# Humminbird interference issues



## FishBuford (Dec 28, 2013)

Hey guys, 
Just got on the lake with my new 899 and I have having some issues. The first pic is when the trolling motor is on. The second is with the trolling motor off. The sonar is still very pixelated with it off and set at 200/83. The last picture is the DI/SI. It seems very fuzzy.. Can anyone help or recommend a place to take it close to lanier to get all the kinks out.


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## FishBuford (Dec 28, 2013)

Pic 2


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## FishBuford (Dec 28, 2013)

Pic 1


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## suuntov (Dec 28, 2013)

PM lanier jim or nothing but fish...im sure they can help you out.  That definitely does not look right.  Try the higher frequency settings for DI/SI/2D.  Make sure that you have your ff on a seperate 12v circut 
. You might be getting some interference from somewhere else like a trolling motor or radio or something.   Its possible that the transducer might be bad.  Make sure you select the "HD" transducer in system setup.      Also make sure that the transducer has a unobstructed view left and right and down obviously.


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## Inline6 (Dec 28, 2013)

What is your sensitivity setting at?


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## FishBuford (Dec 28, 2013)

This is where I mounted the transducer. The 74lb thrust trolling motor is on it's own 24 volt circuit and the fishfinder is attached to a different battery along with my bait tank and radio. Neither the tank not the radio were turned on.


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## FishBuford (Dec 28, 2013)

Inline6 said:


> What is your sensitivity setting at?



My sensitivity is on the standard default, 10


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## brett30030 (Dec 28, 2013)

You may need to separate your TM batteries from your graph battery. I was having all kinds of issues after upgrading both and moving the TM batteries to a forward hatch cleared up the problem immediately. I had no issues with the old TM and fish finder when the batteries were side by side. I think that the newer technology is more sensitive than the old stuff.


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## JohnK (Dec 28, 2013)

I have some issues as well. Please post answers on this thread as opposed to pm so we can all see. HB will send you a ceramic ring for free for the transducer cable and there is another cable for power too. I turned my sensitivity way down and chart speed too and moved the cables around and it cleared up....but is that a fix? I don't know.


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## Inline6 (Dec 28, 2013)

I have to turn the sensitivity down when the water is full of trash from a heavy rain. It will pick up all the leaves, sticks, etc on my older lowrance. I have some interference on my hb if the sensitivity is maxed out with the trolling motor on high (70 24v). I have not tried the filters that a few buddies have put on their rigs.


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## FishBuford (Dec 28, 2013)

brett30030 said:


> You may need to separate your TM batteries from your graph battery. I was having all kinds of issues after upgrading both and moving the TM batteries to a forward hatch cleared up the problem immediately. I had no issues with the old TM and fish finder when the batteries were side by side. I think that the newer technology is more sensitive than the old stuff.


Thanks Brett, I will try to separate the batteries and post the results. Right now all 3 are together underneath the center console so I will move the two TM batteries forward. Hopefully that may due the trick. Rerouting all those wires is going to be fun


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## FishBuford (Dec 28, 2013)

JohnK said:


> I have some issues as well. Please post answers on this thread as opposed to pm so we can all see. HB will send you a ceramic ring for free for the transducer cable and there is another cable for power too. I turned my sensitivity way down and chart speed too and moved the cables around and it cleared up....but is that a fix? I don't know.


I don't think turning the sensitivity all the way down is a fix. Then you limit your ability to see fish and structure. I turned up the noise filter and that helped the sonar some but didn't do a think for the SI/DI. I will post my attempts and hopefully I can figure it out soon


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## Inline6 (Dec 28, 2013)

No the sensitivity all the way down is not a permanent fix. I meant it may need turned down a couple notches during certain water conditions. If it needs turned down all the way all the time there is another issue. Being that it did not do anything for the si/di there is another issue besides settings. Do you have another transducer to switch to?


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## Cmllr75 (Dec 28, 2013)

I have a question that is a little off topic. Does this unit still have the capability of using the Lakemaster chip? I was reading some info about it and it shows Navionics Hotmaps as an option but didn't see Lakemaster.

Thanks


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## FishBuford (Dec 28, 2013)

Cmllr75 said:


> I have a question that is a little off topic. Does this unit still have the capability of using the Lakemaster chip? I was reading some info about it and it shows Navionics Hotmaps as an option but didn't see Lakemaster.
> 
> Thanks


Yes, I have a Lakemasterchip SE edition Chip in mine. I was hoping to upgrade to the ipilot link but I guess I need to get the unit working right first lol!!!


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## Cmllr75 (Dec 28, 2013)

FishBuford said:


> Yes, I have a Lakemasterchip SE edition Chip in mine. I was hoping to upgrade to the ipilot link but I guess I need to get the unit working right first lol!!!



Thanks for the reply. I'm sure someone on here will be able to help. Good luck.


