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Posts: 3488
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hi everyone,
First, a question: For those of you who have had the LMS series (internal antenna) lose gps signal, then quickly gain it, then lose it, then gain it? I have been experiencing this for a while and am starting to wonder if the unit is just not functioning the way it should.
I have also had trouble now with two different lowrance/eagle units with the transducers losing the ability to read bottom. I currently have an LMs on it with a trolling motor puck and have played with different settings for the puck to no real success..
Am I looking at a bad unit or are there some things I can try to help eliminate the issues?
Thanks
Steve |
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Posts: 227
Location: Maple Grove | Hi Steve. I run 520s so I can't help much with the GPS issue. Is there anything blocking the units ability to get a good signal? I was running into a similar problem on a trip a couple of weeks ago when I realized I had a bunch of rods laying across the puck. Can you hook up an external puck to that unit to test if it holds a signal with that?
As far as the transducer goes. Do you have the latest software update on it? There is a shallow water mode on that update to help with the losing bottom issue. I updated the software a few years ago and I can read bottom in the middle of thick milfoil. I thick there was a video with Josh at Thornes going through the settings changes for this. I'll see if I can find the link.
Edit:
See if this helps...
http://upload.outdoorsfirst.com/watch.asp?id=1053
Edited by WI_guy_turnedMudDuck 6/25/2012 9:52 AM
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Posts: 21
| I also have the same unit, have had the same issues with reading bottom. I did the upgrade and then i had to change the transucer, the skimmer kind. Now it reads like new. no issues with the gps tho. |
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| I have been using the 522 for a number of years and only learned this spring from a Lowrance rep that the early gps units with internal antennas, like thee 522 have the antenna in the middle of the head as opposed to the newer hd models where the antenna has been moved out to an upper corner. I had mine on the consol with a wrap around windshield whose frame interfered with gps reception. One solution is to add an external antenna via a NMEA 2000 network. My solution was to move it to the bow with no antenna obstructions and install a 520 with an external antenna at the consol.
As for the transducer, at thr time that the 522s were originally sold they had some transducer problems which required early replacement (which I did) as well as upgrading the software. I too had those problems but the changes solved them.
Hope this helps
Bill |
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Posts: 1023
| COOPER - 6/25/2012 9:55 AM
I also have the same unit, have had the same issues with reading bottom. I did the upgrade and then i had to change the transucer, the skimmer kind. Now it reads like new. no issues with the gps tho.
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Posts: 183
Location: Grand Forks ND | Do a software update for the sonar issues like others have said. The Eagle/Lowrance GPS's tend to lose signal like that when they're going bad. Make sure it has a clear view of the sky, can't have to much tilt on the unit either. If all else fails make a network and hook up an external puck GPS. They update at 5 times/second compared with 1 time/second on the internal GPS's anyway. |
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Posts: 3488
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
Checked the software version and it is up to date. The unit is on the bow so there are no obstructions to the sky.
I have tried the shallow water version which works well for that, but then over deeper water I lose signal.
I'm lost as to where to go with this...
Steve |
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| My Lowrance LMS 522 unit was having the same GPS problems this year. The GPS would work and then not work, leaving big gaps in my trails. I called Lowrance support and completed a soft reboot and later a hard reboot per their recommendations. No improvement so I sent my unit in for a bench test and comparable unit replacement for about 50% of a new unit cost. Lowrance mailed me a new HDS 5 GPS/Sonar and I am very satisfied with Lowrance's customer support service. |
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Posts: 303
Location: WI | Lots of good 'troubleshooting' ideas above... Is your 522 power cord running near your trolling motor cords? If so, it can sometimes interfere when you thrust your TM... |
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Location: 31 | VMS - 6/25/2012 9:13 AM
I have also had trouble now with two different lowrance/eagle units with the transducers losing the ability to read bottom. I currently have an LMs on it with a trolling motor puck and have played with different settings for the puck to no real success..
Hey Steve, I had trouble with running two electronics with two different transducers a long time ago. Everything worked fine with both units running until I got over deep water. Kind of sounded like what happened with you... Good luck!
Edited by Jerry Newman 7/1/2012 9:12 PM
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Posts: 1729
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | I was told by Lowrance to adjust the ping speed on one unit lower than the other and that should solve the interference issue. Dad has two Eagle units, and I called for him. Hopefully this helps. |
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| Hi everyone,
I got rid of the unit and bought an hds 5... found out other info with the transducer which determined it was bad, and to get the GPS to work, I would have had to buy an external antenna. By the time I got those two items, I'd be almost $200 out of pocket which didn't make sense seeing as the unit is worth that much working...
So...my problem is solved and love the HDS so much, I might upgrade another unit as well to the hds..
Thanks everyone..
Steve |
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Posts: 176
Location: Tomahawk, WI | I have the 334 internal GPS that i had on the console, it worked just fine, now i moved it to the bow and hooked up to my fortrex with built in transducer and it loses signal and locks up bottom in shallow water all the time. I have it ram mounted to my deck and need to tilt it way up to see it while casting, i think i may have it tilted to far up like the earlier post said. What do you guys think?
Thanks for any help |
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