Returned Hummingbird Ice 45

[Hunter21]

Well I was very happy with my Ice 45 till after 3 weeks I started having electrical issues. Screen would flicker while in use, Voltage would flash after 2 hours use on full battery I would hit the battery meter and it would read 0% battery left.... So on that note I returned it this afternoon and exchanged it for a FL-12 Tri Beam.

[MuleShack]

Maybe you got a bad battery instead of a bad unit?

I bought a battery up north a few weeks ago and only get 3 hours off of it before needing recharge on marcum.

They do funny stuff with a bad battery.

[Hunter21]

I tried 3 different batteries and then tried a brand new one at the store when returning. That was the first thing I thought of was battery, I was hoping it was that but no luck..

[bobbymalone]

i probably would have switched brands if i was in your shoes, but that said, there are always gonna be a few products out of the bunch that are lemons. read the thread about someone having problems with vex's tri beam. it's part of life. plenty of folks are happy with their bird flashers.

[iffwalleyes]

Well I think you went backward with your decision. The FL 12 doesn't have a zoom does it? Did you contact Humminbird CS? I had a very slight issue with my 55 and they told me exactly what I needed to do and it fixed it without me even having to send it in. I have used all of the depth finders out there and right now I don't think there is anything better than an LX-5 or the Ice 55. Although with your vex you have a solid performer. But to each their own.

[Hunter21]

I went with the FL 12 like you said solid performance. I called Hummingbird CS and they said I can either send it in or return it to store. I will give hummingbird one more shot but I think I will be going with the Ice 55 and buy it as a back up. Just ordered a 7x23 Wheel house so I would like to have 2 in it. Overall the Zoom was amazing and the Huge screen are the 2 things that sold me on Hummingbird. I guess we will see down the road I guess.

[harvey lee]

As stated above, one can get a bad unit from any company. From what I have heard in the past, Humminbird has taken care of any warranty issues asap. Yes, there are times when they need to go back to be repaired. I am sure Bird and the other flasher companies wish there were no returns but they are selling a electronic unit.

I love my Ice55.

[Esox_Magnum]

I also agree you went down in the exchsange, I ran a 12 in my shack 1 season and wasnt impressed at all. I haven't owned a Bird yet but would have tried another before going to a Vex.

[jwmiller33]

humminbird has great customer service. my cable going from the battery to the unit was starting to go bad, and some of the wire was exposed and causing the unit to turn off sometimes when i was using it. called humminbird and that day they shipped out a new power cord and it was on my door step 2 days later. great customer service, you just have to give them a call

[Jim Uran]

I'm on year 8 or 9 with my vex FL-8 and am impressed with the durability of it. Solid performance is right, When I decide to upgrade, I will be getting a Humminbird also.

[rodmoen]

ICE 55 as a backup to an fl-12?? thats not awesome logic. having used both the ice 55 will blow the doors off your vex, and this is from a Marcum guy..

[irishwalleye]

Only issue with my ICE 45 so far is sometimes the depth indicator in the center only say 1.2' while the outer ring is displaying correctly.

Otherwise, best unit I own.

[NoWiser]

I've heard of quite a few problems with the birds compared to the other brands. Just last week my friend's decided to [PoorWordUsage] out on him. Called Humminbird and its going to cost him $165.00 to fix and he has no flasher for the next couple of weeks. Thats after using it a grand total of about 8 times. Don't get me wrong, I love the Humminbird 1197 I have on my boat, but I think their flashers need a little work.

[Hunter21]

ICE 55 as a backup to an fl-12?? thats not awesome logic. having used both the ice 55 will blow the doors off your vex, and this is from a Marcum guy..

Using the word back up wasn't the correct choice, what I should have done was just go to the Ice 55 Im gonna give bird another shot I just didn't wanna be going back and forth if I did have issues. Hummingbird CS was awesome they knew what the issue was and said I would need to send it in or return to store for a new one. Also the store I bought this Ice 45 at said it was the 4th one they had that had the same issue so maybe a bad batch? I'm not bashing Bird by any means.

[harvey lee]

It's the nature of electronics. Vexilar has had those issues also and from time to time they all do as we are dealing with electronics.

Not that long ago MarCum if I remember had issues with their transducers.

One has to hope that whomever's product you use, that they will fix the needed issue as quick as possible.

It's all about customer service.

[fishwater]

Exactly, with companies like Vexilar leading the way in customer commitment and service, it'd be suicide for a competing flasher company to attempt to Navico their customers..

[Dry_Fly]

I agree having both a LX5 and a Ice55 as a back up unit. My first choice would be the LX5. I had a FL22 this year also JUNK is all I will say, sold it to a friend (SORRY). Hbird is alright but IMO still doesn't compare to the LX5. Don't like the zoom as well needs some work if you ask me. Has good color and seperation makes a good second unit.

[Scott Steil]

No matter what brand you buy you are going to have issues. You had a great unit with your Humminbird ICE-45 and as others have said, took a step backwards by going with the 12. Your problem was an internal electrical problem that was going to require a new unit to be sent. If you have ever dealt with Humminbird Customer Service you would have wished you had never changed brands. But, to each their own. Humminbird has an excellent product that uses some of the latest technology to give you some options on ice that no one can.

As for the person getting the reading 1.2 feet you can fix that by not fishing in the "A" mode and make sure your transducer is clean on the bottom and below the bottom of the ice. You are getting a reading off the ice. If you do the above, your inside scale will read correctly.