Lowrance Shallow issues

[JRedig]

So I bought a 520C this year and now as weeds are growing up, i'm getting the issue of it flashing the depth in any water under 15 feet where weed growth is present. Elsewhere on the internet people are experiencing the same problem and having a difficult time getting Lowrance to acknowledge it.

Is anyone here seeing this problem?

-Jeff

[HugoBox]

Hi Jeff -

I think you saw the same thing in my boat. I wouldn't be so frustrtated, but once you leave the weedy shallows it seems to take the unit a bit of time to work properly again. I'm not glad others are having the same problem, but I was assuming I had the setting wrong.

-erik

[The Dogger]

Try reducing ping speed and in the Sonar Features page: Select chart manual mode (then you will have to select depth range with ZIN and ZOUT), and also put the surface clarity and noise rejection to OFF or LOW. These all helped alot. Lowrance is suppose to come out with a 2.4 Version update to fix this.

[JRedig]

Try reducing ping speed and in the Sonar Features page: Select chart manual mode (then you will have to select depth range with ZIN and ZOUT), and also put the surface clarity and noise rejection to OFF or LOW. These all helped alot. Lowrance is suppose to come out with a 2.4 Version update to fix this.

I've done all those things at the suggestion from another site, it still flashes. What i'm seeing on the graph itself is much better to read, but it still "zones out" in the shallow's. I heard it's a known software issue, what I don't like hearing is that it may cost to upgrade to the 2.4 when it comes out.

Erik, it's not just your unit/settings...there's a big thread on muskiefirst.com about it.

-Jeff

[nater]

I get that same problem.

After reading this, I was wondering if you guys experience this as well. I picked up a M68C and when I get over about 15mph or so it doesn't read the depth accurately until I slow down. Other then that it works fine. I thought these could handle high speeds.

Is that an adjustment to the height of the transducer or some other setting?

[JRedig]

I get that same problem.

After reading this, I was wondering if you guys experience this as well. I picked up a M68C and when I get over about 15mph or so it doesn't read the depth accurately until I slow down. Other then that it works fine. I thought these could handle high speeds.

Is that an adjustment to the height of the transducer or some other setting?

I get that too, but reading up on their HSOforum, sounds like that's interference from being mounted too close to the prop and too high on the hull. THe transducer needs to be a minimum of a foot from the lower unit and not inline with any of the ribs in the hull of an aluminum boat. I'll be repositioning mine tonight to see if it goes away.

HTH

-Jeff

[cjac]

Dogger: Sounds like JRedig has you on the right track, my guess is its the transducer placement or even the angle it's at.

Lowrance unit issues: There are some issues, and from what I've heard no real easy solutions. All these resets, adjusts, manual modes, etc, and then needing to clear it out by heading over deep water is a pain. I've not had first hand experience, but from the sounds getting a hold of the customer service is a pain too.

[muskiedreams]

I had the same problems with the 112 I had it updated and it still did the same thing. Turn your ping speed all the way up set your water limits at 20 feet and bring your sensitivity way down around 50% or lower use the fresh water setting. keep your sensitivity screen up and mess with it when you are over weeds some times when you are in the thick slop it will pick up the top of the weeds as the bottom. also turn noise rejection off surface clarity off hope fully this helps

[cjac]

For $2000 you shouldn't have to be doing all that tinkering!

[MUSKY18]

Nater:

If you are losing your depth reading once you get up on plane and speed, check the setting mentioned above, especially about the ribs under the boat. I was having this same problem last summer and the fix ended up being very simple. Take your transducer and angle it one click down from level. Sounds funny, but I did it and now I read at high speeds. Of course high speeds for me is only 40-42mph.

[JRedig]

FWIW, i've tried positions both up and down on my transducer and it doesn't change the reading. It loses depth over 18 mph no matter what. Hence why i'm repositioning mine.

Chris, you hit the nail right on the head. I didn't spend $2k, but there's no way i should have to change those settings everytime i go into shallow water. The way I fish, i'd spend all my time on the electronics. I'm in and out of shallow and deep constantly. Automatic should be just that, automatic. FWIW, i've changed all those settings and played around a lot, it gets better but still flashes and loses "connection". Not fun at all.

[nater]

Yeah, I'm sure its not inline with any ribs and I thought I made it lined up just below the hull like suggested. I'll have to check the distance from prop and its angle. If its just a angle issue that would be great. We'll see...

Nate

[10,000 Casts]

The 2.3 update has some new depth features. i.e. shallow, general use and so on. It has helped. It seems to be the best solution so far.

There are quite a few theories on why they have the depth issues but no one really knows, I don't think that Lowrance even knows.

