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Posts: 225
Location: Nordeast Minneapolis | Hey folks-
Picked up a new (to me) boat over the winter, and am in the process of getting it to where we want it to be... Mostly the boat's great, but needed a little tweaking in the 'accessories' department, and I'd love to get some advice.
The boat came with an Eagle 320 for the dash finder, but it's having some issues. The plugs where the cables connect to the unit are pretty corroded, and the finder has some power-up problems. Sometimes it won't power up, and once it's on it won't shut off. It also won't read anything deeper than about 14'- once you get past that point, it loses all signal. I don't know if it's worth getting the unit checked out to see if there's a problem with the finder, or the cables, or transducer, or what. I'd like to have GPS there, too...
I think right now my options are:
1) Get the 320 repaired, and get a stand-alone GPS unit to mount next to it.
2) Forget about the Eagle 320, and get a combo sonar/gps unit.
3) Something else entirely that I haven't thought of yet.
The problem, of course, is budget. Having already sunk a fair amount of discretionary income into the boat (and a trip or two to thorne...hmmm...) I'd like to keep the solution to the neighborhood of $300-$350. Obviously at that price range color isn't really an option, but does it make a significant difference? I have a hard time imagining the a color screen will put me on that many more fish, or that greatly improve my fishing experience, but I guess I don't know. Never used one.
Anyone have any particular suggestions? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Edited by gus_webb 5/27/2008 1:14 PM
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | If you look hard you can find some non-current used models that are color for a reasonable price. Have you checked Ebay? There is some pretty good stuff on there. I've bought on there in the past but always stuck to powersellers and those who had a really high buyer rating. I've never had a problem.
But I'd definitely look into getting your 320 at least looked at. That's a good unit and is still in production so getting it fixed is definitely an option.
As for your power-up problems, have you checked all your connections? It sounds like maybe your connections aren't the strongest. | |
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Posts: 225
Location: Nordeast Minneapolis | Yeah, the cables/connections are my prime suspects right now... I don't know how, but somehow the connectors on the wire ends got pretty chewed up or worn down. I'm just not sure whether to put much into it if I'm going to end up picking up a combo model anyway... But you're right- it makes sense to get it looked at; if it's not too much to fix, it at least buys me some time before I have to do anything definite.
And I currently have my eye on a few units on ebay, but I'm mostly scouting right now- most of the auctions I'm looking at are still several days out. I'm curious to see where they end up, price-wise... | |
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Posts: 225
Location: Nordeast Minneapolis | Oh! One other question, if you all would be so kind...
Does anyone have an opinion on the battery drain of a color unit vs. the b&w lcd's? Is there a noticeable difference? | |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I personally have not seen a difference in color units versus a regular lcd when it comes to battery drain. However, if you were running two large units like LCX-112's or 113's then yes, running them all day you might see a bit of drain on your starting battery but I don't think enough to worry. I know I saw a couple guys that had problems with battery drain on the Professional walleye trails but they were usually sitting in one or two spots for eight hours and running multiple things like electronics, livewells, radios, etc. I ran two Lowrance LCX-27's, which have 7' color screens for at least a good eight hours on Saturday without a problem.
Edited by Merckid 5/27/2008 2:16 PM
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Location: Athens, Ohio | For the corrosion, try a bit of baking soda in water and scrub the connections with a tooth brush using this mixture. It also helps reduce plaque and gingivitis!
Some electronics grease on it afterwards might help keep the problem from re-occuring. The instruction book that came with my 520c said you can get corrosion like that if the plugs are removed from the head unit and the power remains on. You might check to be sure your power connections have on/off switches, and be sure to turn them off when you unplug the unit. m
ps- if you can get color, get it! I had the same thought you expressed, but when I went with color I won't go back, now. | |
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Posts: 225
Location: Nordeast Minneapolis | Mike- Thanks for the tips! I'll have to give that a shot. But wait; are you saying that I SHOULD or SHOULDN'T get a color unit??? Because if I can't go back from color, then I'll have to replace the finder at the bow, and we just got that one...
Ugh- why couldn't I just love shore fishing with a cane pole?! Hehe... | |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Once you use a Zebco reel, you'll never go back to a cane pole. Once you try an Abu Garcia, the Zebco is obsolete.
Now, I find, once I started with a color gps/sonar combo, I'm spoiled for life.
Actually, your bow unit should be OK, you're just glancing at it while you watch your bait, right? m | |
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Electronics advice?