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## Nothin but Fish (Dec 29, 2013)

There are many things that can cause interference on any sonar unit thus the reason for so many answers. If the unit works fine with out the trolling motor in use then the unit and ducer are most likely ok. If not I would first recommend sticking the unit on another boat that has Humminbird (working well)and using their ducer and power cable. This would eliminate the unit as the culprit. Once the unit and ducer have been tested ok turn attention to wiring and trolling motor. If the motor is a US2 version then there could be a blown fuse in the head. the way you have the wiring ran can be an issue. Hooking up a sonar and trolling motor to the same battery is almost always a problem. A bad ground or wire connection at the power source or anywhere in between can be an issue as can a battery that is going bad. I have forwarded a link to this thread to Deb in customer service and she will have someone to get in touch with you to help solve your issue. In the mean time I would check some of the items mentioned above to help cut to the chase.


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## TroyBoy30 (Dec 29, 2013)

FishBuford said:


> Hey guys,
> Just got on the lake with my new 899 and I have having some issues. The first pic is when the trolling motor is on. The second is with the trolling motor off. The sonar is still very pixelated with it off and set at 200/83. The last picture is the DI/SI. It seems very fuzzy.. Can anyone help or recommend a place to take it close to lanier to get all the kinks out.



First don't use 200/83. That's where your pixelation is coming from. It's a known issue also don't use SI enhance

The next step is to call humminbird customer support to start working through your issue. I had to add ferrite rings, tmc1 choke, battery to battery ground and then have my trolling motor internally grounded. Every case is different so what works for one person may not work for you

http://www.humminbird.com/Faq.aspx?TaxonomyId=103A1849

http://www.bbcboards.net/electrical...o-frequency-electrical-noise-tips-tricks.html

http://www.biggeorgiaspots.com/boat...r-stuff/180-aaargh-sonar-noise.html?showall=1


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## FishBuford (Dec 29, 2013)

TroyBoy30 said:


> First don't use 200/83. That's where your pixelation is coming from. It's a known issue also don't use SI enhance
> 
> The next step is to call humminbird customer support to start working through your issue. I had to add ferrite rings, tmc1 choke, battery to battery ground and then have my trolling motor internally grounded. Every case is different so what works for one person may not work for you
> 
> ...



Thanks Troy, i read all the links and i am going to try to seperate the trolling motor batteries to the front of the boat and the sonar battery underneath the center console first. If that doesnt work, then i may try the grounding wire on the trolling motor skeg. just kinda nervous drilling into my TM. What frequency do you recommend to use for sonar, just 200?? I thought the 200/83 was better because it gives you more coverage area? This is my first boat and I am completely new to all of this


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## TroyBoy30 (Dec 30, 2013)

you dont need to drill into the tm.  you might be able to get away with attaching it to the hose clamp



yes 200/83 provides more coverage.  its a huge selling point for humminbird as lowrance won't do 200/83.  the issue is a known firmware issue and it's causing the pixelated look youre seeing when using 2d.  the only way to fix it until humminbird comes up with a solution is to either not use it, or to roll back your firmware which could brick the unit and make it unusable.  humminbird knows about it and its looking into it.  your right down the street from me so id be happy to help if you need anything or have any questions.  just shoot me a pm.

here are some basic settings for the new firmware to get you started.  these are doug v's settings for 6.740 which is the newest firmware for the 1198.  try these and join us on BBC

http://www.bbcboards.net/humminbird-sonar-gps/

Here are my base settings (V6.740)...I adjust to match the conditions during the day.

SI Sensitivity: 8 to 12 (Lower for hard bottoms, higher for soft bottoms)
SI Enhance Settings: Off (99% of the time) 
---Sensitivity: This is the same sensitivity as above
---Contrast: adjust contrast 10-14 range depending on bottom conditions to make data easier to see
Scroll Speed: I run scroll from 3-5 depending on the details I want to get in the screen most of the time it's 4
SI Transducer Frequency: 455kHz for largest coverage area (90% of time) 800 kHz when looking for more detail (10% of the time)

DI Sensitivity: 10-12 this is seperate of SI or 2D Sensitivity
DI Enhance Settings: Off
---Sensitivity - 2 numbers higher than SI 10 to 14
---Contrast: adjust contrast 10-14 range depending on bottom conditions to make data easier to see
DI Coverage: Wide for more data or Narrow when only looking under boat

Down Imaging uses the SI Frequencies 455 or with HDSi Transducer on 898c, 997c, 998c or 1197c, 1198c offers 800 kHz. I use the 455 kHz. 

2D Sonar Frequency:
Switchfire Mode: Max for Vertical Fishing and Water over 10', Clear Mode when I want to see fish only 
Sensitivity: Varies per conditions and which Mode I'm using
Transducer Type: 200kHz only


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## JohnK (Dec 31, 2013)

I found it interesting that in the video he did not run a dedicated common all the way to the battery. He hit a negative strip where he could get on, why not do it at the trolling motor plug then? Another thing is there is no continuity from my trolling motor frame to the strap so I guess I will have to knock off some paint, yours may be the same so put a meter on it first.


