Topic: 998c HD SI Combo weather resistance

[Mainer]

Greetings,

I'm seriously considering the purchase of a Hummingbird "998c HD SI Combo."

I have a open boat, so the unit will occasionally be exposed to rain or spray. Are these units OK with these types of moisture exposure or should I be concerned?

Are there plugs/caps to cover unused electrical ports on the back side?

Any and all feedback related to my concerns are appreciated!

[sonar2000]

The unit itself is probably ok. But to caution on the side of error I would find some protective cover for the entire unit. Also the connection plugs used by HB are not as good as most. (cost issue).
It would be good for your unit to be protected from the elements. Especially extreme cold..
Chuck

[strawdg]

The unit itself is probably ok. But to caution on the side of error I would find some protective cover for the entire unit. Also the connection plugs used by HB are not as good as most. (cost issue).
It would be good for your unit to be protected from the elements. Especially extreme cold..
Chuck

I agree completely with this..... For the environment they are meant to be used in the HB connectors are surprisingly cheap. There is no water tight seal on any of the connectors, and no real attempt to keep water out.

HB's answer to this question is "the connectors are Gold plated so they will withstand the environment".  This is questionable, the proper way to do it is... do the best you can to keep the elements out AND Gold plate.

That being said I haven't seen any complaints with connector corrosion problems on the HB connectors posted on any forums. I try to keep my the back of my 998 as dry as possible...... Only time will tell....

Straw

 

[RGecy]

My unit has been exposed to all kinds of weather and rain.  The only problem I have ever had is moisture coming in thru the SD card slot when I left the cover off one time.  I certainly recommend keeping the cover on when not in use.  The connectors have been fine other than the more common issue of loose connections.  I consider them to be pretty weather resistant though.  I do remember a video of Doug V dropping his 1997, supposedly on accident, into the lake one time.  The unit floated and not a drop of water got in!

Good advice is to er on the side of caution!  If you don't need to expose it, don't take the chance!

Good Luck,

Robert

[Mainer]

Greetings & many thanks for your insight related to my question.

I agree with you about preventing and/or minimizing the unit's exposure to water. However, it does rain, and winds will pick up, creating spray while you're on the water. So I'm trying to be proactive with regards to the unit.

OK, it seems the weather resistance of the cable caps/connectors is the major concern. Does anyone know if there are better after market caps available to cover the unused ports?

In the transportation industry "dielectric" grease is often applied to electrical plugs that are exposed to the elements (to reduce problems down the road).

What are your thoughts about about coating the unused ports with dielectric grease and then covering them with a cap?

Thanks for your input!

[Humminbird_Greg]

We (Humminbird Service department) just don’t see many units with corroded connectors, but if you are really worried about it than I would use the dielectric grease.

[Mainer]

Once again, many thanks for your input.

I'm leaning towards the application of a light coating of the dielectric grease to all of the electrical connections.