Author Topic: Help blurry images! (Read 10905 times)

NorrisCraft02 · « **on:** March 17, 2012, 09:34:02 PM »

I just got an 898 si at the console and a 858 di at the bow. They have worked perfect the first 3 or 4 times I used them. Yesterday I towed my boat to the lake in rain and thought maybe road grime was on my transducer on the transom. When I unloaded the boat and powered my 898 on at the console I noticed the images seemed smuged and blurry, but my 858 di on the trolling motor was crystal clear. When I was trollingand moving with the main motor it seemed to get a little clearer but not like it had been before. Wondering if anyone has seen this problem, any info would be greatly appreciated. I just wondered if road film on the bottom of transducer would cause blurry ness. If I put it in simulator mode it is clear as a bell. I have adjusted sensitivity and that didn't help

sonar2000 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2012, 12:51:11 PM »

Are the two units interconnected ?

Chuck

NorrisCraft02 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2012, 01:00:17 PM »

Yes they are connected through Ethernet cable not the interlink box. They were reading super clear no matter if I was sitting in one spot not moving or idling. Now the console is smeared images or blurry

sonar2000 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 18, 2012, 01:14:24 PM »

Check the cable connections..

Chuck

NorrisCraft02 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 18, 2012, 01:16:51 PM »

Thanks I'll do that and see what happens. But dirt and grime on transducer will not affect the image?

sonar2000 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 18, 2012, 01:28:29 PM »

To a point it will not. But is the grime is road tar it very well could..
Algae buildup over time can affect the signal.
Check the transducer again also and make it clean if it appears really gummy..

Chuck

NorrisCraft02 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 18, 2012, 08:27:22 PM »

Thanks chuck gonna try cleaning the bottom of transducer and already checked connections. Gonna do a test on it this week sometime.

sonar2000 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2012, 10:10:52 AM »

Great. let us know.
And pictures of the fish you catch now...

Chuck

Humminbird_Greg · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2012, 01:36:11 PM »

If it was just road grime than this would be the first time that I have heard of it causing this in a modern sonar as the bottoms of the transducers are made differently than they were many (many) years ago. Way back when… road grime could cause problems with the sonar but the transducers we make now have a slicker bottom and should clean themselves off after being in the water for a little while, especially if you ran the boat at higher speeds. Still, things like tar and algae could cause issues (especially tar).

Did you make any changes to your boat or the units NorrisCraft02?

sonar2000 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2012, 02:38:54 PM »

Perhaps on this trip he ran over a newly or recently tarred road. This stuff will spray around for a few days after the road repair or refurbish..

Another interesting problem.
And we await the next update from Norris.....

Chuck

NorrisCraft02 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 20, 2012, 11:04:39 PM »

Well that didn't help. Still blurry images. My 858 di is crystal clear while fishing but my 898 si still blurry. Even at times was showing the water column filled with the color screen i had on si and di. Everything just looks smeared on the screen, although it does get a little better when idling. Look like prop wash on both but I know it wasn't unless prop wash will fill 10 ft depth up on screen. The main thing is this unit wasnt doing this before. Trees look like a big blob just smeared, Guess its time to send this unit back. I appreciate all your advice and tips, thanks.

sonar2000 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 21, 2012, 10:08:42 AM »

Yep, it does sound like a return is needed. Call HB support and they will lead you thru the return process.
What a bummer but maybe it will not take too long to get it back.

Let us know..

Chuck

Humminbird_Greg · « **Reply #12 on:** March 21, 2012, 12:57:21 PM »

So you did not make any changes to your boat, the unit (menu changes) or the transducer NorrisCraft02?

If the answer to all of these is “NO” than make sure that you send in both your unit and transducer if you are returning it to Humminbird to be looked at.

