Topic: Software update 6.180

[Irishrover]

I just got an email announcing the 6.180 software update for my Humminbird units. When I signed on to my account, neither my 997c SI Combo NVB and/or my 778ci had the 6.180 update showing. Just wondering if others have had this problem with these 2 units or maybe Humminbird just hasn't included my units for this software update yet.

[sonar2000]

See Georges post below.  Mine was in error and George has corrected my post..

chuck

[George]

HB Update with changes defined

Humminbird Software Release 6.180

Software updates, as announced in January, 2012, have now been released for the following models:

            1198c SI
            1197c SI
            1158c
            1158c DI
            1157c
            998c SI
            958c
            958c DI
            898c SI
            858c
            858c DI
            778c HD

These updates on version 6.180 include:

            Casting Rings
            Waypoint Proximity Indicator
            Removable Readouts for 800/900 series Side Imaging Units
            Countdown timer
            Course Projection and Heading Lines
            Time To Go (TTG)
            Lower Range
            Hide Track
            North Up Indicator
            Side Imaging Range Variable on SI units
            Side Imaging Auto Range on SI unit
            Waypoint Management
            Radar Menus (with purchase of optional Radar Accessory)

George

[sonar2000]

Thanks George.  My mistake on the 6.18....I am deleting the post of mine as mine was in error.
thanks again..

Chuck

[Moose1am]

Saturday March 3 rd 2012.  I just downloaded the new 6.180 software from my user page and installed it onto my 898 C SI Unit. All is well so far.  I didn't take the boat out to check it out but did push the boat out of the garage into the driveway and played around with the unit in simulation mode for a sort time.  I got cold and went back inside as my fingers were getting numb.  I'll wait until it's above 60 deg before I take the boat out and check out all the new software features in full.

I just got an email announcing the 6.180 software update for my Humminbird units. When I signed on to my account, neither my 997c SI Combo NVB and/or my 778ci had the 6.180 update showing. Just wondering if others have had this problem with these 2 units or maybe Humminbird just hasn't included my units for this software update yet.

[Double Digit]

I installed the new update lastnight all went well.I played around today for a few hours in the house no problems everything that was in the update works good.I love being able to use the whole screen in SI kinda wish HB coulda set it up so i could turn the readouts off on all screens not just SI but all in all i like the new update.I have alot more control over my wayponts now so yea im a happy camper... ....Now all i need is the middle of april and some warm weather and im gonna be a fishing fool....

[sonar2000]

Great DD...
Lets hope in april you will only be a fishing..

We need ya here on the forum.

I might go ahead and try the update tomorrow..

Chuck

[George]

Chuck

I updated my 1197 this morning without any problems, everything looks good.

George

[sonar2000]

Thanks George..

Well it is off to the shop and give it a try....

Chuck

[sonar2000]

OK....After 2 cups of coffee, 1 fifth of Jack Daniels and 5 dark lagers......I put the sd card in the machine..Well after restoring defaults and power off...Put card in and powered on...Pushed the button and install began..
In a short time it was done..
Restored defaults and powered off..
Removed card and powered on..
YEA...customized the screens and made my settings.

Thanks to you guys I was not in a sweat..

Now for some quality water time...

Chuck

[Whistler]

Is anyone else seeing that you can no longer turn off the course projection line?  I hate that thing and had it turned off but now I don't see the option to turn it off as before.

[Double Digit]

OK....After 2 cups of coffee, 1 fifth of Jack Daniels and 5 dark lagers......I put the sd card in the machine..Well after restoring defaults and power off...Put card in and powered on...Pushed the button and install began..
In a short time it was done..
Restored defaults and powered off..
Removed card and powered on..
YEA...customized the screens and made my settings.

Thanks to you guys I was not in a sweat..

Now for some quality water time...

Chuck

Yup Chuck your a trip..... ...I feel the same way when i update my unit....Glad all went well....

[Moose1am]

Here are a couple of tips that I have learned over the years about downloading updates to software and hardware .

First is to turn off or disable any virus checking and firewall software so that it does not corrupt the files you are downloading to your hard drive.  Then after you finish with the download you can turn them back on.

