Originally Posted by
gte331r
Need some help as stuck between dealer and Lowrance.
BACKGROUND:
I have a HDS12 (Gen 3) and HDS9 (Gen 3) that came with my new 2017 Ranger 520C (I'm the original owner). My HDS9 works perfectly (mounted at bow). I leave it on the entire time fishing (10+ hrs) and never have a problem. My HDS12 (mounted in console), on the other hand, has always had this issue from day one.
ISSUE:
The HDS12 will restart on its own. Then on the "accept" button page after restarting, it will lock-up for a minute or two before you can even press "accept" (frozen otherwise). After allowed to press "accept", all is well again... until it restarts again after an hour or two. It happens roughly every 2 on the water. The earliest it has ever happened was about 30 minutes after initially turning on.
CONCERN:
While it hasn't happened yet, the concern is that it goes out while running. I did have it happen once right before blast off as boat numbers were being called! (that was the 30 minute occurrence). Luckily, I was able to hit "accept" literally as my boat number was being called. Outside of that, it's just annoying.
ACTION TAKEN:
Dealer sent to Lowrance. Lowrance tested it and said it was fine. All they did was install an update - no fix - I still have the same problem. From their perspective, it's not their problem with no further follow-up required by them. What's odd is I can get it to happen by just leaving on in my garage overnight. I leave to go to bed with it on, then come downstairs to see the "accept" page back up, which tells me it restarted at some point time during the night. I have no idea how Lowrance can't recreate this same problem. And as mentioned before, I have never had a single issue or occurrence on my HDS9. I leave both the HDS9 and HDS12 running the entire time on water.
CAUGHT IN MIDDLE:
Lowrance says it's the boat. The dealer says it's Lowrance. I'm caught in the middle. The boat came from Ranger, so I can't imagine Ranger has a consistent problem of wiring a boat. It's not like a car - there just aren't that many wires to have to deal with in a boat, and the Lowrance equipment comes standard in their Ranger Cup package.
VOLTAGE:
I've read where voltage can be an issue. I replaced my battery with a 31 AGM, and it always has plenty of juice when coming off the water. Never had a problem with any other electronic device in the boat, including the HDS9.
MY OBSERVATIONS - HEAT RELATED?:
It seems to be related to heat. It definitely acts up MORE in the summer. In the winter, it is pretty well behaved. Sometimes it never does it on a trip on lake (usually out for about 5 hours in winter). I have noticed the frequency by which it restarts is less frequent in the winter and more frequent in the summer (I live in Alabama).
HELP??
Thanks in advance. I can't imagine I'm the only one. I searched for a similar thread, but was unsuccessful finding anything.