NorrisCraft02 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 31, 2012, 09:32:43 PM »

Well sent my 898 to humminbird and got it back a week later. I'm a little disappointed because on the return packing slip said they found no problems and just updated the software. Now remember it worked great first 3 or 4 times then started being blurry. Now I know I'm not a humminbird tech guy but I don't see how updating software will fix this problem. Just discouraging, gonna try it out tomorrow and if it's not fixed back to humminbird again. I called two or three times and said they hadn't looked at it yet but said I would get an email when they shipped it , come home today and it was sitting on my porch and no email. If someone just would have talked to me and told me they found no problem we could have discussed it. Cause now if it's not fixed I'll have to pay for shipping again and the aggregation of taking it back off my boat again. I'm mean they say no problem found but I can't even see trees in down imaging while fishing cause it's so smuged and blurry. I hope that software update fixed it , but my guess is that it won't. I even discussed that with them on the phone and they said an update probably wouldnt fix that problem. These cost too much to not work right and you send it in and all that is done is a software update. Got my fingers crossed that its fixed and if not they will take care of my problem.

sonar2000 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 01, 2012, 09:09:47 AM »

NorrisC. By all means let us know the results.
I agree that a software should not be the fix for blurry.
If you still have the same problem, see if customer service can escalate to a manager for you..

I would also ask them why no e-mail if it was promised..

Chuck

NorrisCraft02 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 01, 2012, 10:39:53 AM »

Well another disappointment! I go to mount my transducer back on my boat and they didn't send all the pieces back to mount my transducer. So ive got it fixed for the time being were i can at least drop it in the water to see how it works, hopefully testing it today. Still doing same thing in simulator mode that it was before but haven't got a chance to put it in the water to see if it's still blurry. My gut feeling is it's still doing same thing. Simulator mode still showing something like prop wash or turbulence on the screen in both side and down imaging.

sonar2000 · « **Reply #16 on:** April 01, 2012, 02:58:16 PM »

OK, if it is not fixed then I would ask to talk with a supervisor..
They should tell you more..
Chuck

ITGEEK · « **Reply #17 on:** April 02, 2012, 09:05:23 AM »

Is it possible that you struck something with the
transducer and it changed the attitude of the transducer
from the original install?

Humminbird_Greg · « **Reply #18 on:** April 03, 2012, 05:44:08 PM »

NorrisCraft02,
The Techs at Humminbiord automatically update the software in every unit that comes in for servicing. It is noted on the service ticket. If the unit goes through the computerized test program and the unit passes all tests than the unit is labeled “No Problem Found”. This usually indicates some other issue that is causing the problem although the unit could have an intermittent problem. Your transducer must have tested good as well since it was not replaced when it was returned. Now you have stated that the DI sonar is blurry even in the Simulator mode – so this leads me to believe that the problem is either in the menu settings or in your expectations of the unit. I would go back through the menu settings and see that they are set back to how you originally had them set. Perhaps the DI beam width, Sensitivity or frequency are different?

The shipping emails are auto generated when the unit is packaged for shipping. When you call to get them to send you the transducer hardware they left off; please let them know that this did not work. It may have something to do with your internet provider as we have seen issues with that in the past.

The prop wash is showing in the simulated data because it was present when that data was recorded.

sonar2000 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 03, 2012, 06:50:06 PM »

How does software cause blurry images?
If all service does is update the code then how is this a test of a reported trouble?
Is there no way to really test a unit for function?

Could you not have a tank and create a scan at trolling speed?

..

Chuck

Humminbird_Greg · « **Reply #20 on:** April 04, 2012, 10:11:35 AM »

There could be changes to the software that can affect any of the sonar (2D, Si or Di). The fact that the menus should have automatically or manually been set back to the factory defaults (or that the software could have changed what those factory default settings are) mean that the unit may now be using menus setting that are not the same as those that a Customer may have chosen.

The software being updated was not a test of the unit itself. However, the units do have to have updated software to allow them to go through the computer based testing that we use. We update the software for both this reason and because everyone is not computer savvy enough (nor do all fishermen own computers) and we feel that you should get back a unit with all the updated features and functions if you took the time and effort to send it into the factory.

The unit is tested for function during the computerized testing that is done on each unit.

Yes we could build a test tank for this. The downside would be that there would be a nominal fee of several thousand dollars from all who would send their units in to help fund this.

...

ITGEEK · « **Reply #21 on:** April 04, 2012, 11:37:06 AM »

Great idea Chuck. But:

The testing would take longer.
We would have to also send in our transducers to be tested in the tank.

I'd rather not have to unbolt my transducer and send it in
unless it is absolutely necessary.

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