Topic: Not too happy

[dp]

Just not too happy with Humminbird. 

Owned 10 fish finders in my days -  7 Lowrance/3 Humminbird.  1 failed GPS antenna on all the Lowrance units and 2 of the 3 Humminbird head units failed - latest a 898c SI, previous the old "3D" model.  Also the Interlink that I also own stops working when it gets hot out.(Works all the time in the morning hours)

Cost another $310(including shipping) after initial $3000+ for qty 2 898c SI's and interlink when unit would not shut off and then imaging stopped working.  Repair informed me that it leaked.  Humminbird sent me a new unit.  Unfortunately they did not take the time to load all of the waypoints from the old unit to the new unit.  Yes, I know, my responsibility, but customer service has to be a high priority and that extra step goes a long way.

Luckily I had them all backed up in the Interlink unit, which is the next item to be not functioning all the time.  The unit works as designed all the time in the morning, then typically around 11ish or noonish when the air warms up, I see "interlink connected"/"interlink disconnected" constantly on my screen, which interferes when viewing the information on the screen.  I have checked and rechecked all connections, but it always works in the morning every time out.

Is there a way to disable the "interlink connected/disconnected" message?  I tried to stop participating but it seems that the message still came up.  It is frustrating when trying to get on a waypoint of a rockpile and the message blocks the view.

Humminbird seems SW(software) strong and HW(hardware) weak and from what I hear slight advantage over Lowrance in the customer service area.(Only because I never used Lowrance customer service and have heard disgruntled reports from others.)

[sonar2000]

HB does have some conversational issues with their software. There is  some hardware issues at times also.
Lowrance had initial service issues with customer support just after the sale of Lowrance to navonics but seemed to have worked that out.
What we have to remember is that $3000 units aren't in competition with $100,000 units. And as such may not have all features or reliability or workability of the highend "stuff".
Both HB and Lowrance have operational function and a place in the low end world..\
chuck

[Humminbird_Greg]

Welcome to the Humminbird Side imaging Forums dp.

I would ditch the InterLink and replace it with an Ethernet connection cable.  More reliable connection between the units and more can be shared with it.

If your unit was water damaged they may not have been able to recover the waypoints from it.  Typically this is something that they try to do when replacing a unit or even if they have to replace the main PCB.

[dp]

Thanks for the feedback guys.  I have a few questions though.

For Chuck, at the end of the day, I would not expect the unit to leak after 2 years of use and have to pay another $300 to obtain a working unit whether "low" end or not.  After reading several of these posts on these forums, I have noticed several people having "leak" issues.  Do we know if Hummingbird performs a leak test on all of their products prior to shipment?  If so, is it a "dunk test" or pressure test?

For Greg, reading between the lines here, it seems the Interlink may have been a waste of money and I should have purchased the Ethernet cable from the beginning.  Does Hummingbird offer some sort of exchange or swap program or reduced cost for an Ethernet cable for users with Interlink issues?  A 20 foot cable costs approx. $60.

[sonar2000]

Don't know if they do a dunk test..  chuck

[Humminbird_Greg]

I do not think that we have any sort of exchange program like that dp but you could call the Humminbird Customer Resource folks and ask them anyways.

Nope, no “dunk test”.  If we did that the only way to know if the product leaked or not would be to disassemble the product completely to inspect for any water intrusion.  Doing that would mean it would have to be reassembled again which would leave you with a product that has not been dunk tested after assembly again.  Not sure what you are meaning by a “pressure test”.

[ITGEEK]

I do not think the units are dunked in water.
That is a recipe for disaster.
I thought the units were touted as water resistant.
Wave spashes, rain drizzle is OK.
But I don't think they were ever meant to be totally submerged
in water.

Did you guys ever watch Ax Men?
The father and son team of S&S logging,
with James and Jimmie(RIP), had a smaller
Humminbird sidescan unit.
A rival boat was messing around, and angled the outboard perpeller
at the S&S boat(while the propeller was still in the water), and reved
up the engine.
I'd say at least 3 gallons of water splashed on the sonar unit at
a horizontal angle.
It fried the unit.  It never worked again.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Our units meet the IPX7 waterproof testing requirements.
I wonder if it was the unit that went bad or the electrical connections to the unit…

[kipbass]

Check out www.monoprice.com for network cables. I bought one from there some time ago, cheap. Also, you can get a 6' HDMI for $5..I am no way affiliated with this company, but I buy most of my cabling there. Had an issue with one cable so far, but for $5, who cares.

[dp]

Thanks for all the replies guys especially kipbass for the cable recommendation.

As for the dunk testing, I have seen some outdoor products have a special port where one would connect a "leak tester" to this port and perform measurements.  In one case, positive air pressure is applied to the product and it is submerged under water and the user would look for bubbles.  A very leaky product would not be filled with water due to the positive pressure of air inputted into the product.  Another method is to use the "leak tester" itself to measure the rate of change when applying the air pressure to the unit(called a dry leak test).  But like I said, the unit must be equipped with a special connector to perform these tests which would add cost to the manufacturing process in both material and labor which ultimately would have to be passed onto the consumer.

BTW, went out fishing 2 weeks ago for 4 days straight and the interlink worked flawlessly 3 of the 4 days expect the one day when the temperature went into the mid 70's.  There is definitely issues when the unit or combination of units heats up.  Has anyone observed the same effect?  I did not experience this the first year of operation(owned for 2 years now).  Summer time use is now out of the question as it gets too hot.