(UN)Venting

     My Humminbird Chirp GPS G2 was runnin' crispy last week. Yesterday I was trying to power it up from a wall plug to update the software for whatever reason.  I've never done it.  It would not power up.  I tried another power source and same result.  I was considering a Navionics chip to put an end to the 50$ per year subscription on my phone which is not the greatest navigation tool.  Glare, small screen, falling eyes.  This is why I started an update step.  I think I found a card for 130$ ish.
      I had already built the courage to mansplain to my bride this potential purchase to alleviate this subscription fee then, the power malfunction.  I had bought 2 for 1 humminbird transducers off ebay for 90$ so it seems I'm all in with humminbird. 
     My lowrance hook4 functions for gps but the depth is not reading right or temp and a transducer for that is 130$ so I'm kinda shelving it until impulse buy.  I want to run the humminbird on the stealth and the Kraken for simplicity as the Lowrance was the Kraken unit.
     I pulled a frustrated mood before our walk and she asked if I was ok.  I kinda grunted and mentioned my new dilemma.  She has no clue to this mess of navigation and fish finding tech but I told her all the details as she said oh, oh, sounds like you've got to get it fixed.  Now the kicker. To repair this model plus shipping both ways $198.50! Kiss that Nav card goodbye for now.  Dang!  We made it through the conversation and the walk.  Phew!
     Not long ago humminbird sent me this unit to replace the same unit that I had sent in for repair.  I'm guessing within two years for sure.  I weighed scrapping humminbird and going with Garmin for a cheap stryker 4 unit but I'm not feeling having 3 varieties of a necessary evil.  My hook 4 was practically bullet proof back in the day.  10 years old.  I'm venting at sonar unit tech and suddenly having to kick down 200$ which is the price practically of a new unit.  Ugh....
     It's all wrapped up and ready to mail, it just feels redundant to go from crispy and solid last week to no power this week without any damage.  I even opened it up and fussed with the buttons looking for corrosion and it looked clean inside. 
     Oh well, I'm glad my bride is on an let's eat fish focus diet so this is simply part of the cost of what we do.  This is still 1st world convenience issues when I know many people are suffering.  I'm grateful to afford gas to get to our spots and a marriage that trusts the process.  I should probably reverse that last sentence.
    I think I feel better now.  Thanks team!

I feel ya, brother.  I think I've gone through around 15 to 20 sonar units over the years.  Currently I have a stack of the cheap-o Lowrance Hook 4x units, and of course I have more of the monitor part that work than the transducer part...  I'm a believer in staying with the cheapest sonar unit and having the navigation on a hand held unit, due to the inevitable death that will occur for all units at some point.

I see that Lowrance has the Hook 4x at $99.99 - https://www.lowrance.com/lowrance/type/fishfinders-chartplotters/hook2-4x-bullet-skimmer/?srsltid=AfmBOoopYJd7IGa46twZ9dFuIUYPL-DO_koPce3parshku2Sz5zzo6ZH

I'll probably buy a couple more this year...

As for the best navigation option, a guy at Shelter Cove showed me an extremely detailed bathymetry app that he had on his phone - I think it was Garmin.  I do feel like I need/want it, but I do fine without it too.

Best of luck!   

The cost of fish finders, including used ones on eBay, pretty much made me switch to the braille method, scraping the bottom with my rig until it finds a rock. It annoys me that so many sellers want to sell their used gear for a tiny percentage less than the cost of the same gear new off the shelf.

After wrecking my Striker 4 on the beach in Capitola with a wipeout, my fish finder days were over. It was kind of like having a companion on board, especially beeping away with the fish alarm on, and things did seem quiet and lonelier at first without one. No plans to get another one until I finally negotiate a motor boat purchase and go to the dark side.

Google maps is just really effective for locating reef spots in the Santa Cruz zone, Half Moon bay, etc particularly if you flag/label some prime spots for easier navigation, so the only thing I'm really missing out on is knowing when there's bait under the boat to go for. Like a fish finder though, live baits have been kind of a luxury item that I don't really need to be successful catching good fish.

One way to continue prepping wife ladies, particularly the CFO variety, for expensive fishing purchases is to make them aware of the market prices for fish you catch so they are reminded of the value you get out of your investment.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that skipping the electronics is very possible and you get to say you don't need no stinking fish finder. Also, it's nice having a more wide-open deck area with no head unit mucking things up and no battery to charge/stow.

Eddie, maybe try powering it with a different cable. I had a FF that kept turning off and after cutting the power cable noticed some corrosion under the cable sheet. I’ve since switched to marine cable and never had that same issue again. I was just using some cheap automotive cable before that.

I'm a BIG fan of Garmin fishfinders, as they've proven nigh-invulnerable for me. I don't do a lot of beach launches, but sailing on my AI almost always results in intense splashing, and that doesn't seem to phase a Garmin in the least. Of course, I have a simple model without many bells and whistles (color screen is about as high-tech as it gets on my unit, which is so old that it's not sold any more). But, all I need from my FF is to know the depth, my speed, and whether there is bait down there. I use my iPhone for any "necessary" bells and whistles...

