Winter and my Humminbird..... - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

peguinpower · 02-15-2010, 06:26 PM

When I went to LJ last week, my fish finder fogged up. Worked ok, besides that I could hardly see the screen.

Well, I used it today and its fried. It didnt power up, or just had an all black screen. Later in the day, after the sun had heated it up, it turned on but was utterly useless except for depth readings.

Its out of warranty, so I opened it up today, soaked it in formalin (used to clean electronics in factories) and am letting it dry. Have my fingers crossed.

Anybody else having condensation problems?

/bing

Fiskadoro · 02-15-2010, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peguinpower

When I went to LJ last week, my fish finder fogged up. Worked ok, besides that I could hardly see the screen.

Well, I used it today and its fried. It didnt power up, or just had an all black screen. Later in the day, after the sun had heated it up, it turned on but was utterly useless except for depth readings.

Its out of warranty, so I opened it up today, soaked it in formalin (used to clean electronics in factories) and am letting it dry. Have my fingers crossed.

Anybody else having condensation problems?

/bing

Should of got a Garmin

peguinpower · 02-15-2010, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Day

Should of got a Garmin

*&%$#@!

I had a Garmin and liked it. Just dont like those needle pins in the back. Broke them once, and gave up on Garmin. When they start using quick release base mounts, only then can they have me back as an FF client

dsafety · 02-15-2010, 07:00 PM

I have had a little fogging in my brand new Humminbird Matrix 12 but the screen cleared as soon as the unit warmed up. I store the head in a a gear bag and there could have been some significant differences in temp and humidity that needed to get adjusted.

I have experienced a bigger problem the last couple of trips however and I wonder if anyone else has seen this one. The unit works fine for a while and then suddenly shows the depth to be 1.2 ft., the same reading that I get when the FF is turned on out of the water. Restarting the device does not fix anything but after a while, for no apparent reason, it works again.

The only thing that I can come up with that may be a contributing factor is that the problem seems to occur when I pass over the canyon with depths of 500 feet or more. When I get back to 100 ft. depths, the thing works again.

This unit has a max depth of 800 feet. My previous, less expensive Hummingbird unit never had this problem. I called Humminbird and they suggested that I set the max depth to the range where I typically fish. Currently I have it on auto. I will give that a try with a 200 ft. max.

Has anyone else experienced this problem.

Bob

yakrider · 02-15-2010, 07:35 PM

one word!

Lowrance

sorry Bing...
couldn't help myself

GregAndrew · 02-15-2010, 07:49 PM

dsafety, I have the same problem. You only have 800 ft range in ideal circumstance (perfectly clear water, etc.). So when my fish finder loses the bottom it reads like yours until it finds the bottom again.

Nice to see you out there today Bing. Like I was telling you, my 580 screen was fogging, so I sent it back and they replaced the back of the case. And it fogged right back up on the first use. Mine does some weird chit, but so far (knock on wood) it is still working. Did you buy your unit on a credit card that might have extended your warranty? I have gotten a few breaks because of that.

GregAndrew · 02-16-2010, 12:10 PM

I am going to pick up a couple of those packets and throw em in after doing the hair dryer trick. Hopefully that will last for a while. What type of tape did you use for the housing Bing?

02-15-2010, 06:26 PM	#1
peguinpower bing! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: socal Posts: 246	Winter and my Humminbird..... When I went to LJ last week, my fish finder fogged up. Worked ok, besides that I could hardly see the screen. Well, I used it today and its fried. It didnt power up, or just had an all black screen. Later in the day, after the sun had heated it up, it turned on but was utterly useless except for depth readings. Its out of warranty, so I opened it up today, soaked it in formalin (used to clean electronics in factories) and am letting it dry. Have my fingers crossed. Anybody else having condensation problems? /bing

02-15-2010, 07:00 PM	#4
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,121	I have had a little fogging in my brand new Humminbird Matrix 12 but the screen cleared as soon as the unit warmed up. I store the head in a a gear bag and there could have been some significant differences in temp and humidity that needed to get adjusted. I have experienced a bigger problem the last couple of trips however and I wonder if anyone else has seen this one. The unit works fine for a while and then suddenly shows the depth to be 1.2 ft., the same reading that I get when the FF is turned on out of the water. Restarting the device does not fix anything but after a while, for no apparent reason, it works again. The only thing that I can come up with that may be a contributing factor is that the problem seems to occur when I pass over the canyon with depths of 500 feet or more. When I get back to 100 ft. depths, the thing works again. This unit has a max depth of 800 feet. My previous, less expensive Hummingbird unit never had this problem. I called Humminbird and they suggested that I set the max depth to the range where I typically fish. Currently I have it on auto. I will give that a try with a 200 ft. max. Has anyone else experienced this problem. Bob

02-15-2010, 07:35 PM	#5
yakrider Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 611	one word! Lowrance sorry Bing... couldn't help myself

02-15-2010, 07:49 PM	#6
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	dsafety, I have the same problem. You only have 800 ft range in ideal circumstance (perfectly clear water, etc.). So when my fish finder loses the bottom it reads like yours until it finds the bottom again. Nice to see you out there today Bing. Like I was telling you, my 580 screen was fogging, so I sent it back and they replaced the back of the case. And it fogged right back up on the first use. Mine does some weird chit, but so far (knock on wood) it is still working. Did you buy your unit on a credit card that might have extended your warranty? I have gotten a few breaks because of that.

02-16-2010, 12:10 PM	#7
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	I am going to pick up a couple of those packets and throw em in after doing the hair dryer trick. Hopefully that will last for a while. What type of tape did you use for the housing Bing?