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## FishBuford (Dec 31, 2013)

I changed the locations of the batteries and moved the trolling motor batteries to the front of the boat and the accessory batteries underneath the console. I went to do a trial run and the interference wasn't as bad.


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## brett30030 (Dec 31, 2013)

Do they share an onboard charger? That could be an issue too


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## FishBuford (Dec 31, 2013)

I removed the battery charger from the sonar battery and it got even better. I don't want to have to remove the charger everytime I use the boat, so what is the next step to eliminate interference from the charger?


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## brett30030 (Dec 31, 2013)

You can try a battery switch like perko.


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## TroyBoy30 (Jan 2, 2014)

i refused to remove my onboard charger from the loop.  the steps i outlined above fixed my issues.  You never want to have to turn sensitivity down or the noise filter up.  youre simply losing valuable info that you need to see.  this is what my interference looked like before i had nutter rod and reel internally ground my trolling motor.  you can also see the pixilation caused by the 200/83 issues

before









after


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## FishBuford (Jan 2, 2014)

Ok, Troy. Those images were taken with my noise filter on High 3. Just to clarify, the goal is to elimate interference with having to decrease your sensitivity or increase the noise filter. I will try grounding the trolling motor as the image below shows but instead of bolting to the skeg, I am going to grind off some of the paint and attach it to a hose clamp.


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## FishBuford (Jan 2, 2014)

Image


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## TroyBoy30 (Jan 2, 2014)

here ill list everything i did again.  every case will be different so what worked for me may not work for you

1st - added tmc1 choke  (lowrance guys use this as well for interference)

http://www.amazon.com/Humminbird-TMC-1-Trolling-Motor-Side-Imaging/dp/B001IAY9DK

2nd - call humminbird and have them send you some ferrite rings.  these go on the transducer cable as close to the unit as you can get them.  simply wrap the transducer cable around the ring 7 or 8 times.  as many wraps as you can get.  ignore that the pic says us2.  it can be done with any traducer cable.  its going to be harder with the ends we have on our so you may only get 7 wraps.  i think thats all i got







3rd - i added a ground wire from my main trolling battery to my starting battery

4th - i had my trolling motor internally grounded.  same thing youre trying to do, i simply had it done inside the unit by nutter rod and reel.


if you haven't already, call humminbird.  they will walk you through these steps and send you the ferrite rings for free.  its best to make these changes 1 at a time then test on the water.


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## Louie B (Jan 2, 2014)

If you ground the trolling motor the problem will be fixed.  It works almost everytime.  I've had to do it on my boat now with Humminbird and years ago with Lowrance, it works.


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## JohnK (Jan 3, 2014)

I scratched the paint on the motor housing and I have continuity with the housing and motor shaft. Is there any reason that I can't just put a hose clamp on the shaft with a wire underneath it?


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## FishBuford (Jan 3, 2014)

JohnK said:


> I scratched the paint on the motor housing and I have continuity with the housing and motor shaft. Is there any reason that I can't just put a hose clamp on the shaft with a wire underneath it?



Watch the video that Troy posted. At the end it shows that you can attach a connector to the screw used to tighten the hose clamp. I will be trying this method this weekend. Hopefully, this will solve our problems or I will give Humminbird a call on Monday and see what else they suggest.


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## TroyBoy30 (Jan 3, 2014)

i think its simply making a ground once in the water.  i dont pretend to be an electrician though


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## mlbowfin (Jan 3, 2014)

If you are using a separate type of depth finder on bottom of trolling motor, you will get a lot of interference trying to run both at same time. had this problem before..


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## TroyBoy30 (Jan 3, 2014)

thats cross talk and is different from electrical interference


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## FishBuford (Jan 5, 2014)

I worked on the trolling motor ground wire today and hopefully this will solve the interference issue. I ground down a strip of paint on the motor casing and then attaché a stainless hose clamp over the strip. I attached a ground wire to the hose clamp and ran it to the fisher finder ground wire on the power cord. Looks like testing is out of the question for the next couple of days!!!


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## FishBuford (Jan 5, 2014)

Pic 2


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## FishBuford (Jan 5, 2014)

Pic 3


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## Troutman3000 (Jan 5, 2014)

Hope that fixes it for you bro.  Good luck!


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## TroyBoy30 (Jan 6, 2014)

fingers crossed


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## JohnK (Jan 17, 2014)

I was just wondering how you came out on the noise? 'Bout time for me to get busy as well.


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## FishBuford (Jan 17, 2014)

JohnK said:


> I was just wondering how you came out on the noise? 'Bout time for me to get busy as well.



I am still having issues, I just got my boat out of the shop so I will be calling humminbird Monday to see what else I need to do. The only way I can somewhat read the screen is with the noise filter on high 3.


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