LOWRANCE X67C PROBLEMS/ ISSUES??

[HUMMER 55]

I have a lowrance x67c sonar/fish finder. im on my second unit and i still am having issues after three years with the darn thing. anyone else had this issue.

While using it in ice machine mode with split screen the 0-6ft zoom side bottom mark keeps moving up and down relitively rapidly. this make it very difficult to watch your bait and the fish while it is bouncing around. this is the second new control box but the same tranducer as original unit. ive tried everything! i have two friends that use this also and one has never had any issue the other had the same issue right away and so he returned it and the second one works fine. could it be the transducer??

i emailed lowrance tech but i got no response as i figured that....

any help or knowledge would be appreciated..

last resort ill have to get a vexilar i guess.

[slurpie]

I bought one of the first x 67 and had the same problem. TRyed lowrance and got nothing back for advice. I also figuired it was the transducer, but found a fl 20 on c -list and bought that. Vexilar works all the time.

[nitro180tf]

Hey Cass Master!

I have had a x67c for 3-4 years now and use it on the trolling motor and ice fishing, Great product! Have you turned the auto depth range off?

I have mine turned off all winter. Are you with or around someone using a Vex Or Graph?

Hope this helps!

[HUMMER 55]

well i tried turning auto depth on and off and ive been all by myself this year so far. so its not interference for sure. im calling lowrance at 8:00am today. thanks for the sugestion

[jdsmi]

I think I know what you're refering to. I have the same unit. Although I don't ever use Flasher mode and have no desire to, it can be frustrating if you do. In Flasher mode, you'll probably also notice the depth reading jumping around within a few tenths of a foot or so. I think that is what causes the marks to jump because it's always adjusting for the "new" depth. When my depth reading settles on a depth, everything is fine. It won't do it all the time but most of the time. My brother has the same unit and his does the same thing. Neither of us use the Flasher so we both just kind of went "Hmmm, that's weird", flipped back to graph, and kept fishing.

Sorry I can't help but I'm curious what you find out. Hopefully one of the experts will have an answer.

Good luck.

[Dellfin]

Please do let us know what you find out from Lowrance. I have the same issue. Thanks!

[HUMMER 55]

OK HERES WHAT THEY TOLD ME AT LOWRANCE....

TURN UNIT ON. PAGE THE SCREEN TO SHOW THE GRAPH STYLE VIEW. (THIS IS KEY). THEN HIT MENU BUTTON, GO DOWN TO THE SONAR FEATURES, ENTER . MAKE SURE THAT SURFACE CLARITY AND NOISE REJECTION IS OFF, THEN GO DOWN TO CHART MANUAL MODE AND PUT AN X IN THE BOX.(TURNS IN ON). THEN EXIT ONE TIME BACK TO THE MENU SCREEN AND GO UP AUTO SENSITIVITY AND UNCHECK IT.(TURNS IT OFF). THEN IT SHOULD NOT JITTER THE BOTTOM ZOOM ON SPLIT SCREEN FOR ICE FISHING... SO THEY SAY.... MY UNIT WAS TURNED ON ONE OF THE SETTINGS SO ILL HOPE ITS GOOD TO GO !!

IF SOMEONE TRIES IT AND GOES OUT FISHING BEFORE I DO LET ME KNOW IF IT HELPS.

CASS

[jdsmi]

I'm not confident that will work but it's worth a try. I know I have the Chart Manual Mode box checked and have played with Noise Rejection and Surface Clarity but I'm not sure if I ever had it set their combination though.

I really hope it works. I'm not sure if I'll be out this weekend so let us know please. That would be super if it is that simple.

[jdsmi]

I tried those settings this morning and didn't notice any difference. Again, I'm much more comfortable using the graph so I personally don't care. With that said, it would be really nice to get this resolved knowing it could be a potential deal-breaker for some. The tool is there and it should work properly for the money we spend on these things.

[HUMMER 55]

thanks!, has anyone else that uses the split screen been out and tried the setup yet? or found anything else to work?

[Maximus]

I bought the Ice Pack for my X67C in December 2008 and I experienced this problem most of the time that I used it last season. This season, I have only been able to use it for a few hours (went out last weekend), but the fluttering was there.

