Reason to have a compass

Post by **sharkboy** » June 25th, 2006, 12:34 pm

Wanted to see if anybody had any suggestions on this one.

Friday on the way out of St. Marks, just a few miles out of sight of land, I started having problems with electronics. The GPS just started turning off by itself, then the fish finder did the same. They were both on the same hot terminal, so I suspected a bad connection and separated them and made sure they were good. While I was doing this my son continued idling south. Problem with the depth finder stopped, but kept having problems with the GPS--now it would come on and stay on but lock up while acquiring satellites and wouldn't react to any of the buttons. So then I cut the inline fuse out and wired directly to the terminal. That didn't help either. So, finally I decided to just use the Loran--the backup for the GPS--instead and it went haywire too. By now I am guessing I have a low voltage problem so I turn around and use the compass to get back in sight of the lighthouse and just freeline some live pins around some schools of bait. (Wound up with a couple of decent cobia--so it could have been worse!)

Back at the house today, I started troubleshooting and I've got a steady 12.4 volts at the back of the boat and at the console. Tried bumping around and jiggling wires and didn't get a change in voltage. This is where it gets stranger--now my fish finder just keeps coming on by itself. I checked the on button to see if it was stuck or had become really sensitive for some reason and it doesn't seem to be.

Have any of you guys ever experienced anything like this?

Post by **Charles** » June 25th, 2006, 1:02 pm

When I was out Monday of last week fishing with my Dad and my normally rock steady Garmin GPSMap76, who has toured some of the boondocks of east Asia with me, kept cutting itself off. This is a 2 AA powered unit, so it had nothing to do with the boat. I changed batteries twice and it still did it.

I think the ETs are playing with us. Time to break out the tin-foil helmets.

DOO-DOO-do-do
DOO-DOO-do-do
DOO-DOO-do-do

(Really, I think mine got too hot sitting on the console in the sun.

)

Knot Tester · Post by **Knot Tester** » June 26th, 2006, 11:22 am

Sounds like a grounding problem. Scrub the ground terminal clean at the battery post. If you have a fuse box, scratch up the ground post on that also.

Post by **Chalk** » June 26th, 2006, 11:58 am

My GPSMAP 76CS was doing the same thing Saturday

...I had new batteries in it and had it plugged into the 12V receptacle...Initially thought my receptacle or cable was bad....kept playing with it as we fished around...Thought the batteries were dead, couldn't remember how the battery symbol looked with good or bad batteries

...Played with the unit yesterday, batteries were good, cable was good, receptacle was good.

Mine shouldn't have shut off with good batteries...Weird

Maybe the bermuda triangle is growing

Post by **Fisherman989** » June 26th, 2006, 12:09 pm

Sharky it baffels me as to what you got. We had the same trouble at Keaton Beach last year...in pea soup fog. Two boats of us...both with GPS...going up the coast..in thick fog....when all of a sudden one of the boats' GPS turned off.. We could not see the other boat. If it had not been for the compass on board the boat we would have been in deep trouble....but we tturned the boat due east....and idled till reaching land..about 1-2 miles....at Dekle Beach. We were in radio contact with the other boat...but couldn't find each other in the fog. Because of the radio...we finally found the troubled boat...anchored...at the end of a long pier....with one of the lost crew blowing for all it's worth...on a whistle....which didn't help much. You coldn't hear it 100 yds off. Trouble with the GPS turned out to be with the electrical connector..where it went into the unit.
We now have a backup spare GPS on board...a handheld that works off batteries.Reduntant but Comforting.

Post by **Dubble Trubble** » June 26th, 2006, 12:50 pm

5 things I NEVER go out on water without.

1: GPS

2: VHF

3: Backup handheld GPS

4: Backup Handheld VHF (Waterproof model only)

5: COMPASS....I WILL SAY AGAIN. COMPASS

If I had to choose only ONE that my life would depend on....COMPASS

Hooked

Post by **captainspride** » June 26th, 2006, 1:19 pm

Amen to that

Post by AJ » June 26th, 2006, 4:59 pm

I had a similar problem with my Garmin 168, it kept locking up or just shutting off. After checking all connections I replaced the power cord (about $18 at West Marine) and it has been working fine for about a six months now. I can't imagine both of your cords going bad at the same time though, it must be a power or grounding problem having to do with both units.

Post by **Second Chance** » June 27th, 2006, 3:26 pm

Probably just by chance but, Saturday around 1:00pm I was running from O tower to the Yamaha and my Northstar GPS started acting up. Lost the satellites several times in the course of ten minutes. It hasn't done that in a long time. Maybe Charles is right someone or something is messing with us

Post by AJ » June 27th, 2006, 3:55 pm

All right, that does it! I'm getting the aluminum foil and making helmets!

Post by **RodBow** » June 27th, 2006, 10:06 pm

you DOD contract boys need to give up some 411 on this stuff!

Post by **rocket** » June 27th, 2006, 11:19 pm

Didn't have a problem with my 176 at all on Saturday. Go figure.

Post by RC » June 28th, 2006, 9:54 am

A few weekends ago my GPS was acting up. It would lose signal. I would reboot and it would begin working again. Never done it before or since. I think it was the signal.

No one should be out in the gulf without a compass and also know what their position is. You should have a chart and the ability to plot a course home.

One thing about it. You can see that St. Marks Lighthouse from a long way off. From most of the areas I fish a 340 to 0 degree heading will get me where I can eventually see the lighthouse in good weather.

Post by **sharkboy** » June 28th, 2006, 11:59 am

Here's an update. The Loran was the connector for the antenna cable. I replaced the connector and now the Loran is working fine. Everything I did to verify the condition of my power at the console checked out good, so I ran some wires back to the battery and hooked the GPS up directly--still locks up after 4 or 5 seconds. After reading what has been said about the power cable, I am going to (1) check for constant and steady voltage at the connector and/or (2) replace the power cable and see if that does any good. Garmin will do a full repair on the unit for $99 flat rate so I guess that will be the last resort if nothing else works. I expect that to take a little while though and don't want to be without it for that long.

Post by **sharkboy** » June 28th, 2006, 12:05 pm

Maybe the bermuda triangle is growing

That's what I thought about when this first started--expected the compass to start spinning.