010, 07:22:29 PM »
I called humminbird today and they pretty much called me a liar and said they have not had any problem with these and was gonna give me a discount and sell me one for $99

Offline Del

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #11 on: December 21, 2010, 07:41:56 PM »
This looks... terrible... i wonder how fast you've been with your boat ? There must have been some massive pressure on the transducer if you really didnt hit anything.

Offline xSilmarilSx

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #12 on: December 22, 2010, 03:47:09 AM »
The "Humminbird XPTH-9-HDSI-180-T Plastic Thru-Hull Transducer" is only 20$ more than a regular HDSI transducer...

So, if you use the trading program is not that big.


BUT, you can make the same mount with any transducer... you just make your aluminum/stainless mount and glue the top of the transducer on the bottom of the bracket using a lot of slow cure epoxy like you would do on a in-hull transducer.

That way, when it will break, it will be because of a good reason, not just water pressure.

Offline Jolly Roger

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #13 on: December 22, 2010, 07:25:49 AM »
Foster,
is this the transducer you got from xtremenavigation as new????

I've never seen a transducer broken in that place! And I doubt that it can break by the water pressure when on plane.

Send it in to Humminbird and let them take a look at it. This seems very strange.

Good luck
Harry
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Offline Humminbird_Greg

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #14 on: December 22, 2010, 10:12:33 AM »
I agree with Harry: the pictures of the (parts of) the transducer that you posted looks like it met its end by extreme trauma!  I have not seen these transducers fail in this way so I also would think that you hit something or something hit it.  Not sure what I am looking at in the first picture but the second one looks like the upper housing has been torn away with no sign of the bottom housing.

As for the discounted transducer at $99 than the Humminbird Customer Resource folks must have at least partially believed you or at least felt bad that this has happened.  Otherwise I believe that the policy is that they should charge full price for what looks to be a physically damaged transducer (I could be wrong).

You say that the transducer was mounted above the bottom of the boat; can you post a picture of where it was mounted?  Could you have backed into something that may have help contribute to this damage?  I’ve known folks who drifted sideways into stumps, trees and trailers but the transducer broke off at the ‘ears’ and not ripped the upper housing apart like these pictures show.  This would be very strange if it failed in this way if it really did fail due to water pressure only.

Greg Walters at Humminbird
gwalters@johnsonoutdoors.com

Offline Humminbird_Greg

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #15 on: December 22, 2010, 10:37:06 AM »
Foster,
Send me your contact information in an e-mail (e-mail addy below).  I showed your pictures to one of our Mechanical Engineers and he wants to look at the parts of your transducer that are left.  If there is anyway that we cab do this please let me know.

Greg Walters at Humminbird
gwalters@johnsonoutdoors.com

Offline Rickard

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #16 on: December 22, 2010, 11:40:10 AM »
What about an explosion? The transmit voltage can reach 1000 V so if there was some internal electrical failure gas might have been produced inside the transducer with this result.

Rickard

Offline George

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #17 on: December 22, 2010, 12:02:42 PM »
I have to agree with Greg,  the transducer looks like it may have been backed into (between a rock and a hard place), this is unfortunate.  I have never seen a transducer broken up, only seen the mounting portion leaving the transducer intact with no way to mount it.  Like I stated I have broken a few mounts but never the transducer.

Hopefully you will get it worked out.

Good luck
George
« Last Edit: December 22, 2010, 05:30:45 PM by George »

Offline Humminbird_Greg

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #18 on: December 22, 2010, 01:36:08 PM »
Rickard,
The transducers are filled with epoxy so I don’t see where any explosive gasses could form.  The epoxy does not form any explosive gasses when curing either.  We don’t know what caused this but I got one of our Engineers to look at the pictures and he is very interested in it but not sure how it could have happened.  He thought that if it was broken off due to an impact that it should have failed at the mounting ears as that would be the point of (he said something in “engineer speak”) where it would have twisted and where it is attached to the boat (through the pivot and mount).  So it really peaked his curiosity which as it turns out is a good thing for Foster.


Foster,
You should have a phone message from our Customer Resource folks when you get home!

Greg Walters at Humminbird
gwalters@johnsonoutdoors.com

Offline Jolly Roger

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #19 on: December 22, 2010, 04:15:51 PM »
The pictures still puzzle me.

Is this the only thing that was left on the transom?
Is the bracket still there?
Any chance that the transducer could have been caught or hit by the propeller?
That would explain why the housing is broken.

It would be good to have a picture where the transducer was mounted.

Regards / Harry
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Offline sonar2000

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #20 on: December 22, 2010, 04:31:48 PM »
This is indeed a strange break.  It looks as if there was a lot of force. and some twisting. 
Keep us informed of progress on the solution.
Chuck (sonar2000)

Offline Foster78

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2010, 05:03:44 PM »
I don't think I hit anything cause the lake is fairly deep and I stayed out in the middle of the lake when this happened. I was out looking for sunken trees and the si was working find. I made a pass across the lake and when I stopped the depth on my 987 was like 1990 feet deep and then I knew something was wrong.

Offline sonar2000

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #22 on: December 22, 2010, 05:10:14 PM »
can you post a picture where the mounting to the boat was..??????
chuck (sonar2000)

Offline Foster78

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #23 on: December 22, 2010, 06:37:12 PM »
Greg, I did not have any messages.

Offline Humminbird_Greg

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #24 on: December 22, 2010, 07:57:02 PM »
Foster,
One of the Customer Resource folks left me a message that they had called and left a message for you.  After the Engineer I showed the pictures to said he wanted to see the remaining parts; the Customer Resource folks were supposed to re-key your transducer order at no charge and send you a pick up tag to get the remaining pieces back.  Please send me an e-mail with your name, shipping address and telephone number (in case they have the wrong number on file) and I will follow up on this next Tuesday (the Customer Resource folks are out until than).

Greg Walters at Humminbird
gwalters@johnsonoutdoors.com

Offline calli1

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Re: Bad news
« Reply #25 on: December 22, 2010, 08:31:06 PM »
You need better pics.  Show where the Transducer was mounted for one.  Also, this could have become separated from its mount and with the high turbulance of water and speed on the rear of the boat, the transducer could have been banged around back there and discentigrated .   This is just a thought.  But I myself have never seen anything like this either.  But I have a feeling this came loose from the mount or something and was torn up that way.  Good luck.


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