I searched the forum this week & found some posts indicating that the battery needs to be running at 12 volts or higher. Anything less than 12 (or at least 11.8), and the fluttering supposedly occurs. I wasn't able to charge mine before using it last weekend-- tried to but my charger was fried. I drained the battery while out fishing last weekend, so I suspect my voltage was low.

So, after buying a new charger this week, doing a hard reset, and following the settings sequence described above (all of which I've always done, with the exception of doing the first few in the graph mode), I just took it out to test it.

Guess what? Same annoying flutter. At first it locked 15.9 feet. I set my depth at 20 feet & it stayed locked on 15.9. I thought the problem was solved. Then I dropped a 'Gill Pill down & started jigging it. After a minute, the flutter was back. I swithced to the graph & the bottom reading was still fluttering. The voltage was reading 12.4.

I did order a new transducer yesterday. If one of the salesmen at another shop that I spoke to hadn't said that Vexilar is coming out with all new units next year, I probably would have skipped the transducer and bought a Vex. I will test the new transducer this week & post the results.

I'm going to be pretty bummed if I end up wasting over $100 on a new charger & transducer. Very frustrating indeed.

[MNSnow]

Can you guys explain your fluttering problem a little more in depth. Does it change just a little or a ton? My unit will show the accurate depth, say 30' and then all of the sudden will jump all over, as deep as 300'. Flat out the thing just starts freaking out. I've had the guys I'm fishing with shut off their flashers but the problem keeps happening (only once in while). I emailed Lowrance and they are sending me a new transducer. Man I don't know what the heck is going on with there transducers but almost everyone I know that has a lowrance has had to replace their ducer. (summer and winter versions)

[Maximus]

Mine typically jumps up and down very rapidly +/- .1-.5 feet. So fast that it's usually difficult to read the depth numbers (i.e. the tenths). It will do this sometimes +/- 1 foot; however, I don't think I've ever seen it flutter more than +/- 2 feet.

When you emailed Lowrance about your problem, was your unit still within the warranty period? I'm outside my warranty by a little over a month, so I didn't contact them this time (I did contact them last season & they recommended the setttings above, which didn't stop the problem).

[JIM C]

It's very important that your battery is fully charged and capable of delivering 12+ volts. I'd be willing to bet some of these issues are caused by weak batteries. If buying new, look for a 9+ amp hour battery, especially when using the 5" screen sized units.

Occasionally a transducer will go bad and usually what happens is you will see either a permanent loss of sensitivity (can't find your lure) or erratic returns (working fine one moment-then not). Also, bottom flutter can be caused by ice around the transducer, although this generally happens only when the ice is really thick. Try cranking up the surface clarity filter and/or drop the transducer below the bottom of the ice to see if that solves the problem.

For best results, use a Lowrance PTI-WSU/WBL ice transducer and run your machine in SONAR CHART mode, either in full or split screen zoom, whichever you prefer. There is NO advantage to flasher mode that I can see, that's old school, and the chart is so much easier to interpret. There are some pretty decent videos online. To see this for yourself- search YouTube for X-67C Lowrance Ice Machine.

Start with these settings:

*CHART SPEED and PING SPEED to 100%.

*SURFACE CLARITY and NOISE REJECTION to off or low

*AUTO SENSITIVITY off

*AUTO DEPTH off

Adjustments as needed:

1. Set the UPPER and LOWER DEPTH RANGE LIMITS to display the part of the water column you are interested in targeting.

2. Adjust SENSITIVITY up until lure can be easily seen (usually 70-90% depending on water conditions).

3. Adjust COLORLINE so that the lure is just starting to turn blue. When a decent sized fish comes in it will usually show some red or even yellow on the display.

4. If getting interference from other flashers (or other noise) use NOISE REJECTION to tune it out.

*Start at low and work your way up to high as needed. You'll have to adjust your SENSITIVITY after each increase in filter level.

*In extreme cases of interference from other flashers, you may have to adjust the PING SPEED and/or raise or lower your transducer in the hole a few inches.

Using these tips and running in CHART MODE, I've never had a problem tuning out other flashers.

