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H20 not working in the cold!


leech~~

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Is anyone else having issue with their H20 not working well in the cold? I had great hopes for mine hitting all my old spots I had kepted from my old Garmn 12 which always worked in the cold. The 2 times I have had my H20 out with brand new batties put in before leaving home. And both times I got a Low Battery warning and it would turn off or not pick up anything as soon as I turned it on, and I keep it inside my coat to keep it warm! frown It worked great all summer in the boat but has been a big disappointment so far this winter!

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They definitely don't like the cold. I mounted mine to my sled. Would barely show anything on the screen. Batteries were new. But they like warm weather much more than cold. If it weren't for reading the lake chip maps I would have switched to something else a long time ago.

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I think all the hand held units are susceptible to the cold.I have a garmin 76c and it works great as long as the unit is kept relatively warm.I have found that lithium batteries work better in the cold ,are lighter and last twice as long.(Worth the extra coin)

Also learned not to rely totally on the gps . one time on Mille Lacs spring perch fishing the fog / haze was bad and I had no clue witch way to go.The spring of the year and only a few resorts have maintained roads over the heaves on the north end and no snow to see other tracks. A number of times before the snowmobile warmed up the thing had took a dump and was looking for landmarks on shore that I could recognize.

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lcd screen in the cold never work dont let them sit out and get to cold they could pop and then you are "sol" last nite i had the same problem with my garmin 12 i adjusted the contradt and it worked fine you can give that a try

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That's really strange, I know Darren uses his H20 on his snowmobile. It is mounted there with a ram mount. It has been left sitting in the sled through a whole day of fishing and still worked great when we hopped on the sled for a ride back to shore. Now, it wasn't the coldest day ever, probably about 15 degrees, but that's not exactly warm weather either.

I have used mine outside as well, but it's always at least been in my coat pocket beforehand, which I would say is much warmer than sitting on the snowmobile all day. No problems with mine.

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Just a side note. I bought a Garmin Colorado with the color lcd screen and had no issues with the cold as of yet. Batteries seem to last just fine. You pay for it though as the Colorado is much more expensive.

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Are there any with a heated screen like the lcd flasher units? I know it would suck batteries unless you use the lighter adapter. Which would work for me since my sled has a battery.

Or even a heated pouch thing. Maybe using a heat pad to keep it warm. A person could maybe make something out of a battery heated sock.

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Holy hanna those handwarmer heater pads look awesome. I wonder if Darren put one of those on his. Whe he gets back from Boji I'm sure he'll post how he gets his GPS to work in the cold.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

aa, does your friend have his on the sled hooked up to 12V like a cigarette plug in our something? Maybe the hand warmer thing would work with that? I have been keeping it inside my coat and can't think that just a few minutes of cold would kill the batteries? frown

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i have a cigarette lighter type adapter duct tapped to my flasher battery for icefishing. if need be, i can plug it in there. ive only been using it to find the spot and get off the lake. otherwise its off. also, i have been noticing that when plugged in it gets a disconnected warning more often lately. one of my fishing buddies said his does that when the batteries are low. mine has the lithium and they show half power... after reading this blog, i went right out and got mine out of the truck. i didnt know the lcds could pop from cold. if they havent yet, i dont think that is a problem. i also have an old gps 12 that has been the reliable. there have been times, plural, when the h2o lost the tracks back to shore (summer and winter). so i have to say the technology is fantastic, but the reliability & durability is a dissapointment. like anything else, redundancy is the key to a saved trip.

regards,

minnesotatuff

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I have mine mounted behind my windshield of my snowmobile. I,ve been up to the Lake of the woods in many below zero days and it has worked fine with no issues. I do have it plugged into the cigarette lighter plug I added on just for my H2O. I do travel mostly in the dark with the light on if that has anything to do with it. I have been out there with a temp of 28 below at least a couple of times with not many over 5 above for highs. All I can say they do not last long on the 2 AA batteries in the cold. So that is why I added the 12 volt plug in from the sled battery. See you on the frozen water soon...RICK

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Minn,rcatch

I had a GPS 12 and sold it once I got the H20, should have kept if for a back up! Like I said I have always headed out with brand new batteries, but maybe the 12V hookup maybe the ticket to make sure it has the jucy! rcatch do you have a battery on your sled or do you wait until you start the sled to turn it on? Also there was a post a while back about guys having throuble with their 12v plug in and how it doesn't work all that well, mine is acting up now also! frown. So I may try the hand warmer thing and the 12v plug in on the sled, and maybe try and talk my buddy into selling my old one back for a back up!!. I really like the H20 and map so I hope I can get it to work. Thanks for the ideas. leech~~

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Leech, I put my H2O on the ball mount in front of the windshield and turn it on right away so it can get my GPS fix or location. The battery is for the electric start for the snowmobile. The cigarette plug is mounted down by my left boot in a hole where you put your feet. Nothing fancy but it works flawless with no problems in the last two seasons... January 18th thru the 24th at Arnesens will be my 3RD Year Yippie Ki Yaeee just can,t wait...

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I think the 12 volt plug will be the ticket. The LCD will work just fine in the cold. I would try the 12 volt before worrying about the heater. Darren has his hooked to a 12 volt but no heater.

Standard alkaline batteries aren't good in cold weather, but the lithium batteries tend to work much better if you want to go that route. Only thing there is that they're expensive. So, the 12 volt option might be your best bet.

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If your running AA's just keep it in your inside jacket pocket she'll do fine. Navigate to your spot and shut it down. My H20c lasts for about 2-3 trips on the dash mounted ram. I just take it out and keep it warm. It's to important not to have running and gunning.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Thanks guys will look at the 12V plug in. I have never heard of the Lcd popping in the cold thing? Has anyone ever had that happen?

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I woudlnt think the screen would pop, if it did, how would the LCD DVD players and screens in most minivans and other vehicals not have this happen, or what about the walmart, target trucks that are driving cross country, the trailers are not heated.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

Yep very suspect! I did have one over heat when I kept it in my boat under the boat cover and the screen died! I sent it in to Eagle and when they sent it back it had a little warning sticker on it that I did not see on it before. It said do not leave in covered boats as the high heats that can happen will fry the screens! So I take it out every week when done fishing now. But never had a freezing issue?

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