Help Needed: HDS12 Keeps Auto-Restarting Every 2 to 3 hrs

[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.

[bloodman]

Is the Lowrance sticker light off on back of unit?

[Basshopper]

Sounds like a voltage or ground issue which could be wirering as well as battery even though u changed it do u charge it like your tm batteries?

[twh57]

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.

Can you swap places with the units and see if the problems exists where you normally have the 9 mounted. You could actually do this from your garage and leave the unit on for an extended period of time and keep a constant eye on the situation.

[moetorola]

Add voltage overlay to you graph and take a voltmeter and measure the battery, the difference of what your read on voltmeter and graph is your voltage drop.

Replacing battery will not fix a voltage drop issue, it may appear too fix it for a while in some cases.

What you describe is an indication of voltage drop issue. Over time connections at fuse block can become corroded, worn master power switch at console (if you have one) are places to check.

If you find excessive voltage drop, both negative and positive need to be checked.

[james_az]

I had the same issue with HDS 7 Gen 2. Tried everything I could think of. I reset it to factory and it solved the problem.

[LittleGazoo]

Check fuses.

[gte331r]

Thanks all - much appreciated

A few quick comments:
Bought the boat new and it has done this from day one. It seems unlikely corrosion would be a contributor, but I appreciate the comment. Built in AR and delivered to AL (far away from coast).

Swapping the 9 with the 12 was mentioned by my dealer. I have not tried that yet.

Resetting back to factory is something I was unaware as a possible solution. I will give it a shot. If that doesn’t work, I’ll move forward with swapping the units. If that doesn’t show anything, then the voltage checks.

Always open to any other comments - so please chime in if you have something that could help (or did help and already mentioned). That could be of use to others in the future.

[Marc Marcantonio]

I agree with the others on the voltage issue. First and foremost pull the blade fuse and replace it, even if it looks good. I can give you several stories of guys who insisted the fuse was good but fixed the problem by replacement (for the cost of a fuse and what you have at stake tournament fishing what do you have to lose)?

Secondly, I had a similar problem with a brand new Ranger at my first Columbia River tournament with it. Intermittent graph power problems despite the new battery. After exhausting all possible reasons, I accidentally discovered one of my starting battery terminal posts was loose inside the battery case. I wiggled the wires attached to the positive battery post and noticed the post moved, not the wires. Replace the battery under warranty and problem was resolved.


The point is that something is likely affecting your HDS unit from getting its minimum power requirement; a fuse, wire connection, faulty battery, etc. Keep looking and good luck.

[Marc Marcantonio]

delete

[gte331r]

Circling back so folks aware of outcome:

Dealer put in new wires and connections as recommended by Lowrance. Still no fix. It continued to restart on it's own. The change in wiring had zero effect. Sent back to Lowrance.

This time Lowrance said it was the unit...?? They sent a new unit. I have had ZERO problems ever since, and I've used the unit for many trips and many hours. Literally - not one single instance of a restart.

Take a step back... I had to send the unit in not once, but twice (8 week down time for turnaround by Lowrance on both instances...!). Lowrance "tested" the unit the first time and said definitely the wiring in boat (pointed the finger and did not own it was their unit). Only after my dealer did all this work... just to have ZERO effect... the unit was sent back and suddenly it WAS the unit (still took 8 weeks just to send a new unit). Only after trying every last thing (new battery, new wiring, multiple checks) leaving Lowrance literally no where to point the finger than at themselves, was the problem properly addressed.

My guess - and it's nothing more than that - Lowrance knows they have a problem with the HDS12 Gen 3. I've seen other posts on Facebook with folks talking about this exact same issue as mine that continues even after all these corrections (new wires; new battery) are implemented (which costs the owners time and money). And only after I received a replacement unit was the problem fixed (coincidence? I think not). That costs money (and profit) for Lowrance. But so does poor customer service. I also wrote a very professional feedback response for their leadership documenting the poor customer service interaction (with names of employee and documented exchange - note I called Lowrance directly in addition to my dealer - customer service employee accused me of being a liar when I was simply presenting facts I had - which included GoPro footage to try to help them. I did not raise my voice. All documented on a recorded call. The agent was very unprofessional - perhaps singular instance of an employee on a bad day as I only called once and left remaining interactions with Dealer to Lowrance, but not acceptable nonetheless). Zero reply from Lowrance corporate (and it was their feedback survey). Not even a thank for your time. I run a business, and honest, objective feedback is gold. Really - any feedback is valuable. If you are unaware of a problem, you cannot fix it. And fixing problems, particularly with customer satisfaction, is critical for continued success and business growth.

I think their product is good (when it works), but their customer service is horrible. There are other competitor manufacturers that make good products as well, and I would recommend trying them for no other reason than better customer service. I can't say they have better customer service as a fact - you will have to ask around to confirm - but I can say I have owned a wide array of products across fishing and beyond, and Lowrance was one of the worst experiences I have had. You could say, "well, they did give you a new unit"... but ONLY after I invested hours and hours of my own time and money. I bet if I used all those hours to work a second job (rather than effectively being a free employee for Lowrance to solve THEIR problem), I could have just bought another unit from another competitor with that money earned from a second job.

[bloodman]

So what brings this up 1 year later?