     Thanks gents for the relating response and wisdom.  I keep the price per pound investment return option in the nuclear catagory.  It’s a kick to go blind and slay and I toil with that even now, especially the bait fish location love and temperature.  God gave us birds, surface flipping fish, and feasting activity as a fish finder for sure.
     Stacked head units that pile up!  Stay cheap!  I’m tryin’.  That’s a great testimony.  Hmmm…
     I’m commiting to “ONE MORE” tech repair ripoff and keeping my phone app for other details.  I’ll be sure to give stats for reports based on my FF.  I think I am growing to believe for the areas I know by triangulation and other location markers I can be in several zones im familiar with.  I’ll be going blind or “natural” until it returns.

I'm a BIG fan of Garmin fishfinders, as they've proven nigh-invulnerable for me. I don't do a lot of beach launches, but sailing on my AI almost always results in intense splashing, and that doesn't seem to phase a Garmin in the least. Of course, I have a simple model without many bells and whistles (color screen is about as high-tech as it gets on my unit, which is so old that it's not sold any more). But, all I need from my FF is to know the depth, my speed, and whether there is bait down there. I use my iPhone for any "necessary" bells and whistles...

Stryker 4?  Hmmm…like Eric, stay basic and I do have the Nav boating app on my phone which is excellent.

Eddie, maybe try powering it with a different cable. I had a FF that kept turning off and after cutting the power cable noticed some corrosion under the cable sheet. I’ve since switched to marine cable and never had that same issue again. I was just using some cheap automotive cable before that.

Yea, my power cables are solid.  I attempted to clean both ports and leads to no current.  I wish t I could find a cleaning tool for the tiniest female pin connectors.

Eddie, maybe try powering it with a different cable. I had a FF that kept turning off and after cutting the power cable noticed some corrosion under the cable sheet. I’ve since switched to marine cable and never had that same issue again. I was just using some cheap automotive cable before that.

Yea, my power cables are solid.  I attempted to clean both ports and leads to no current.  I wish t I could find a cleaning tool for the tiniest female pin connectors.

Welding torch cleaners will do the trick. You will need to snip the ends off.

Eddie, maybe try powering it with a different cable. I had a FF that kept turning off and after cutting the power cable noticed some corrosion under the cable sheet. I’ve since switched to marine cable and never had that same issue again. I was just using some cheap automotive cable before that.

Yea, my power cables are solid.  I attempted to clean both ports and leads to no current.  I wish t I could find a cleaning tool for the tiniest female pin connectors.

Welding torch cleaners will do the trick. You will need to snip the ends off.

Thanks Mark

Eddie, maybe try powering it with a different cable. I had a FF that kept turning off and after cutting the power cable noticed some corrosion under the cable sheet. I’ve since switched to marine cable and never had that same issue again. I was just using some cheap automotive cable before that.

Yea, my power cables are solid.  I attempted to clean both ports and leads to no current.  I wish t I could find a cleaning tool for the tiniest female pin connectors.

Use a small diameter drill bit, one that you van push in and turn a bit and go up and down with Worked for some time for me but I ended up just buying the female ends with wire attached from amazon.

Eddie, maybe try powering it with a different cable. I had a FF that kept turning off and after cutting the power cable noticed some corrosion under the cable sheet. I’ve since switched to marine cable and never had that same issue again. I was just using some cheap automotive cable before that.

Yea, my power cables are solid.  I attempted to clean both ports and leads to no current.  I wish t I could find a cleaning tool for the tiniest female pin connectors.

Use a small diameter drill bit, one that you van push in and turn a bit and go up and down with Worked for some time for me but I ended up just buying the female ends with wire attached from amazon.

Thanks Charles!  See ya’ on da wattah’!

Navionics on my phone changed my relationship to my fish finder. It went from an invaluable to nice to have, especially since the fish I target relate to bottom more than bait (find sand get halibut, find rocks get rockfish.)

That's going to change during salmon season. I'm staring at a screen a lot looking for those. What screen? I chose Garmin, I have a Striker on both my kayaks and a powerboat. I went all in on Garmin for better or for worse because if I needed to rob a power cable or screen the night before to have one working unit, I could. And I've had to do that twice because I've found the power cable and power cable fuse to be repeatedly problematic. No issues otherwise

My Lowrance Hook 5 kept powering off - bad connection - I thought it was at the unit and kept wiggling, and fiddling until I broke a pin. So I bought a new unit. Same problem! Turned out the bad connection was at my Noqua battery. I dissected it and the wire had a slice right near the unit. I was able to splice a repair, goop it and tape it all up and it has been working since. So I ruined a Hook 5 by trying to fix what wasn't broken. I'm thinking I can still work up a solder fix with dongle on it somehow if I ever need it.  I did need to buy a new transducer on my Outback though. It seems even the base separately-purchased transducers are better than the cheap included transducers.

Seems cheaper just to buy a whole new kit but switching brands is costly.

At this point I have two 4" Lowrance units that are compatible with each other. Total spent without batteries over 15 years of fish finders is about $300 and they are holding up despite the dunkings, flippings and  general abuse. Menus and such are confusing and one of the setups has some funky wires but once those fail I'll just swap in the less beat on set up. I feel like you don't need to be too attached or careful with these material items unless your buying the big screen big dollar fish finders.

Let's go fishing!