Topic: repeated transducer failure?

[SMA_TN]

Good evening
I have a 596 HD DI that is 23 months old. The tranducer is mounted on the transom of a 17 ft center console boat that is kept in the water in a marina. I love the unit; the quality of the images is amazing. Unfortunately I have had the third tranducer failure since I bought it. The first time it failed I returned both the unit and the transducer; they determined the tranducer was bad. The second time I returned the transducer. This one has failed again (no DI, multicolored band at the top of the screen). I've never had a transducer fail before so this is new to me. Has anyone else had this happen? It is mounted in the typical fashion - even with the back of the boat. There are no other electronics installed. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have.

[ITGEEK]

Just a little brainstorming here:
Is it possible, a lot of water/moisture could be getting at your
transducer connectors at the back of the unit?
This could cause corrosion, and bad connections.
Do you see any evidence on the transducer of corrosion (maybe something
in the water is causing this).

Have you double-checked your connections, and load tested your battery,
and checked the inline fuse?
If your boat is sitting at the dock, and the battery is only being charged
occasionally, this could lead to problems.
The worst thing you can do for a battery(any type), is to let it set discharged.

If it's a manufacuring problem, you may want to check into
getting an Airmar transducer for your unit.
I hear they are pretty good.  You would need the appropriate adapter cable to
connect to a Humminbird unit.

[SMA_TN]

Thank you for your suggestions. There are no signs of corrosion - the connector pins are clean and bright. I did have to replace the battery in between transducer failures. I keep the battery charged regularly. I'll check into the Airmar transducer.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Make sure that the transducer you get is going to work with your DI unit.  Using a normal 2D transducer could lead to failure of the internal electronics of your unit.

Could the transducers being getting struck by something?

[SMA_TN]

Thank you Greg for your reply. After doing some more reading I don't think I know enough about transducers to try to use one other than the one Humminbird makes. The question about whether something could be striking them is a good one. I've checked getting the boat on and off the trailer and it doesn't come close. All my boating is done on Lake Chickamauga, which occasionally has some surface debris after storms but generally is pretty free of snags. One of the HB support staff asked that I email her pictures of how it is installed. I sent them but didn't hear back one way or another whether she thought there was a problem.

[snowman48047]

 I think what Hb Greg means above is that make sure you are getting the correct 'ducer for your unit.  I am on my 3rd 'ducer as well, however I was the cause of the failure without realizing it.  Once while anchored and Perch fishing the unit and everything worked fine all day. The next time out it wouldn't give a bottom reading so I replaced it.  Once while duck hunting we had the boat anchored and when we quit, as I was pulling the anchor in I snagged the cable for the 'ducer, pulling it from the top of the unit.  Once water got inside that was all she wrote.  I didn't notice it the first time but the second time it didn't take much pull to break that seal and ruin it.   Make sure there is nothing that can snag that cable, kids can't pull on it if they swim near it, animals aren't chewing on it, etc... just a thought.  You shouldn't be going through that many.

[SMA_TN]

Thank you Snowman for your input. The transducer looks new except for a little bit of accumulated slime. I boxed the whole thing up and shipped it to Eufaula today. Maybe the service people can figure something out. I did hear from one other guy who had a similar issue that he ultimately solved by changing to a "through the hull" installation.