Lowrance HDS-5 Problems

I took my boat out fishing yesterday and I have few questions about a few problems I experienced yesterday with my unit.

Question #1
When I start my main motor my unit always goes to the start up page. Do I have my wires to the battery backwards or something.

Question #2
Why doesnt the chart page update position. I left the Hoksila ramp in Lake City and went to Maiden Rock and when I turn on my unit it automaticly goes to Maiden Rock and I would like to be able to see the mapping info between the 2 places as I run accross the lake.

Question #3
Why does it only show the water temp when in sonar only mode?

I have read the owners manual numerous times and also bought a DVD on the lowrance hds5 unit and taken that in the boat with me with my daughters portable dvd player.

For item number one, does the unit shut off and restart? If so, that’s usually a sign of a bad starting battery. If the volts drop below a certain level when you turn it over, it will restart.

Item number 2. Do you have the unit turned off between point A and point B? It will only update and leave a trail if its on.

Item number 3. You can overlay any of the information available on any of the screens. You just need to go to the main menu, pages, edit overlay data, and then add what you want on the page. The one thing with the HDS units that bug me is that you have to add your overlay data to EVERY page. If you have it on the Chart page, overlay your stuff, then switch to a split screen of chart and sonar, you will need to add all new overlay information. It will remember it for the future though when you go back to that page setting.

Hope that helps some.

No the unit is on the whole time from when I leave the dock and the unit does not update as I run the 6-8 miles. and the unit does automaticly come back on after the motor is started. MY next boat will have Hummingbird electonics and the electonics will have their own battery.

Check your update mode. You can set it to auto, time, or distance. Might be set to time with a long interval or something. I have a 5 and a 7 and don’t see that problem at all.

If its shutting off and restarting when you turn the boat over, I would do a test on your battery. I would be willing to bet its either too small for your motor, or its on its last leg.

EDIT:

I just had a thought. Are you on a page other than the chart page when running from the ramp to maiden rock? I’m not sure if it updates the track when you aren’t on the chart page. I never checked that. I’m heading out in a couple hours. I’ll turn my bow unit on to a page other than the chart and see if it updates while traveling.

I am on the chart page but it is on split screen with the chart on the left side and sonar on the right side.When I turn my unit on it comes up with a map of minnesota and I cursor the area of pool 4 of the misissippi and it automaticly goes to the maiden rock area.

Not sure on that one. When I turn mine on, it comes up with wherever I was when I last turned the unit off. Once it acquires enough satellites to know where I am, it updates my location.

Maybe Ken the Lowrance guy will chime in, or somebody else with a better knowledge base then me. I’m out of ideas.

sounds like your either not picking up satellites and the maiden rock area is the last place you had satellite. When I first got my HDS, it always appeared that I was in Arkansas Until I got out of the house and let it acquire enough satellites to get an accurate location. Since then I have not had any issues.

Another possibility is that it is looking for a different antenna source. I thought this could only happen if you are networked with an external antenna or another unit with an internal antenna and you have to specify what is the GPS source.

Make sure you save your waypoints ect to a card then do a hard reset.

Something got messed up and it certainly could have been from the low voltage.

Not that I know anything about HSD units…just a shot in the dark.

Just a quick thank you to all of the responses and things to try from everyone who responded and possibly to more responses on this issue. I love this web site for all the good it does in helping people out when they have questions etc. It appears to be showing the streets and my position in my neighborhood OK right now and hopefully my fw lets me go do a shake down on these issues and maybe catch a few walleyes and sauger tommorow on the St.Croix out of the bluffs launch, if fw lets me go I will try to post a report when I get home.

Go to the trails and waypoints menu.
Select the trails tab.
Make sure “display” and “record” tabs are selected.
If they are not selected, it will not plot your trail.

The trails and waypoints tab is under “chart” I beleive.
Make sure you update to version 3.0 as it is the newest and most current software available.