Second for the Humminbird do a new full format FAT32 Type of the SDHC card before you store the new download onto the SDHC card.  This will errase any old data on the SDHC card so make sure that you use an SDHC card that does not have any important data on it that you want to save.  You can copy any data on the SDHC card and store it on a thumb drive, hard drive or another SDHC card some where for safe keeping.

And finally when you are ready to update your Humminbird Unit make sure that you reset the unit to it's default settings first before you install the new SDHC card with the new updated software on it. 

I like to have the unit turned off and then insert the SDHC card into the unit and then start the unit up so that it's boots up and find the new install and runs the install program automatically.  Just answer the questions and let the install run until it's done.  Then power down the unit and remove the SDHC card.  I remove the SDHC card with my old data on it from the control head and any map SDHC cards as well before I run the update. But that should go without saying. 

Good luck and hope you install runs well and you can enjoy these new features.

[George]

Moose1am

Many of the folks who have reformatted their SDHC cards have had lots of problems, yes they probably reformat with the wrong program, but it is easier just to erase the file or cut and save into a file on their computer.  I maintain a copy of every update just in case I need them.


George

[rnvinc]

I reoccurringly see posts of people inserting the SD Card and "then" powering on the unit...

The instructions provided by Robert here...http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=14.0 dictate to "power the unit on and then insert the SD Card"...

So which is it...?? Or even does it matter...??

Rickie

[sonar2000]

Rickie..  for our 1197:  I will be checking the rescue squad 1198 later this week.
I power on the unit.
restore factory defaults.
power off
Insert sd card
Powert on and go thru the update
restore default
power down
Then remove the sd card
power on and reprogram my settings..

I think since HB added the restores to their updates but dont know for sure how much of this is included.
Better safe than sorry for now..
Chuck

[Double Digit]

I do it the other way.First i reformat my sd card and then  upload the update file.Then i power up my 998 when its done powering up i then restore the factory defaults.After that is done i put my sd card into my 998 and follow the directions.When it is done updating my unit restarts itself.After it repowers i then restore the factory defaults again then i take out my sd card and reformat it again.Another thing i dont do that alot of other guys do i think is export my waypoints onto an sd card i just leave them in my unit and when its done updating their always still in there..

[rnvinc]

I understand that you and others follow those steps in updating your units...

I frequent several forums offering advice to new HB users and I link Robert's instuctions in the "FAQ" section of this forum on the proper way to update their HB software...

These "newbies" come back to me and say... "well that's not how so and so does it"...

This creates friction in some HB owner's minds because they don't know whom to believe...

We all know the horror stories of update experiences gone wrong and "newbies" are scared to death they are going to mess up their unit to the point of having to send it back to HB...

So (for the sake of those newbies that I advise)...

Do I continue to link Robert's instructions...?
Or do I tell newbies "it doesn't matter"...?

Rickie

[sonar2000]

Wow, Rickie.......a good question.......
I just dont have a good answer...
I know that HB has tried to put the restore defaults in their code.  I think it happens on the beginning but not sure if this is the last thing it does..
I can see the issue in that the user does not want to lock up their unit and have to return if they cant unlock using the bootstrap mode..

the issue with the waypoints is of concern also and I think there are a couple of folks here who are the experts on points (including you).

From my view I would get the new code in and then work in waypoints..

Maybe we can get a consensus and see what or how we can standardize the installs and waypoints..

Chuck
 

[rnvinc]

Believe me chuck.. I am no expert...

I'm just like you... A HB user that wants every other HB user to get the most out of their HB product...

I've been in those newbies shoes... I know how frightening it is to update a unit for the first time...I remember being scared I was going to have to figure out how to use the "bootstrap" method...

I certainly would hope we could get to a point where we... Someone... Anyone (HB?) can say ...

"HB user...Follow these instructions "

Rickie

[Double Digit]

Obviously powering the unit on or off doesn't really matter as we have seen that it works both ways without issue.I think the most important thing when giving the "new user" advise on updating is to make sure you tell them to restore the factory defaults before and after the update regardless if HB says its built into the update software.The only warning about updating  the units i ever heard was about restoring the factory defaults it is said that if you dont then the unit might have to be sent back to HB to be serviced.I'm sure this is why HB tried to add this automatically to the updates, but just to be safe it doesn't hurt just make sure you stress to the newbies that they MUST restore factory defaults before and after the update just to be safe....Jim

[sonar2000]

Jim.....good advice.   The restore does not hurt..only if it doesnt get done...sometimes...

