Topic: Depth readings now wrong on 898

[BassCatSabre]

I have an indash 898 installed by the boat builder with a puck transducer in the hull and a SI attached to the jackplate.  The unit has been in service since sept 2011 and hasn't given any problems reading the depth until yesterday.  Where I've been fishing is typically less than 60 feet deep and the unit is jumping around between 200-1000 ft or more and only occasionallly (just briefly) is it displaying the correct depth.  Today, I disconnected the harness from the unit then re-attached it hoping that will help.  I looked at the Y cable and all the connecitons seem fine. I will test to see if there is any change tomorrow.  However, my concern is it does't matter which transducer is active the reading it wrong and most importantly is that if I change the disply to limit the depth to say 40-60 ft deep the display reading is still wrong, but  the bottom along with targets display fine. Any help or thoughts as to whats happening would be appreciated. Oh and Happy New Year!

[sonar2000]

Bass, can you try the individual transducers by disconnecting at the y-cable. If possible try running the transducer direct without the splitter. Although this mayt be next to impossible in yhour configuration and where the cables run.
What you want to acheive is whether it is a transducer of y-connector.
Make a search using the tab at the top and see what other folks have experienced with these bouncing readings.
There are several topics in the datas base that reflect your problem.
Chuck

[BassCatSabre]

Thanks for the reply.  Today I tried each transducer separately without the 'Y'.  Also tried every filter setting and water type and nothing made any difference.  Since the unit had been working for months, with no recent changes to the software, settings or hardware, even set it back to the factory defaults didn't help it sounds like a component problem to me.

Also looked through dozens if not 100's of others threads and didn't see a single one which mentioned the unit had been working and now it doesn't, but I may have used the magic search phrase.

Thanks again

Bass, can you try the individual transducers by disconnecting at the y-cable. If possible try running the transducer direct without the splitter. Although this mayt be next to impossible in yhour configuration and where the cables run.
What you want to acheive is whether it is a transducer of y-connector.
Make a search using the tab at the top and see what other folks have experienced with these bouncing readings.
There are several topics in the datas base that reflect your problem.
Chuck

[sonar2000]

Bass, it seems you have identified a problem that may need to be called into HB customer support.
Give them a call and speak to them.

Searching the topics.  Can be a problem as is very sensitive to the word(s) you use. Finding anotyher similar post can be frustrating at times.
I remember however others who have described your problem.

It does seem like you may have identified your problem source.

Chuck

[ITGEEK]

With two transducers, you would think the depth would work correctly on one of them.

Is it possible you've got some type of electrical interference?
Have you re-wired anything or added or replaced any electrical device on the boat?
Have you added/removed/shifted weight in the boat that could make the transducers be sitting
at a different angle.

Have you load-tested your battery.  A weak battery may make it difficult to get a good
depth lock.
Have you physically looked at your transducers.  May have hit something or they
may not have the right attitude/angle with the boat in the water.
Are you running the latest software?  Your software install may have gotten
corrupted somehow (bad waypoint?).

Good luck with your problem.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Another thing to check would be whether you were running a second (or third) sonar unit on the boat at the same time.  Shut everything else on your boat off and test one of the transducers to see if the depth jumps around again.  If it does than it sounds like something in your unit has gone out – if not than start turning on each electrical device one by one until the problem happens again and that will be what is causing the interference.

[sonar2000]

I think he said he only had the one unit and two transducers.
Itgeek had good points also.
Chuck