Lowrance Problem

[Bill]

I just installed a Lowrance LCX 18-C on my w/a cuddy. I ran the unit for a few minutes several times and all seemed well. But yesterday, after running it for about a half hour (checking out the map chip), it suddenly cut off. I restarted it several times, and each time it would run for anywhere from 5-20 seconds, then cut off again. I don't think it was a power problem as I was running it off two new, fully charged batteries. Anybody have any ideas what the problem might be??

Thanks,

Bill
Shark Shadow
222 Express Fisherman

[John Jones]

Nothing jumps out at me but I would look in the manual for a "master reset" or some such command.  If you don't see it there, call LEI support.  Sometimes a glitch can hang these things up just like your PC.

[Bill]

Thanks, John. I called LEI today - they said if it isn't a problem with power (it isn't) then it's probably the unit's rectifier, or something else internal. They also said to send it back and they could get to it within a week.  Guess that's what I'll do, as I'd never trust it again without it being checked out. (Would hate to be 25 miles offshore and have it turn itself off and not come back on.)

Bill
Shark Shadow

[Reeltronics Rob]

Have you pulled the chip out to check for normal operation?

I would pull the chip first. No sense in sending the head in without further diagnostics.

I have run the same unit for over 2yrs now with not a hitch. Actually, I have 2 of them I work with, my buddy's and my own. No issues with either unit. I installed both units and I have installed several others with no issues.

I would check for charting (pre-load) before I assigned the blame to any portion of the system.

Also, do you have a clean bus/fuse/breaker mount on the power supply. Head units are particularly fussy about sharing power with ANY other unit. It is best to isolate them to a power supply isolated from any other unit.

Is this unit located too close to a magnetic compass? A VHF radio?

Please provide more details, I may be able to provide more assistance.

[Bill]

Rob,

You're right, checking how the unit operated without the chip would have been the logical next step. A couple of people suggested that. It's good to hear you've had so much problem-free experience with that particular model. To answer a couple of your questions: the first time the unit quit, it was sharing buss bar contacts with other things. But I moved it to its own screws, and it quit again within a couple of minutes time that it quit the first time. (I happened to glance at the screen that shows voltage just before it quit the second time, and it was reading 12.1v.)  I'm not sure how close too close is for the 18C and other electronics. It is within a few inches of the VHF, but the second time it failed, I hadn't bothered to mount the radio, so it was nowhere near at the time. The mounting location and spacing are the same as for my old LMS 350A, and I never had any problems with it. With my fishing/boating season short in VA, and with the unit being brand new and under warranty, I decided not to spend any time guessing, and returned it to LMI today. With any luck, I'll get it back before the spring shark run (late this year because of cold water) is over. Thanks for answering the note - you might well have figured the problem out if I had been a little more patient.

Bill
Shark Shadow

[Reeltronics Rob]

Any updates? What did you find out?

[Bill]

Rob,

As a matter of fact, I got it back yesterday (24th). LEI shipped it the 21st, so that means they had it two weeks.  That's not too bad, I guess, given it was at the start of the busy summer season. They said they did verify it had the problem I described, but didn't explain if they'd figured out the cause.  Rather than mess with it, they sent me a new one. So I'm pleased with the support and feel like LEI is backing their product.

Bill
Shark Shadow
1988 222 Express Fisherman

[Reeltronics Rob]

Great news! Thanks for the follow up. Sure wish they would have discovered the problem and shared the info with you. But, all is well that ends well right?

[Bill]

Rob,

True - I wish they would have told me what was causing the unit to turn off. I wonder if once they confirmed it was happening, whether they even tried to find/fix it. It may have been cheaper overall for them just to send the new one. I've tried it out for nearly two hours straight, and all seems well. As you said, bottom line is that I wound up with a working unit, so yepper, I'm happy!

Bill
Shark Shadow