Bootstrap restore:  For the new computers than dont have serial ports the new AS PC3 cable will let you go USB to a unit.  However we are still waiting on HB to get them in stock.. This cable will replace the AS USB to serial to unit combination.  Which was about $75 USD.  Have not seen a price on the PC3 as yet...

Jolly Roger wrote this in articles and tutorials..
http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=661.0
Chuck

[ITGEEK]

One advantage to letting the system boot up, then restoring defaults, then
inserting the SD card with the update on it, is that the unit is stable at the
time the update begins.

If you boot-up the system with the SD card in, and the update on it,
then there is more going on.
The system is taxed more because it is booting up and installing the update.
I think this could possibly mess up/lock up the system due to lack of system memory.

Just my opinion.

[rnvinc]

Please don't take this the wrong way anyone...

But it this very type of thread that is causing well-founded apprehension in newbies looking for direction on the proper (safe) steps to update their investment in a sonar unit...

We have in this very discussion several very experienced, well respected HB users that newbies look to for direction...

If this were just an opinion discussion on something like "contour mode on" vs. "contour mode off"... there would be no issue...

But we are talking about a procedure that could potentially lock up a user's unit to the point of having to return it to the factory and the user lose valuable fishing time...

Discussion is great.. That's how we learn...
But there are newbies watching our discussion (and conflicting procedural steps)...

The newbies want those update features just as bad as we do...but they don't know which "experienced HB user" to believe...

Rickie

[Double Digit]

rnvinc....I couldn't agree more with you.Software updates is something we all must do if we want to keep our HB units running at the top of their game and to keep up with the latest technology that HB comes out with plus to fix bugs and what not.So there is really no way around it updating your unit must be done.Now take sonar2000 as an example Chuck is very experienced with this technology hes on this forum everyday helping people out with problems or just giving out his 2cents.I'm sure he has updated his units plenty of times and even he has a great deal of anxiety when it comes time to update.My first unit was an 898 the first time i updated it i did everything right and the same way i do it today and the update completely did me in.It screwed up my unit so bad i  had to bring it back to dicks got my money back and ended up buying my 998.So there is no doubt in my mind that when a "newbie"is getting ready to update his unit that the poor guy is shaking in his boots and just praying that it all works out.So i couldn't agree more with you that we are not helping out the situation right now by posting 2 or 3 different ways to do the update.I think we could all agree that Dough Vandenberg and Robert Gecy from this forum definitely know what they are talking about.They both have made youtube videos showing step by step how to update your unit and guess what...They both say to do the same thing.So no questions asked if a new guy asks me or any of us  for that matter i would tell them to watch either Robert or doughs step by step you tube video.And as long as the update isn't corrupted or sumthing like that they can not go wrong following the experts...

[George]

Rickie

Both ways work, the key is as we have learned from experience is to restore defaults before installing the update. 

I have installed the updates both ways and each has its benefits. 

Most of the time I restore defaults and shut the unit down and put the new card in and turn it on. 

The truth be known it is easier to restore defaults and then put the new update card in, it is easier and quicker.

I have done a lot of updates over the past few years and (cross my fingers) I have not had any install problems to date, some times I reinstall older updates (2 or 3 revisions back) to compare to the latest update.  I will do this when I think I have lost something with the latest revision.

The system is robust enough to do it either way and if there is an issue I am sure that Greg would chime in and give us the official if it is different.

George

[sonar2000]

Ricky and George....good posts...

I thought about this for a bit and could not come up with a one way fits all right now..
If we look back over posts there are a number of postings with upgrading software.
Some have to do with locking up, some with hanging or freezing. some with unexpected results on operation after the upgrade. And it goes all across the spectrum of units..
I was trying to figure out if problems were also tied to waypoints on the upgrade card.
I could not find a common thread so far.
I do know that waypoint corruption has for some unknown reason surfaced and caused problems..
I saw some postings on downloading upgrades and something getting corrupted there also..
Also something to suspect is how a particular unit relates and responds to the different size and types of SD cards..
What really confuses me is that we have several other mfger's units and HB is the only one we have seen problems with upgrade issues...so dont know what that means..
I also saw that different HB units reacted somewhat differently on unsuccessful attempts...
It does make the process a bit difficult and not real user friendly especially for novice or new buyers trying to get confidence and experience..
Since the HB recommended sequence does not always work and since we have several other ways of making the upgrade go in it does present a problem for a common method.
I just dont know the answer that will apply to everyone all the time..

