Motorguide Xi5 Keeps Trying to Update With Lowrance

[DQM]

I hope it works for you.

Just an update on mine, I have been out, oh, 7-8 times since I replaced the Gateway (which is really the Gateway cable) and have had zero issues (knock on wood).

Still have the old gateway cable and trying to work with MG to get a refund on the new one I purchased from Cabela's since the useless, not-caring and rude Motor Clinic in Bloomington, MN (MG Service Center) is of absolutely no help whatsoever.

Even if I do not get a refund, was worth the $150 just to get it fixed.

[HeavyD01]

Update - I have been able to get the boat out several times this week and I was just expecting to use the MG remote as the gateway was not working. On day 1, this was the case. On day 2, I hit the anchor button on my MG remote and all of a sudden my HDS showed an active anchor point on the display. I opened the trolling motor slide out menu and everything was working. The motor continue to work fine the rest of the day. Day 3, motor is back to not talking to the HDS. At this point I am thinking it is either two things - a sequence issue with the way I am powering up or a cable issue where I am getting an intermittent connection with either the deploy/stow or steering movement of the motor. I rule out the cable issue because the situation is consistent - it either works or it doesn't and when it does, it continued to do so for many stow/deploy cycles and all kinds of motor rotation. Also, pulling/moving cables does not seem to impact the situation. So I start looking at my power up sequence and I finally figured out how to make it work. My motor power is connected by a plug and receptacle, I did this for two reasons - to allow me to disconnect the motor completely for battery charging and to allow me to easily remove the motor from the boat. The point at which I plug the motor is when I first go to use it for the day, this could be before or after I deploy the motor, no rhyme or reason to this. I have found that if I power the motor and then deploy, all works as it should. If I deploy the motor and then power it up, then I get the prompt to update on the HDS and the subsequent loss of GPS on the MG. I can reproduce this now and every time I apply power to the motor before deploying, the connection to the HDS is fine. Every time that I apply power after the motor is deployed, the connection to the HDS does not work. I still think this is a big bug in the software/firmware as the devices should not prompt for an update and then lock up just because of power up sequence, but I am happy that I can at least make it work if I do things in the precise order. My only guess as to why the difference now that I have the new control board is that the stow/deploy sensor was not working properly before and maybe that has something to do with the issue. I hope this information might be helpful to anyone else who encounters a similar problem.

[Vas]

I have just installed brand new MG Xi5 on my boat and linked it with HDS 9 gen3. When I have connected it didn’t need any updates and everything was working just fine, I even created couple routes. The next day I jumped on my boat to show it to my son, we power everything on and MG start requesting to do the update, so I’m thinking we can do the update now. I started it but it froze up and lost link to gps on MG. Just like HeavyD01 have experienced , everything was the same problems. I tried it couple times and still the same.
Then I went online and found this tread and after reading through it I have decided to change my powering sequence. And soon enough I have discovered that if I have my MG powered on and deployed and gps light on and then power NMEA network and then HDS everything works. And if I do it any differently then it asks for update and no link is established between MG and HDS.
And keep in mind that this is a brand new unit and all new cables and network.
I hope this information can help someone as it helped me.
Thanks HeavyD01 for your last update

[MaciejK]

In this problems there is way to go- but some problems with part of Xi3/5 motors are bigger: no gps anchor after using menu anchor to waypoint, motor don't recognize routes or passing throught first point of route and boat starting to rotate, wires are looped so much.
I posted about this case here:
http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=1005033

[volfan]

First time poster here. I have read this thread with interest, and thought I would offer my experience, hoping maybe it would be helpful to someone.

I have a saltwater XI5 connected to a Lowrance HDS Gen 3. It's had issues from the outset, and has honestly been a really big hassle. MG has been helpful in some ways and not in others. My gripe is their insistence that I take the boat to a service center before they will do anything. I can understand that in a way, but the service centers available to me are some distance away. I read lots of owners having that issue. It's almost like they choose remote dealers to make it hard. I have found that the service centers are about as confused by this stuff as me.

Anyway, I had issues last year, and had the gateway replaced under warranty. At that point, it worked. I used the boat for one trip earlier this year and everything worked. Pulled the boat home, and stored it in a warehouse. Got the boat out to take another trip a few weeks ago, and got the update message. The motor was working, but just not connecting to the HDS - no ability to control it from the HDS - no auto pilot detected. Not knowing this was an issue people were having, I tried to update a few times. After doing so, the motor quit working at all. Took it to a service center, and they replaced the control board and GPS card under warranty.

The service center spent a ton of time on it, but it isn't right. In my case, they discovered that the motor will connect to the HDS only if it is put in operation in this sequence:
1. Connect XI5 to power without being deployed
2. Deploy XI5 and wait for GPS lock
3. Power on NMEA network
4. Power on HDS

In that sequence, the XI5 and HDS will communicate. It has not always been that way - when new, the trolling motor could be deployed with the chart and network already on. Practically, having to deploy the trolling motor first doesn't work well because every time I want to use the trolling motor with the Lowrance, I have to power down my chart, turn off the battery switch to the boat (my NMEA network is on if the boat has power, so I don't have to leave the ignition on to run the network- probably should add a switch for the network), deploy the trolling motor, power on the network and reboot the chart.

We tried just about every other sequence, and in every case we tried except the one above, we got the update notice.

DQM, you said your issue was resolved with a new gateway. I suspect this is a gateway issue. But it is really odd because mine was just replaced. And, its has been used very little, kept dry, etc.

HeavyD01, I think my experience is pretty consistent with yours.

I'm going to ask MG to send me a gateway. I'm sure they will want me to take it to a service center . . . again.

I'm hoping the new Lowrance trolling motors turn out to be good and that they come out with a saltwater one. With a little luck, I can make this thing run until that happens and replace it.

I hope this info is helpful to someone.

[chief34]

Any update on this? Mine does the exact same thing. I have to power up everything. It asks for the update, I tell it no it locks up and I have to disconnect the gateway, and reconnect it. Then it will work perfectly all day. When I turn the battery off and back on, same thing. Did y'all figure out how to get it to update?

[Rico370v]

Y'all have any updates on this? Just connected mine yesterday with the same issues. The power-up sequence also works for me, but I hate having to follow it and then installing a switch for my NMEA network --- it's just not logical for me. Also, I'm running the Xi5 networked to an Elite Ti2