help with 958…please

  • driver27
    Posts: 2
    May 16, 2011 at 1:41 am #1295216

    My 958 is acting wierd. Just got it up to the lake for the first time and was throughly unhappy. It would barely read the bottom, regardless of the settings. Thin bottom return sitting in 15 ft water and not moving. Speeds over 5-6 mph and signal basically gone. Chart would run fast about 3 seconds, then slow for 1/2 – 1 second on a continous cycle. The depth reading on the far left would lock up, then start blinking, then lock again. my old 7 series bird was great. Did not mark a single fish, even in known fish locations.

    Part 2, Any idea how to hook the Nmea out cable to a Cobra VHF with the DCS feature? # wires on the death finder, only 2 on the Cobra. Is there any way to check refernce voltage on the NMEA out cable or something.

    Thanks, Big trip this coming weekend, trying to get it all sorted out.

    a.j.-wiesner
    Ely,MN / Rochester,MN
    Posts: 929
    May 16, 2011 at 1:45 am #966211

    welcome 2 ido driver!! great site here i’m sure some1 will be able to help u. it’s the weekend so not a lot of ppl on ido 2day, if no answers or u still have problems re-post it this week.

    DrewH
    s/w WI.
    Posts: 1404
    May 16, 2011 at 2:37 am #966220

    Welcome Sir

    rogerr
    Maplewood, MN
    Posts: 135
    May 16, 2011 at 2:09 pm #966273

    Hi,
    Is your 958 a new install or did you run it on your boat last year? A thing I have ran into on 2D operation is to watch your Surface Clutter setting – do not have it too low, it seems to override your 2D sensitivity (no matter what sensitivity setting you use).

    A good resource for Humminbird units is the BBC Board (Humminbird Sonar/GPS forum). Try this link to start:
    < http://www.bbcboards.net/zerothread?id=655131 >.

    As to the question about your units NEMA cable wiring there is a .pdf link on the http://www.Sideimagingsoft.com website. The link is down the “Downloads” then “Documents” thread. The file name is “Humminbird Cable Wiring Diagrams”. I think you will have to join the forum to get access to the file.

    Take care,
    Roger

    driver27
    Posts: 2
    May 16, 2011 at 3:58 pm #966300

    Thanks Roger for your help.

    THis is a new install. I downloaded some updates last night, going to put them in this afternoon. The weird screen cycling is what has me puzzled. Fast chard scroll for 2-3 seconds, then a slow pasue scroll for a second, on a cycle. That plus the seeming inability of the unit to lock on the bottom even in shallow water. how often do bad new transducers come along?

    rogerr
    Maplewood, MN
    Posts: 135
    May 16, 2011 at 4:50 pm #966316

    Hi,
    Depending on how old your 958 is there may be a software opportunity to resolve your shallow water 2D issue. I have a 998c for 2D/SI/DI work and a 797c for Quadbeam trolling (retired from 2D/SI/DI) on my boat. In the near past there (from around level 4.9xxx to 5.4xxx) have been several releases to fix shallow water performance issues, Interlink issues, and Ethernet connect ability (latest release) for my “boxes”. I’m sure your 958 has had a similar series of releases.

    Doug Vahrenberg has lots of videos on YouTube for Humminbird owners.
    The following link might be useful when updating your “box”.
    < http://www.youtube.com/user/imonbass#p/search/0/-TZtvcpzQRM >

    Your xducer mounting position might also be part of 2D performance problems. Yahoo group (sideimaging – photos link) and the BBC forum (I mention earlier) have TONS of photo examples of many boat installs.

    Take care,
    Roger

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