Problem with MarCum VX-1

[notsogoodfisherman]

I have a MarCum VX-1 and took it out of the garage for the first time this season. I turned it on and it didn't do a thing other than show the red hash light at the top of the interface. I recharged the battery and now no lights come on the unit but the drum inside does spin.

first question, is Marcum technologies still in business? I called their Monticello number listed in the white pages and received a "number is no longer active" message.

second question and this one is a [PoorWordUsage] shoot, is this problem I described potentially cheaper to fix than it would be buying a new unit, like a Vexilar FL-8?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Dave]

Yes, Marcum is til in business and they never were in Monticello. Better verify your battery is indeed good and check the power connections first.

[notsogoodfisherman]

The battery is good as the wheel inside spins as it is suppose to. The unit is receiving power. The lights do not come on however rendering it useless. Any other suggestions?

Do you happen to have MarCum's customer service number or address?

[Caleb S]

I would try hooking it to another power source before you send it anywhere. Sounds like you have a bad connection or the battery is shot.

[snoozebutton]

Do you happen to have MarCum's customer service number or address?

866-777-0733

[Ed Carlson]

A Marcum flasher will not work well, or as intended, if the voltage is 10 V or below. It may spin, but not have enough snoose-juice to read or process the signal.

Quick way to be sure, hook it up to a known good 12 V source and see if the unit will read now.

The battery if not well maintained may take up to 6 days to fully recharge if it was drained dead, if it is indeed still good.

Charge it warm, allow it time to reach room temp. Use a "Smart Charger System". Start the charger and check it over the next few days and see if it is up to par.

If the battery is indeed shot, I recommend replacing it with at least a 9 amp 12 V battery.

Recharge after every use, allowing for warm up time, and do a maintance charge at least every 2 months while in storage.

[fishtrap3]

Ok maybe this is a dumb question BUT DID you have it on the lake.. (You just state you took it out of the garage..)

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Thats what I was going to say...

did you put the transducer in water? If not try that.

[FISHINGURU]

yeah it gets tough to read fish at your house sometimes lol

[Dave]

He'll still get color flashes out of water. Oh, and make sure the gain is up if you're not in water.