Topic: 797 Blacking Out

[Steve Aschenbrenner]

If anyone can help me with this problem I would be truly grateful. I have a 797 series and since day one it has a tendancy to black out (switch off) intermittantly. I can turn the unit on again straight away but a minute or two later switches off again. Very frustrating especially if I am using and relying on the gps. At first I thought it might be from rough conditions and the unit not being able to handle the pounding but I discovered it would do the same thing in relatively calm conditions also. When the water is like glass I don't seem to have any problems.  I then thought it might be loose wiring connections so I had that checked and all seemed ok there. I know this type of equipment can be sensitive but this is beyond a joke and is starting to do my head in. Please if anyone can help it would really make my day. Thanks. 

[ITGEEK]

1) Have you fully charged your battery and load tested it?
2) On the battery that your sonar is hooked to, is there anything else
hooked to that battery, like your main engine?
If so, when you start the engine, the battery draw may make your
unit cut off.
If possible, have your sonar hooked to it's own battery.  It doesn't have to be a big battery.

3)You may try bending the connectors out a little on the power cable.
DON'T bend both of them at the same time or you will blow a fuse.
Even a slight jolt could jiggle the the power cable enough to cut off the unit.

4)One other thing that might be happening.  You could have some debris in your power button.
Take a plastic (not wood, it could break), toothpick and insert it in the slot around your
power button and see if there is anything in there.  I had some debris in mine that
caused the power button to stick.

Good Luck.

[Irishrover]

Do you have your unit hooked up w/3 amp in line fuse straight to your battery? This is what Humminbird suggests when hooking up your unit to your power  source.

[ITGEEK]

That's the way I have mine wired.
I have a small battery that ONLY the sonar is hooked to.
I have absolutely no interference issues.

[Steve Aschenbrenner]

Thanks guys, I do have all accessories hooked up to the one battery but I have gone to extensive length and trouble to have really good wiring setup including a waterproof sealed fusebox and each accessory has its own individual fuse. I do believe I have a 3w fuse running with the sonar. Looks like I may have to go with the alternative battery option and or maybe bending the connectors.

[frystars]

That's the way I have mine wired.
I have a small battery that ONLY the sonar is hooked to.
I have absolutely no interference issues.

ITGEEK, when you say smaller battery do you mean like the ones you use for vexillars or a regular 12 volt marine battery?

[ITGEEK]

I have a small and light weight marine 12-volt battery for the sonar.
I thinks it's a U-1, with 31 amp hours.
It's smaller than a group 24.

[Brian Rakochy]

I have the exact thing happening to me.  At first I thought it was from rough water but it happens all the time once the boat is over 20 mph.