Hopefully guys like you will continue to support the forum and users in need of help with expert advice. We are seeing a lot of new registrants all the time so maybe the newbies will look upon this forum for advice and see what best fits.

I wish the suggested method in the book was golden but it is not so...lets be here for those who need assistance..

Chuck
 

[rnvinc]

I agree chuck...

We've all seen our share of good and bad in these units... Some explainable... Some not...

I like Itgeek's idea that a "powered on" unit is already stable before tasking the unit with a software update....

But then, a lot of the others also have very valid points for their chosen procedure method...

I think you are correct that the "golden" procedure just may not be known at this time....Sure would be convenient tho... (my OCD has trouble with unknowns...lol...)

Thanks for everyone's input...

It is my hope that this discussion can continue with new and insightful input until we can at least come to some kind of concensus...

Not as much for us that do this often.. But for the benefit of those new users who are so eager to have the "latest and greatest download" but so apprehensive to venture into such an unknown world of "is this update gonna lock up my unit...

Rickie

[ITGEEK]

I've updated both ways.  Boot up with the SD card in or
boot up, then put the SD card in.  Both ways seem to work OK.
No matter which way I update:

Everytime I do it, it makes me very nervous.
The thought of messing up a working unit because of some possible
improvements in an update is pretty scary stuff.  You have to have
a lot of faith that Humminbird did things right.

[sonar2000]

The last couple of releases went fine but I still have a little tummy upset when doing it..
As soon as the PC3 cable is available I will get one of those to be able to do a boot strap restore..

Chuck

[Moose1am]

I asked Humminbird Greg how to do these updates and followed his advice.  I would think that the Humminbird folks know how to update their units best.  But truth be told both ways work for most people.
I personally think that bad downloads cause more of the problems.  Lots of people down load these updates and don't give a though to the download process and assume that it's always perfect.  I can tell you from experience that all downloads are not going to download perfectly. Especially if you run a firewall or virus checking program in the back ground while you download files over the net.
I've been downloading files over the internet since 1998 and had more than my share of bad downloads in the beginning.  I use to run a clean PC and then ran a newer pc with Mc Afee running on it and had a few problems trying to download files.  I also ran Zone Alarm Pro for a while on another computer and was always told to turn off ZAP while downloading critical files.  Today I run a different virus checking and fire wall program and I disable it while downloading my new humminbird firmware updates.
Also I noticed while running the new 6.180 update that it said it was setting my unit to it's default setting during the update.  I had never noticed this happening before this update.  I had manually returned my unit to it's default settings right before I turned it off and inserted the updated software SDHC into my control head.  I've done it this way since I bought my 898 C SI unit and each and every update has installed flawlessly.  Just putting in my Two Cents one more time.

[6speedy3]

I am a Newbie. I purchased a 788 in 2010 and a 998 last year. I have not updated either one,precisely because there seems to be no consensus on how to do it safely. I had a bad experience with a Lowrance LCX25C update. I had some issues with a virus on my laptop, that I paid to get fixed but now I'm also leery of a corrupted file getting on the SD card. Whew, don't know which way to go! They both work now so I guess I'll wait and see.

[Moose1am]

One way to tell if your file is good or corrupted is to read the file size. If you download the file and it's file size is the same as what it's suppose to be it's more than likey A Ok.  Not every file is going to be corrupted.  I've had a few that I had to re download. That was back in the days when I was using dial up internet connections and it took two hours to download a file for a game I played.  As time went on the game developers made better software that helps the players download the files without so many problems.  So I based my comments about file corruption on those experiences.  I played that online game for over ten years and it was constantely being updated and improved over those ten years. So ever year or so we had to download new files to update the game. Very similar to whats going on with the humminbird units.  New software being delivered every few months or years.
Please don't be afraid of downloading these files.  Not all firewalls or virus software will make your files corrupted.  It just make good sense to avoid the posibility of this happening by disabling the fireware until the download is done.  My firewall is very easy to disable and re enable.  A couple of mouse clicks on the task bar and I can diable and reenable my firewall with ease.