Humminbird Help!

[Whopper Stopper]

I have a question for you Humminbord guys. I recently bought a 597 ci HD DI combo unit. I bought it on 4-14 and due to work and the weather I never got a chance to use it until a couple of weeks ago. Now I am trying to make sure it works as good as it is capable of before returning it by the 14th of this month.

First problem I had was electrical interference. I talked to Humminbird and the eventually sent me another power cord with a filter in it. I tried it yesterday and finally my locator and trolling motor both work at the same time.

Another problem which is now one of my main ones it is seems the 597 can’t process the info off the map chip without continually “loading the charts” which caused a very frustrating 8-12 second lag time. The lake info disappears off the locator until it can process, then it reappears until you either zoom out or in again and then have to again sit through the lag time. I also notice when I am going across the lake that if I am zoomed into say 200 feet the locator can’t keep up and eventually all it will show is my position on an all white back ground. If I stop it will again reappear after the needed lag time to update the info.

I talked to Humminbird again yesterday and yes they are nice, but what they told me left me wondering about there reps.. The lady said that my latest $120, Lakemaster Humminbird version 2 is so full of information that the unit has a hard time keeping up with it all. I asked what I was supposed to do and she said there isn’t anything I can do. I asked if they would send me a chip that would work and she said there isn’t anything wrong with my current chip, it just has too much info on it. I said there is something either wrong with the chip or the unit if it’s microprocessor is to slow to keep up. She said “no, everything is working fine. ???????

This all left me two steps below upset. Also it seems the GPS part of the combo has a hard time staying locked on to my position. Trying to follow contour lines going course up is impossible. It always has me chasing to stay on the depth I am after. Basically until I fire up the big motor or put the trolling motor on high I can’t follow anything straight.

How do the bigger Humminbird unit treat everyone? I very much like the down imaging. At $650 this isn’t a cheap unit. Do you think I just have a bad one or should I try to spend a little more and get a better unit. I am just looking for some advice. After years of Lorance this isn’t what I expected.

Thanks for any replies!

WS

[CAMAN]

She is correct, the processor is too slow for the new versions of Map Chips with all the information they have to gather. Especially on the High Definition lakes, and I'd assume you were on one (probably Forest Lake) with the lag you were experiencing. Jumping up to the 798 (or higher) will reduce that lag as you go bigger.

One thing to try, though I'm not familiar with that unit is changing the settings to show less information in the map. I'm not sure if that's even possible on that unit, but its something to look into.

[Jarrod32]

I have the same unit, and the same issues. Though the lag time when reloading maps is not quite 8-12 seconds. And I only have that issue when I change the view or zoom in/out.

As for showing the course, I have the same problem. At low speeds, it jumps between showing my actual course and showing a due north course. But zoom in, and you can see an accurate trail of your path and can easily see your course that way.

I have wondered, however, if there is an external GPS receiver that would help this issue?

[Tator2k]

I have the same problem with the new lakemaster chip with a 788c but I typically haven't seen the gps keeping up issue. I want my 2007 Hot maps chip back.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I know the new 788ci hd has a faster processor then the older ones. I have one that I bought last december that hasn't been opened yet. I think I will return it for the new model because of this.

[harvey lee]

My 798 and 998 both work fine. No speed issues at all. I own numerous Lakemaster chips and I also have Nav info loaded in the units. My Minnesota LM chip is a 2011 chip. The 2010 chips work fine also.