Disappointed to say the least

[mikeyt]

https://i.imgur.com/xLVP95N.png

That is what it looked like straight from the box when I got it back yesterday. When I first got it, the number 2 color palette looked like it does in the menu.

https://i.imgur.com/86DFuYK.png

That is what I was able to get it back to by adjusting. I feel like pollen is causing some graininess but the image itself is not as crisp.

https://i.imgur.com/E2FM5AO.jpg

This is the kind of image I had when I first got the unit and with no adjustments.

Am I being too critical? I don’t feel like it’s up to the standard it should be for a $2500 investment. I can’t understand why it doesn’t look as good as it did straight out of the box when I got it.

Not too critical at all.
I am following this as I too am not happy with my new unit yet. I am waiting final judgement until I have exhausted every option.
keep us updated as to what Humminbird has to say.

[philly35]

I just used my helix 9 SI mega g2n for the first time today. Not sure what software version it’s at, but I won’t be updating it. Imaging worked well, much better than my previous 899 did. I noticed right away how dark it was, not black off the side imaging but just overall. I had the brightness up to ten and it was just hard to see. It was cloudy out too.

[exx1976]

Why not when your trying to get reading that’s actually useable. And it sure shouldn’t lock up just because you set contrast to 1 in an attempt adjusting to make useable.
I would also think factory default setting would provide pretty good clear image rather than dark cloudy display that’s not clear enough to use.

I'm thinking if you understood what the function of contrast was you would have had a far more intelligible answer. Might I suggest you rtfm and try to put forth a modicum of effort before just complaining on here to people trying to help You?

[exx1976]

The only thing I was speaking to was the expectation that no tweaking of the settings should be necessary .... That's just an unreasonable expectation.

I know there have been other issues with the newest software and the frustration with the flaky depth readings and software updates bringing on a whole new crop of problems is growing and will soon be past the tipping point unless HB gets their act together with the software updates.

It has always been my opinion that Humminbird should search for and hire the very best software people available .... pay them whatever they have to to get them and keep them happy .... give them a padded room to work in if they need it. With their superior imaging technology they could dominate the market instead of pushing people to other vendors out of frustration with software glitches. This is not a new phenomena with HB.... such as when they introduced 360 and totally destroyed their 2D performance in the process. Someone got the bright idea to change the symbols for fish ID ... that were working well .... and fish ID hasn't been as good since.
This time they introduced mega imaging and totally messed up other things that had been working well ... such as Autochart mapping due to the unreliable depth readings....and with 1.9 a different crop of issues.

I wrote software for commercial building controls and rarely had an issue with the programs I wrote, which amazed some of the people I worked with ... It wasn't that I wrote it perfectly the first draft, it was that I tested and tweaked an tested some more and tweaked some more until I had it as bullet proof as possible .... Humminbird doesn't have enough testing and tweaking going on before they release the software.
These units are getting more and more complex with a lot of possible configuration variables that can come into play .... There needs to be some sort of rigid testing protocol that isn't happening now.

On the other hand, there are a lot of people who seem to be able to use the mega units very effectiveley and their imaging is the best available ... and things like the 360 and trolling motor control put them way ahead of the competition when they introduced it. They just need to not mess up the other things that had been working well when they introduce something new.

I've written some code in my day, and testing is always the weak link. Doesn't matter who does what, end users will find a better way to break it than anyone else could have imagined.

That said, the reason some people are so effective with it is they've taken the time to understand the units, their limitations, and how to work within them. It's not magic, but it does require some effort. If you are expecting to just plug something in an go, then you should settle on lower-quality units. The more nerd knobs you provide, the more people will turn them - causing problems when they are turned by people who don't know what they are turning (such as setting contrast to 1).

I have it on "fairly good authority" (a guy who I believe to have the access to know, and no reason to mislead the group he was speaking to) that humminbirds "software development department" consists of a single guy. One. Uno. From a business standpoint, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life, but it sure does explain a lot...

[loganmartincat]

I'm thinking if you understood what the function of contrast was you would have had a far more intelligible answer. Might I suggest you rtfm and try to put forth a modicum of effort before just complaining on here to people trying to help You?

exx1976: I’m in no way attempting to upset any one. I realize contrast at 1 is not realistic (HB made it a choice not me) but when you are trying all options available you use settings you know shouldn’t work in an attempt to get unit to function properly.
I don’t think unit should lock up and reboot just because you change contrast to 1.
I’m sorry if you feel my stating what my unit is doing in an attempt for help is considered complaining.
But it does appear several others are experiencing the same results after 1.9 update.
All is good and I appreciate any help.

[toledobasser]

That said, the reason some people are so effective with it is they've taken the time to understand the units, their limitations, and how to work within them. It's not magic, but it does require some effort. If you are expecting to just plug something in an go, then you should settle on lower-quality units....

That’s kind of my whole point. When I first got my Helix, I could just turn it on and use it. It had fantastic images. The images might have been even better if i had made adjustments but no adjustments were needed for my application. I started my Humminbird use with a 998 then moved to an 1198 and then to a Gen 1 Helix 12 Chirp. I was ready to move up to the Mega technology and had no problems in the beginning.

