Need Electronic help/suggestions

[Jack in Alaska]

Today, while trolling for cohos in Homer, my Hummingbird Matrix 37 "gunny sacked". The depth became intermittent, then worked awhile, quit completely, started to work again etc.
Any ideas. GPS, speed, temp still ok.
It is the end of my fishing season so will have all winter to fix or replace it.

Also.........I am thinking of starting over in the electronics dept. I want a unit that will give me GPS, depth and a bottom contour map in the Cook Inlet Katchemak Bay area. I want it simple to use and in the $1500 area. Is there something like this out there for an electronically challenged simpleton like me?
I read the catalogs and posts on this site and all of the jargon.....C80, CD roms, DVD's, chart kits, maps, gold XL3 carts, NMEA0183 interfacing etc. .it makes one nuts trying to understand all of that.
Like the add on TV......."will somebody please help me"

Thanks for any help you can give.

[CatyMae n Steve]

We were having the same sort of issues with the Raymarine C70 and had been in contact with Raymarine and they wanted to see the unit, thinking the actual unit was bad. We were at the end of the salmon season last year when that was happening. We hadn't pull it, but the next time we were in the boat was to install the remote kicker throttle controller -- looking at the panel to see where to connect it, Steve laid down on the berth and touched the wiring cover -- and he could make the interior lights go off and on by touching it -- long story short, one of the wires was loose -- Sportcraft tightened everything down AND connected the remote throttle wiring for us and the C70 hasn't malfunctioned since! So, I'd say check the wiring connections first -- I know, it's a maze (unless stevej, owner of Shearwater, has gotten in there and tidied it up for ya! )

After that experience, I'd recommend checking the wiring anyway -- shorts and fires don't agree with fiberglass boats!

Caty

[tsturm]

[gljjr]

This sounds like a bad transducer or a bad connection on the transducer.

You can get a really nice Lowrance LCX-28C HD that will have the NauticPath charts built in, plus get the correct Navionics chart chip for your location for about $1500 from BOE. That would give you a 7" screen. Going to the LCX-27C might save a little but you lose the Nautic Path charts on the internal "HD".

A Raymarine C-70 would run you a couple hundred more. The Garmin units of this size seem even more expensive yet. And Humminbird's a little less.

[thataway]

You can easily replace the transducer. First I would clean the contacts with contact cleaner, and a fine brush, then put on corrosion block and plug it back in. Look for pinching of the cable etc.

You can always replace the transducer. The Matrix 37 is still a good depth sounder.

I'll do some checking and see what chart chip has the bathyspheric chart of Cook inlet. If it is Navioncis, then you may want to stick with Hummingbird.

Over all the Furuno fish finders are the best. I think my Lowrance is second best--But both RayMarine and Garmin have improved their depth finders in the last several years. But if you want the ocean contour, you will be limited.

[thataway]

C map has the Bathymetric chart M 820:
http://chartcatalogue.c-map.no/chartlisting_max.asp?crtrID=M-NA-M820&quickrefID=BAT&us_crtr=0 lists all of the sub charts.

Navionics has "Fish'N Chips" which is one chart cover the entire waters of the US, to be used with the Gold + or Platinum charts (but it is not specific for the Cook Inlet as you desire). I don't know what detail is available in this area.

Garmin US 304 B is a Bathymetric chart of the Alaskian waters.

I would suggest that you contact Garmin, C map and Navionics and ask for sample bathymetric chart of Cook Inlet --the same lat and long so you can compare the charts.

There is a very comprehensive Hummingbird list server thru Yahoo:
sideimaging@yahoogroups.com, There are discussions of capture of specific depths and GPS co-ordinates on the higher end GPS/chart plotter/fishfinders made by Hummingbird.

If I was looking for the best depth finder/fishfinder/GPS to record places for fishing, I would go with Furuno NavNet 3 (just comming out, so you might want to wait for the spring)--This will give the excellence of the Furuno Fishfinder with the networking chart plotter and the very good C map Bathymetric charts.

The current Furuno Fish finders will interface with Furuno chart plotters to record the location of fishing hot spots.

[Jack in Alaska]

I just happened to be in the local marine store today. They had many last yrs. electronics on sale at 60% off. I did not bite.
Also had the new Garmin 545 set up with the local charts and bottom contours. I want it!!!!! It is really neat. The clarity of the screen was amazing.
I would be interested in opinions of others particularly those that have one.
That may be on my Christmas list this year if i get good feed back on it.

[drjohn71a]

The Raymarine Chip for the Vancouver area and Puget Sound has the bottom contour mapping. It is a Navionics chip, I believe.

John

[oldgrowth]

Jack – I have the Garmin 3205 and really like it. It is similar to the 545. The reason I went with the 3205 is because it is network and radar compatible. If you think you will ever want radar, look at the 3205.

The other differences are the screen orientation and the chips they use. The 545 uses the SD card (much better) then the Garmin proprietary chip the 3205 uses.

The cost of the two unites are about the same.

Haven’t used any of the other brands, but the Garmins are very intuitive and easy to use. You don’t need a manual with their units.
________
Dave