[10,000 Casts]

Quote:

FWIW, i've tried positions both up and down on my transducer and it doesn't change the reading. It loses depth over 18 mph no matter what. Hence why i'm repositioning mine.

Mine was doing that to. The HST WSBL transducer has quite a few problems. Is there anywhere on the ducer cable where there is a kink such as nect to the bracket? That seems to make them go bad a lot faster. I found out that is was my ducer after I pulled up to a total stranger that was walleye fishing (they have plenty of time on there hands while in the boat ) and asked him to hook my depthfinder to his connections and take a quick cruise while I did the same with his. He did my depthfinder ran fine on his ducer and his couldn't run on mine.

[JRedig]

John, that's a good idea. No kinks.

Tonight I moved the transducer out about 8 inches so it's now a solid 20 inches from the engine. It's just above the bottom of the boat and it's now in between the ribs. Same result. Over 18mph no depth regardless of the angle of the transducer, I tried clicks in 4 positions on each side of level.

Maybe i'll call lowrance and sit on hold for two days to see if I get anywhere. I just bought this thing from a small shop about a month ago, i can't believe it would need a software update.....

[10,000 Casts]

Quote:

Maybe i'll call lowrance and sit on hold for two days to see if I get anywhere.

email them and tell them to call your cell phone. I did that and they got back to me in about an hour.

Quote:

John, that's a good idea. No kinks

Reps from Lowrance have said that they think it could be the fact that the transducer cord is to thick and when it is coiled up in the packaging it is breaking.

As far as Updates go, I agree but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. You'll need to stay on the current updates anyway so you don't ever skip one. Otherwise down the road you'll have to find the one you missed.

[DeBo101]

I'm considering just removing the depth from the overlay data on my 520. It flashes all the time when over weeds but the screen continues to scroll and if you have the depth scale up you can tell how deep you are. Seems like it is definately a software issue on my unit. Sometimes over deep water the depth will continue to flash but I can still watch the bottom continue to scroll. And I know that depth is accurate because I have a lakemaster chip and it happens fishing familiar waters.

I really would hate to start messing with updates as the waypoint sharing between my 520 up front and the 5200 at the helm is working now. My 510 doesn't have near as many problems in the weeds as the 520. Pretty much need to be over an extremely dense close to the surface weed bed for it to start flashing the depth.

I run my sonars in manual with fixed depth ranges based on the water I am fishing and fairly low sensitivity. Disabling the noise rejection on my 520 did help as well.

[Quackaddict9]

Guys with just the GPS units, you have any problems at all?

[minnesotamusky]

Yeah, I have a 522 with the internal gps. I have the same problems as everyone else here.

[Musky Joe]

I have 2 520C's and they do the same thing over deep water. I think it is the transducer. I installed the 2.3 version(most recent)software on both units and it didn't change anything using that transducer. It did improve the performance in shallow weeds using the trolling motor transducer. I now need to be in very thick weeds under 4' of water to loose signal.

[slimerg0d]

I have a 522c with the internal as well and it's doing the same thing for me. Seems worse when it's really windy and we are in 6 feet or less water. Sucks big time.

[CustomRodFan]

I have the 37c with the same issues. My problem is it "locks" on a certain depth and there it will sit. It was new last year. Brought it back to the dealer and they said Lowrance knew about about and wanted it back for the fix. So, I waited until fishing was over and sent it back. Got it late last fall and put it on the shelf until this spring. Same stuff all over again. Back to the dealer I go and they say I shoud deal directly with Lowrance.... HHmmmmm. Almost 2 grand on a unit with another 34 grand with boat and motor and they tell me to deal direclty with the manf... So, I sent an email to Lowarance and it is now 2 weeks and nothing. Glad in one regard to find this post as I thought I was alone!!!

It is not a mounting issue. It is not a rib issue. It is not a transducer issue. It is inside the unit.

Nobody should have to munk around with manual over rides. Its got an on and off button for a reason. It bites tryng to hold structure in 10 fow and have it lock up only to wake up some several seconds or minutes later and find your out in 30 feet.

So, is there a local manf rep?

[cjac]

I'll ask around and see what I can find out.

My old standby X91 with the Lowrance H2O on the dash and the Velixar on the bow don't make me feel so bad anymore....

[JRedig]

I monkeyed around with the transducer again this morning, nothing seems to get it to read over 18mph. I'm stumped. Seriously considering returning the unit at this point, this is all pretty silly for as long as they've been doing this. The unit this replaced ALWAYS worked and never flinched and it was less than $100 and did 90% of the same stuff.

-Jeff