I’m beginning to question if Humminbird really did anything to my unit. I have seen others say that they lost all their waypoints and everything. I had a boat lanes chip for Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn loaded, waypoints and tracks saved. They were all still there when I got my unit back from Humminbird.

[jjjaymmman]

That’s kind of my whole point. When I first got my Helix, I could just turn it on and use it. It had fantastic images. The images might have been even better if i had made adjustments but no adjustments were needed for my application. I started my Humminbird use with a 998 then moved to an 1198 and then to a Gen 1 Helix 12 Chirp. I was ready to move up to the Mega technology and had no problems in the beginning.

I’m beginning to question if Humminbird really did anything to my unit. I have seen others say that they lost all their waypoints and everything. I had a boat lanes chip for Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn loaded, waypoints and tracks saved. They were all still there when I got my unit back from Humminbird.

You may actually have a lot of pollen in the lake right now. However, your settings could probably use some adjusting. Are you using Advanced User Mode? What do you have switchfire mode set to on SI and DI? Have to recorded a video and sent it in to humminbird?

[exx1976]

exx1976: I’m in no way attempting to upset any one. I realize contrast at 1 is not realistic (HB made it a choice not me) but when you are trying all options available you use settings you know shouldn’t work in an attempt to get unit to function properly.
I don’t think unit should lock up and reboot just because you change contrast to 1.
I’m sorry if you feel my stating what my unit is doing in an attempt for help is considered complaining.
But it does appear several others are experiencing the same results after 1.9 update.
All is good and I appreciate any help.

In much the same way stereo companies provide 0, which is utterly useless and "11", which will blow most speakers it's connected to, humminbird provides us these settings because if they didn't, you'd all be here bitching the sensitivity adjust "only goes from 5-15" or some such nonsense. The simple fact these settings exist does not absolve us of our responsibility to understand them and what they do. Yes, I agree that your unit should not lock up and/or reboot when you adjust the sensitivity within the defined ranges.


As for difficulties with units, it's impossible to say. All I can say is that I have followed the proper procedures when updating software on my units, including resetting the defaults, making sure features were turned off, etc, prior to upgrading, and I've not experienced these issues. Could humminbird make the update process more foolproof? Perhaps. But the information on how to do it properly is out there, and most people seem to do just fine with it.

The thing you need to realize is these things really are computers at this point. Going back to my first graph, a 597, I just plugged it in and it told me the depth and gave me a map, and it was rock solid. But it didn't *do* anything. It didn't have imaging, it didn't have much adjustment, nothing. When I got my first Gen 1 helix units, they mostly worked. Except for certain parts on certain lakes. They would give me all sorts of hell. So because I'm partly lazy, and partly that I wanted to know, I coughed up $135 and attended an 8 hour long training session on helix units. Then I coughed up another $60 for dvds. Some of you might be sitting there yelling "bullshit! We shouldn't have to pay to learn how to work our units!", and you're right - you don't. You can read the cryptic manuals they include with them and try to decipher it that way.

Again, these are computers, and I don't see any of you storming Bill gates' castle because you can't figure out how to do anything but play minesweeper. Don't force humminbird to dumb down the units for those of us who took the time to understand them to make the most of our time on the water.

[mikeyt]

Where can one find a course on these units? For what they cost $135 to learn how to max out it's potential is worth it to me.

[KCLOST]

I have to chime in on this thread. I just recently have started using, my Helix 10SI Mega and Helix 12SI Mega units, and I have been pretty disappointed as well. To make a long story short, the 10" unit out of the box would not display 2D or DI with a Y-cable connected. Hooking up the 12" unit at the same location confirmed this. After removing the Y-cable and hooking the mega transducer directly to the unit, the 2D sonar and DI came to life, but the sonar returns we one solid color no mater what color pattern was selected. In the standard color pattern, everything was yellow. Also I ran into the inconsistent depth readings that many have witnessed. Like showing a depth of twice what it actually showed on the screen (when a double return was occurring). And in 6ft of water or less the bottom return would gradually fade away as I got shallower. In less than 3ft of water, the bottom would actually disappear on the screen, but the depth reading would still be shown. Also the SI was dark as well, just like the OP mentioned.
I checked the software and it had version 1.61. So I did what Humminbird recommended and restored defaults first. That resulted in the normal color pattern coming back, Progress....
But the problems with depth readings and display continued.
So I went to the next recommendation... Updated the software to 1.90v...
More Progress, the problems with the 2D went away... However I still don't like the pop and detail of the sonar return at the default settings, but at least I have something I can use... SI is still dark however.. It is literally Night and Day comparing the Helix10 and Helix12 SI images on the same settings. (I updated the 12" software as well)

You are not alone....

[exx1976]

Where can one find a course on these units? For what they cost $135 to learn how to max out it's potential is worth it to me.

In your area of the country, I'm not sure. There's a regional guy here that does classes in WI/IL/MN.

