Wiring New Helix

I plan to install the new Helix 7 G3N on the PRO V this weekend. My current HDS 7 gen1 was installed by the dealer when I bought the boat new 10 years ago. The HDS is powered through the fuse panel at the console. My question is should I connect the new Helix there also or should I take it straight back to the battery? I have looked all over the interweb and have seen recommendations both ways. What do you all think? If it matters I plan to keep the HDS installed as well.

My thought was I wanted a bigger screen but wanted to use the new unit on the ice as well. I didn’t want to carry anything bigger than a 7″ on the ice. Soooo I plan to use the HDS for navigation and the Helix for SI, DI, and 2D sonar. That way I have 7″ of mapping and 7″ of fish finding. I may be crazy but it made sense to me.

Please let me know your thoughts on the wiring.

Without some experimentation it’s just guessing and preferences on our part.

the open question, does wiring from the fuse box handle it just fine?? It depends You have low draw, big enough wire going back to your battery, etc that this will work just fine.

You could try it through the fuse box first. It that works fine then it saves you the hassle of running wires direct to the battery.

fwiw – I’ve got an HB onix which were notorious for needing good clean power. I have it run direct to the battery with an inline fuse.

I have a Helix 12 running directly to the battery with an inline fuse. 10ga wire.

I’ve ran a couple helix 10s to the fuse panel with no issues. Just make sure you put the right size fuse in.

Pretty simple test have voltage up on helix turn on other devices on fuse box such as bilge pumps and live well, if voltage stays within a couple of tenths you should be good to go. Only hooking up to a trolling motor battery could you get into serious noise issues.

The only true answer to this question that will GUARANTEE Power will not be the cause of any future problems is to run power directly to the battery and install an inline fuse.

I have installed at least 10 Birds and Never had a problem, I always wire direct. Almost every guy that I have talked to that did have problems ran it through a fuse box.

Don’t cut corners. Do it right from the start. SOm new boats are coming with 6 gauge wiring for sonars. That is not over kill for dual 12-15″ units. Your 7 will be fine with 12 ga.

You can upgrade the power wires to the fuse box also. Same as going right to the battery.

Worm, I plan to install a Helix 12 on the bow this week. Gotta 360 up there as well. Considering installing a new independent batt just to run electronics since I’m drawing about 7 amps an hour with the console Helix 12 also running. I plan to run each directly to the batt. You’re suggesting 6 ga. wiring and an inline fuse? What’s your suggestion for a fuse?? Considering going with a 80A Lithium batt to save weight and a dedicated lithium charger to run them all. Feedback on this idea for a power set-up?

I have a question to add on to the OP’s questions. If you run directly to the battery, how do you (or can you?) use the master power switch? Is that possible?

label033 wrote:

I have a question to add on to the OP’s questions. If you run directly to the battery, how do you (or can you?) use the master power switch? Is that possible?

The graph would need to be wired through the master power switch, but I don’t believe most graphs have a phantom draw, so it’s maybe not necessary under normal operating conditions. Black box type things like network hubs often do.

BrianF wrote:

What’s your suggestion for a fuse?? Considering going with a 80A Lithium batt to save weight and a dedicated lithium charger to run them all. Feedback on this idea for a power set-up?

I would personally make a circuit that was able to isolate the lithium out of the circuit AND tie into the main battery if needed.
I’d put a fuse panel under console and at the bow.

My 10″ Helix rebooted every time I cranked the engine until I ran power separately to the battery.

I just got off the phone with Humminbird. WOW!! What a waste of time that was. I am trying to dial in the correct position so I get basic sonar readings at higher speeds. I have heard things about good customer service with Humminbird. I would have to DISAGREE! She was zero help and just kept telling me high speed readings are not possible. All the literature out there (including their own instructions) say high speed readings with 2D sonar can be expected. Especially with the now smaller ducers that come with the G3Ns. I was excited to move over to Humminbird with this being my first unit of theirs. I am now regretting my decision.

If Humminbird customer service is open on Easter Sunday. I’d call that good customer service.
What did you expect them to do over the phone? Dialing in the proper position of transducer placement for optimium high speed operation is something that has to be done in your boat while on the water and in my experience requires some trial and error to get it close to acceptable.

I WAS on the water working on it. I simply wanted to know if they had seen raising or lower the ducer or tilting it was the most common problem with no high speed readings. When she says “you will not get high speed readings” that IS poor service because she doesn’t even know what is in their own instructions! Being open on Easter Sunday has nothing to do with it!! Quite frankly it would have been better if no one had answered. I wanted to see if they had seen any one thing as the first “go to”. She just kept telling me “you can not get high speed readings without…” She was just trying to up sell me more equipment. That’s pathetic…so don’t try to tell me what is and isn’t poor service. I didn’t expect them to solve the worlds problems, but a little advice would have been nice instead of trying to sell me more equipment.

Relax for gosh sakes!
There are many you tube videos that will walk you through how to adjust a transducer for high speed readings. Watch some of them and try it again. It could be placed in a bad spot, it may need to be lowered, raised or tilted. Show us a picture of how it’s mounted and maybe somebody here will have an idea of what to do.
Any customer service on Easter Sunday is good customer service no matter what you happen to think.

unfortunately their is no way for them to know why you aren’t getting a good high speed reading. Their are way too many variables. It could be the hull design of the boat and where you chose to mount it, it could be the way you have it tilted, it could be how far below the bottom of the hull you have it positioned. One way to fix your problems is to purchase a high speed transducer and mount it on the hull. That’s what the high speed transducer is designed for, and that’s the route that most people go if they want to get good readings at high speeds.

Just because what she was telling you isn’t what you wanted to hear doesn’t mean that it’s false information or poor customer service. She could’ve told you to try lowering the transducer. That would be the first thing that I would try. It might fix your issue, it might not. Maybe it’s already too low. If you buy a high speed transducer it WILL fix your problem without a doubt.

Well said, Pat!!
I chose to go the HS Ducer years ago when I went with a dual core units setup on my I/O. I run twin SI ducers to boot. I can tune the SI-ducers to keep close depth soundings but there times that my SI would loose bottom and go Fruit Loops at the most inopportune time! The HS ducer completely resolver that till for some last trip I had lost bottom twice but that was the first in 7 years (new in 2012)!