Topic: Problem with New 798CI HD SI

[Etch]

Looking for help.  Installed new 798 on my boats.  Two transducers on different boats and one head unit.  It powers up with squiggly lines.  Cleaned itself up and worked on the water for 3 hours sporadically with frequents power downs and back up.  tested on my pontoon boat in my driveway and had same result.  Upgraged software and tested on isolated battery on the workbench and it still has a bunch of lines and then blank screens and flickers through the lines to the normal screens.  i emailed humminbird but it seems like a head unit issue?  Any thoughts?

[sonar2000]

Check your power lead at the head. There is a tip on "slightly" bending the male pins to make a better connection.
Are you using a portable power cord with alligator clips to connect to the battery?
Or a cigarette lighter connector?
Chuck

[Etch]

Using alligator clips on one boat and hard wired on pontoon boat.  I will try the pin idea but today i was testing it seemed the unit was functioning behind a video problem.  I can cycle through screens but can't view them hardly at all through lines.

[FuzzyGrub]

Sounds like the head unit to me. 

[sonar2000]

Can you snapshot a picture and post here.
Chuck

[Etch]

Sorry.  Called humminbird and they are servicing it now.  They diagnosed head unit problem over the phone.  I will post results.  thanks all!

[Curt - RI]

Cool.. hope they get it all fixed up for you 

[sanchee79]

I have a similar problem with the regular 798 Si. I am getting the blurry squiggly lines and the screen also freezes up and it also power cycles off when I crank up the big motor is when all this happens.  Please let me know what you find out and if you ran into same issues or if anyone knows what may cause this please advise. Thanks

[Etch]

Good news.  Humminbird got it fixed and it works great.  they indicated that the display ribbon connector was not connected properly(internally).  Back in 5 days! Hope it helps someone else.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Glad they got you fixed up Etch.  Should I go and beat whomever didn’t plug that cable up all the way for you? 
I am kidding of course... well there are one or two that do deserve a good beating but I am amung them! 


sanchee79,
It sounds like your issues are power related.

First: get your battery load tested.

If that checks out good than check all electrical connections between the 798 unit and the battery it is powered off of.  All should be tight and clean.  Better yet would be to run new power wires for the 798 unit itself.  Use at least an 18 gauge wire (go to a larger gauge if you plan on installing a larger unit in place of the 798 in the next few years) and go straight back to the battery.  Solder all electrical connections and seal them from the water/moisture.  Use a new in-line fuse holder and fuse – I like the flat blade type automotive fuses and holders as they hold up better and do not seem to loosen up over time as the older bus type glass tube fuses and holders do.

[sanchee79]

Thank you so much hbird Greg. I am going to have my buddy take a look at all that and see if we can get this straightened out. This has been one of those annoying issues as the same thing happened on my 797 that I had before this one. I have a new battery but will get that looked at also. I called Mercury and they mentioned to try a battery isolator which I have no idea what that is and if it will work

[sonar2000]

Isolators, filters all this extra to buy.
Marine radios often have to have filters from the motor because the charging part of the motor is so noisy (electrically)....
Boats create a hole in the water in which to pour money into...
Chuck