Topic: Installation problems and solutions for my Humminbird AS GPS HS receiver

[Trout Bum]

I installed my HS GPS receiver in what I thought would a good spot near the transom in my Aluminum boat. I mounted it on a 7” extension for a clearer view of the horizon and to raise it above the engine steering cable, etc.

It acted very strange and was off from the COG by 45 to 70 degrees, it seemed like it had a mind of its own. It couldn’t be adjusted with the offset feature as it was off by too much and not consistent.

When I got it back home, I decided to try various locations by hand holding it with the graph turned on. I wanted to keep it near the stern, close to the ducers. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I checked all over the transom with a large magnet and didn’t find anything magnet except for the steering cable. However, when the puck was near the transom, even though I held it up as high as a foot, it still acted strange.

Then I got the idea to use a hunting compass that had a directional pointer on it. I held the compass up above the boat and parallel to the boat center line. I got a reading, which for me was 18 degrees. I then moved the compass all over around the stern while keeping directional pointer parallel to the centerline of the boat until I found a location where it maintained the 18 degree reading. The location was on the starboard side of the aft deck about 2’ forward of the transom.

I then mounted the puck and went back on the water. The thing was dead nuts and didn’t require any offset adjustment.

I should have used this method to start with and could have saved a lot of time and aggravation.

Hopefully this will help some else with their installation.