5. Use ZOOM when fishing in deeper water. I like 2X or more ZOOM in anything deeper than 10'. Use the ARROW keys to adjust the ZOOM window up or down so you are seeing the desired depth range.

The above information will work with any Lowrance or Eagle graph set up to ice fish like the X67C, 334C, or the 522C.

Since last winter, I've been using a Lowrance HDS-5 for ice fishing and it is just a SUPERB machine. The settings for running an HDS on ice are somewhat different than those listed above.

Good Luck, I hope this helps you get your Lowrance unit performing like it should.

Jim Carroll NPAA #13

[jdsmi]

Can you guys explain your fluttering problem a little more in depth.

As stated, the digital depth readout will ocasionally jump around in tenth/foot increments. For whatever reason, this only affects the flasher screen in that the flasher depth will continue to adjust to the new depth.

This, however, does not affect the graph screen. You should see no flutter on the graph (which everyone will say is MUCH preferred anyway).

I normally fish with split graph screen and the depth readout turned on in the upper corner. I use the depth readout to get my initial depth during setup then completely ignore it as it "flutters". The "flutters" do not affect the graph readout at all. Like I said before, mine works fine even with this issue and the only frustrating thing is not knowing what the solution is (don't bother with the "get a xxx" response, not the least bit interested in a flasher).

[MNSnow]

I was watching WFN last night and they were ice fishing in Canada. The host mentioned that on a really windy day with flashers such as the Hummingbird FL55 and the units like we are using that the wind will actually cause the water to move under the ice thus causing the depth to change in those tenth/foot increments. You would think that if this was the issue that it should show in both the graph and flasher settings. Just thought I'd toss that out for thought encase you noticed that you were fishing on a windy day versus a calm day.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

I think when you're seeing it flutter a little bit and it's just the depth readout up in the corner fluttering and not the actual graph its self, I wouldn't really worry much about it. It's a digital machine that is so sensitive it's determining the depth down to the tenth of an inch. So, if you're fishing in 12.6 FOW and your depth readout is fluttering between 12.3 - 12.9, I guess I don't see that as a big deal(as long as it's just the digital number read-out and not the bottom line on the graph). Maybe try a slower ping and chart speed?

I've owned my X67C since they first came out. I do occasionally get the "freak out" like MNSnow describes where it just seems to go AWOL, but when that happens I turn it off and back on or even pull the 'ducer out of the water for a few seconds and all will seem good. (Unless I'm fishing a rocky lake near another sonar unit, then all bets are off).

From how you describe you issues, I think you might be overreacting here.

Good Luck though! Hopefully you figure it out.

[Maximus]

Mine is fluttering in both the graph and flasher modes (don't recall how much the graph itself was moving last night; I was pretty annoyed & didn't spend much time in graph mode). It is not just the depth reading, though. The bars on the flasher move up and down as the depth readings fluctuate, making the flasher useless. Like I said, I will post an update once I try the new transducer.

[Maximus]

I received my new transducer and tried it out this afternoon. At the first spot I tried, at 16' depth, it worked great. Then I moved our to 30' depth & it went crazy again. I reset the depth range to 40' but the depth reading and the chart were constantly fluttering. Tried powering it off a few times but it never settled down.

I've decided to give up on my Lowrance. It works fine on my boat, so I'll just use it for summer fishing. I am returning the new transducer and charger & I just ordered a Vexilar FL-20 Anniversary Pack.

[jBohmer]

Interesting tips Jim. I have to agree with you on the flasher statement. I started in Ice Machine mode and then found the split chart mode, I have yet to use the flasher function since. I am interested in your interference ideas. Let me know what you think, My buddy has a Marcom and I use a Lowrance M68c. If he turns his on while in my shack at the same time as me, it practically blows my transducer out of the water. My depth reading goes nuts and my transducer starts picking up random hits. I like the transducer depth change idea and I will give it a shot, but I have messed with the noise rejection and seen no change what so ever. I do not know how far another unit has to be from me for the interference to stop but is does not seem too far (maybe twenty feet or so). Am I just screwed if another unit is running within ten to twenty feet of mine? When he is only a few feet away seems too close me, but his Marcom is able to funtiion with mine running and he says that other people with Vex's etc. don't seem to be much of a problem.