Lowrance H2O

[hitthebricks]

Whats with my H2O? Was getting my gear ready to go fishing and this thing can't seem to find any satellites. What's up?

HTB

[Tom7227]

You are experiencing what a huge percentage of Lowrance owners have encountered over the years. In fact you may own one of the last H2O's that was operable.

They just die like that. Call Lowrance and they'll tell you that they don't support or repair them any more.

Time for a new rig. Look at the Garmin line.

[hitthebricks]

Whats with that? Did they put a self destruct timer in them. My old Garmin 12 still works great but doesn't accept map chips. Does the newer garmins work with the navionic chips?

HTB

[LMITOUT]

Mine has done it from time to time. Try going into the satellite status menu and select "initialize GPS". The map should show up where you need to use the cursor keys to move the cursor to your approximate position and then you'll hit the Enter (ENT) key. This should help the unit find satellites and lock into your actual position.

Sometimes if you've traveled a fair distance from the last place you used it, it will have problems pinpointing your new location. The GPS in my boat does the same thing occasionally, but usually only if I'm many, many miles from the last place I had it turned on.

Still loving my H2O and wish they still made a similar product. With Lowrance-based waypoints and custom maps loaded onto my chip (which I transfer to my boat and vice versa) I will have a tough time looking at other manufacturer's until this finally bites the dust.

[sunniewally]

ya, they were nice gps, little bigger screen then most out now. unfortunately mine is on the bottom of minnewaska!!

[MN Mike]

unfortunately mine is on the bottom of minnewaska!!

[rockman]

I still have my H20c, bought in 2007, and have had zero problems with it. I got a 2nd H20c, a couple of years later, for a back up GPS. I haven't needed to use the 2nd one as a back up, yet. So far, so good.

[fishinnut_3446]

My H20c is still working great and hopefully years to come.

[WalleyeWarrior]

I have had this happen several times. When it does, I shut down the unit and bring it back up. A couple times I've had to do this multiple times, but (knock on wood) it has always ended up working.

[ozzie]

I have a H20 and H20c the c the last time didn't work but the regular model is still performing

[candiru]

I got an H2Oc in '06 I have not used it much the last few years but now it has stopped reading the chip.

[Boss Hogg]

My H20c worked fine, until it found itself underwater. The worst part was that it was still in my truck. Got caught in that flash flood in Duluth a few years back.

[solbes]

My H2Oc is still working great! It was my first GPS and opened up a whole new world for me. It must be 6 or 7 years old by now. I used it just this past weekend on the ice with my Navionics.

[bbfenatic]

I too have the H2OC and fortunately it is still hanging in there. Over 200 Waypoints for both summer and winter on the many lakes in the DL area so now I need to figure out how to save them on my PC so I have them to transfer to a new unit when this one gives out.....but hopefully it never does!

[Northlander]

Knock on wood my H2Oc is still working great. The charger cord sucks though.

[bigsam]

+1 on the cig lighter charger! I have burned many a fuse out of it! I have had no trouble with my H2O(b+w), and, only use the lithium batteries in it! Can use it for quite some time on those babies!

I just pray to God that it keeps going, had a heck of a time convincing the wife to let me buy it 5 years ago, don't know how I would get her to let me buy something new! LOL

[EmptyLiveWell]

I have one that has done the same thing, if rebooted it would work for a while. Then it got to the point it would only work in the fall when it was cold out, now it does not work at all!!!

[DRH1175]

I have the expedition c that I only use a handful of times each winter. The self distruct feature went off this year as well. when you try and turn it on the screen lights ups and then shuts off. What the heck is all I have to say. Now does one buy another Lowrance product which has good maps available or jump ship back to Garmin? I have a old Garmin that is close to 20 years old that still works great, and a Magellan that is close to 15 that also still works.

[hitthebricks]

I fired it up again and it found the satelites this week and was reading the Nav chip that was in it at that time, Yahoo

Hope it keeps on working!!!!!!

Thanks HTB

[harvey lee]

My H20 is still going strong. Had a issue with it in the first year but been great the last. 6-7 years or however old it is. One may still b able to find the 12v chargers. I found a rep that had some and got 4 of them a year or so ago, he had them just lying around. Gave one away to a HSOer. Great little unit if you got a good one.

[Fishaholic2011]

I have 2 simple tips.

1. If I'm traveling a good distance, I turn the gps on in the truck and leave it on till I hit my destination. This has eliminated the unit from having trouble locking in.

2. At the end of each ice season I save all waypoints and icons to a chip so that when the unit eventually fails I only lose the info from that season. I do the same with the units in my boat each fall.

[Weissguy]

Fishaholic2011,

How do save those to a chip? I have always had the concern that when mine dies I will lose all my info. Is there special software necessary to do this?

Thanks,

[LMITOUT]

No special software required. Navigate the menus and look for an option to transfer data. You may have to be in the 'advanced' menus to do this...don't recall exactly.

[DRH1175]

Quote:

2. At the end of each ice season I save all waypoints and icons to a chip so that when the unit eventually fails I only lose the info from that season. I do the same with the units in my boat each fall.

Fishaholic I only wish I would have read this last year. It worked great last year. This year it will not turn on. I am bummed because my waypoints are lost!

[eyesonly]

I think I will cry when my H2oc Dies.

[hamms-scooter]

My H20 is still going strong. Had a issue with it in the first year but been great the last. 6-7 years or however old it is. One may still b able to find the 12v chargers. I found a rep that had some and got 4 of them a year or so ago, he had them just lying around. Gave one away to a HSOer. Great little unit if you got a good one.

My car adapter died a couple years ago eats batteries like crazy. I try to keep the light off when possible wish I had gotten b&w one easier on battery use