Ultrex Caution

[Fidgetcranker]

Thanks for the heads up. Never would have thought of that.
Most of the time I don't even put my butt seat & post in.
That could have gone all bad. Glad you're fine.

[Chautauquanuy]

Great point. My first boat had a hand controlled trolling motor. I had a few close calls of being tossed out of the boat with the hand control on. My boat would of continued on if I hit the drink. Us old guys remember the first hand controlled trolling motors. But many have only owned boats with for controlled TM. I have never seen a kill switch on a TM.

[akaslyguy]

I have been using the belt clip that came with my Ultrex controller..... and your situation makes it sound like an even better idea to do that. But if I had fell in..... I'm not sure I would have thought to use it

[TMG]

I know that's true about gps..
So; for us slow folks-- how many years ago and who was the first to use gps spot lock on a trolling motor?
I'm pretty sure I had one of the first trolling mtrs with auto pilot.. But it did not use gps or a chart. Even though I had them.

No body said anything about people being slow.
I have no idea idea how long they have been around. The link is newer just like you already know.
Spot lock and heading lock have been around alot longer again as you already know.

[SoonerFan]

I guess i cant say I wasn't warned. Anybody ever read this before?

[juhealy]

Good story of caution ... I clicked on because I was getting ready to get an ultrex

but so many trolling motors have auto pilot now it's a cautionary tell for many models not just ultrex

This doesn't just affect the auto pilot mode. This can happen if you just have an old Maxxum with the switch on continous. The auto pilot mode doesn't introduce anything new here.

[berudd]

Active RFID with a medium range, say 5 meters, would work quite well. The tag could be incorporated in to the remote with the troller reading the signal. Since RFID will not transmit under water, at the frequency it uses, it would immediately kill the troller if you fell overboard.

It's very cheap to implement as well. Really, you could design a add-on for existing models that would interrupt the trollers power source, like an RFID actuated relay.

That sounds like the best option but I'd still say that losing signal sends it into spot lock mode. If it just shut off is would drift considerably while you try to catch it.

[TMG]

This doesn't just affect the auto pilot mode. This can happen if you just have an old Maxxum with the switch on continous. The auto pilot mode doesn't introduce anything new here.

Well now your just being crazy

[TMG]

Well now your just being crazy

Serious you have to pay attention. I'm guilty of looking at my graph while moving right along.

[SoonerFan]

Back when my kids were kids and they'd spill their milk or scratch the furniture or any of a million things kids do; they'd always say, "It was an accident". To which I would always reply, "There's no just thing as accident...only the results of carelessness". I don't think they ever understood what I was trying to say.

[Obsessed]

Glad you are okay.

I thought some time ago, before I got my 'auto' driving trolling motor that there will be some oops' arise. Kind of like when the guys used to run at night following their GPS on the depth finders and run across a point that was too shallow due to lake being down. We are going to have to be cognizant of our surroundings or we may get wet! I hadn't thought about it, but the boat will just keep going too....

I have already had mine try to kick me out when I pressed the 'go' button on the pendant without looking at the motor....it was almost on high and I had left it turned just about 90 degrees from straight.......

[fishnfireman]

This doesn't just affect the auto pilot mode. This can happen if you just have an old Maxxum with the switch on continous. The auto pilot mode doesn't introduce anything new here.

Nothing new ??? Still having trouble with that statement !!
Would love to see anyone with a simple constant switch-- on a windy day - point there boat towards a distant hump and take there foot off the peddle and see how close they come to that hump. Odds are you will just go in a circle.
Auto pilot will automatically make course adjustments to keep you headed in the same direction while you stand flat footed and cast... Nope nothing new there.

[nitroDVD]

Good thing this didn't turn out for the worse for you. But i have to say, trolling in heavy structure or cover i wouldn't run my TM on auto just for the fact that that TM will run into anything and could seriously have some consequences. But, i am laughing with you, this would be funny to watch.

[SoonerFan]

Good thing this didn't turn out for the worse for you. But i have to say, trolling in heavy structure or cover i wouldn't run my TM on auto just for the fact that that TM will run into anything and could seriously have some consequences. But, i am laughing with you, this would be funny to watch.

This wasn't even the worst thing that happened to me that day....my buddy beat me 7 to 0.

[terry5357]

A pot lock can make some pretty drastic moves when you're not expecting it. I never use the auto stuff, just the spot Lock. I've hit the spot Lock and went and changed or replace the bait I was using and the spot Lock has made some pretty serious moves, fortunately I was sitting down.

[fishnfireman]

A pot lock can make some pretty drastic moves when you're not expecting it. I never use the auto stuff, just the spot Lock. I've hit the spot Lock and went and changed or replace the bait I was using and the spot Lock has made some pretty serious moves, fortunately I was sitting down.

HMMM !! Never seen that with the ones I've had... When making adjustments even in the wind it starts out slow then builds power. Not like hitting the button on high with the motor turned.

[jigman51]

Good to know!