[Kodiak16]

Mine after last years update could no longer find bottom. 2 feet of water read 400 plus deep. Waited several software updates and with some hit and miss reviews installed v1.9. Now this is no bs my depth readings are 1.9 feet. What kind of humor is this? So looks like another year of useless map making. Not happy, not happy at all.

[mikeyt]

I wish I had found this thread before I spent my $1000. Only thing I had seen before this was beautiful, sharp images. Of course these were posted by guys who I now know sell these products so who knows how reliable they are.
I am gonna try my best to get mine squared away but if that fails HB will never see another $ from me.
I was just getting ready to spend another couple k on their radar but I don't see that happening now.

OP let us know if you get it working good again.

I will be updating my thread also.

[exx1976]

I wish I had found this thread before I spent my $1000. Only thing I had seen before this was beautiful, sharp images. Of course these were posted by guys who I now know sell these products so who knows how reliable they are.
I am gonna try my best to get mine squared away but if that fails HB will never see another $ from me.
I was just getting ready to spend another couple k on their radar but I don't see that happening now.

OP let us know if you get it working good again.

I will be updating my thread also.

The simple fact that those guys sell those products has nothing to do with the price of tea in China - unless you're admitting to the fact that you don't want to invest the time to learn how to properly adjust the units to provide the best images for the types of water you fish? If that's the case, godspeed.

Otherwise, the only thing I gathered from your post is that the units are capable of producing those images, and the guys who got those images know how to properly work those units to *get* those images. You can, too.

[jjjaymmman]

I have to chime in on this thread. I just recently have started using, my Helix 10SI Mega and Helix 12SI Mega units, and I have been pretty disappointed as well. To make a long story short, the 10" unit out of the box would not display 2D or DI with a Y-cable connected. Hooking up the 12" unit at the same location confirmed this. After removing the Y-cable and hooking the mega transducer directly to the unit, the 2D sonar and DI came to life, but the sonar returns we one solid color no mater what color pattern was selected. In the standard color pattern, everything was yellow. Also I ran into the inconsistent depth readings that many have witnessed. Like showing a depth of twice what it actually showed on the screen (when a double return was occurring). And in 6ft of water or less the bottom return would gradually fade away as I got shallower. In less than 3ft of water, the bottom would actually disappear on the screen, but the depth reading would still be shown. Also the SI was dark as well, just like the OP mentioned.
I checked the software and it had version 1.61. So I did what Humminbird recommended and restored defaults first. That resulted in the normal color pattern coming back, Progress....
But the problems with depth readings and display continued.
So I went to the next recommendation... Updated the software to 1.90v...
More Progress, the problems with the 2D went away... However I still don't like the pop and detail of the sonar return at the default settings, but at least I have something I can use... SI is still dark however.. It is literally Night and Day comparing the Helix10 and Helix12 SI images on the same settings. (I updated the 12" software as well)

You are not alone....

Did you get the right Y cable for mega?

[Nattyboh74]

So are you guys having these issues on G3N units or G2N units?

[toledobasser]

So are you guys having these issues on G3N units or G2N units?

Mine is Gen 2 and from most of my readings it has been Gen 2 units having problems especially after updating software. I’m not certain if there has even been a software update for Gen 3 units yet since they are so new. Before anybody else says it, I have updated software before and do know how to do it. It’s not user error concerning doing the update properly.

[Wayne P.]

Mine is Gen 2 and from most of my readings it has been Gen 2 units having problems especially after updating software. I’m not certain if there has even been a software update for Gen 3 units yet since they are so new. Before anybody else says it, I have updated software before and do know how to do it. It’s not user error concerning doing the update properly.

G3N models got a software update 3/4/19 version 1.940.

[exx1976]

Mine is Gen 2 and from most of my readings it has been Gen 2 units having problems especially after updating software. I’m not certain if there has even been a software update for Gen 3 units yet since they are so new. Before anybody else says it, I have updated software before and do know how to do it. It’s not user error concerning doing the update properly.

Gen 1 units also had their fair share of "issues" as well. But Gen 1 owners have often Ned them long enough that they either learned how to work them, or stopped complaining about them.

Next year when Gen 4 units come out we will be dealing with issues from Gen 3 users who bought them used or on sale and they don't understand them yet again.

In terms of Gen 3 complaints, usually there are only two types of people who buy the newest stuff: early adopters, who are pretty tech savvy, and people with more money than sense, who, in my experience, don't take advantage of the equipment to its fullest potential anyway, and just want the best on their boat. The problematic users are the guys who want the value - they fall into neither of those categories (not savvy and do try to use the units more), and thus, create the bulk of the complaints.

[Nattyboh74]

I have a new G3N and this is my first real graph to use/own. Im younger, so all of this is new to me. I bought the HB unit because of the SI etc and looking forward for it to help me catch more fish etc. But it looks like the only thing I have to look forward to it problems with updates if need be. Now Im second guessing my unit and if its operating properly... It looks okay to me but maybe Im just settling for second best?