Depth finder issues

[pmoomba]

My 06 obv has a depth finder that looks like it was most likely aftermarket. In general it seems to work ok, but has a couple issues:

- Occasionally it doesn't report the depth. I haven't pinpointed what the situations are, and it works more often than not, but sometimes it's obviously on and it just doesn't report anything (reads '--').

- In a lake we vacation on (very deep in most places) it will often beep like the depth is too low, even when I'm in 55'+ of water. If I hit the 'up' button it stops, but might start again (maybe on next start). I don't seem to ever get this behavior when I'm home on the river (8-15' average depth). I assume it's something related to the larger depth, but it seems to report the depth fine but is still beeping like I'm too shallow.

Any ideas?

[jpetty3023]

My factory depth finder also went out this weekend. When I start the boat it reads 00.0 but then changes to ---. I checked the archives and looked at the "puck". It seems to be attached fine, if I'm looking at the "puck". It looks like a metal grate but nothing is between the grate and bottom of boat? I also checked the wires and they seem to be fine. I have power of course because of the 2 readings I get, any idea why I'm not getting the depth. Lakes are low, this may be the single most important device on my boat right now

[freyse]

Have an 05 outback depth gauge reads --- as well have checked all my wiring seems fine have power only thing I think it can be is the transducer puck but don't want to remove it to badly as it is attached really well. Any way of testing this puck out say by using a voltage meter or something .Have asked this question a few times with no response from the manufacture.

[mmandley]

Not sure how to test them.

(--) if you know your in a deep section means your over 100 feet that the depth guage cant read it.
Beeoping you mention is due to someone at some point setting a preset depth and its beeping to tell you that.

Mine is adjusted to read keel offset, i have it set to tell me how deep it is Below my prop so i dont have to worry as much of running my prop aground.
These are the factory style replacements.

http://www.boatersland.com/depthgauges.html

This is the one i have but i bought it threw NorCross who makes them and picked the one with Water and Air temps on it also.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_11151_10001_434229_-1?cid=chanintel_google&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=434229

[bergermaister]

Some depth gauges have both a low depth warning and a high depth warning. Getting beeps when you're plenty deep could be the high warning. My old one used to do that and it took a while to figure out what it was. I have similar issues with false or blank readings and my aftermarket Uniden is only a year old. I've found when I'm listed over surfing it doesn't like to read. Following in the wash of another boat it doesn't like to read either due to the bubbles I'm sure the signal is bouncing off. I know my puck is glued tight but even little air bubbles in the glue can cause problems from what I've heard.

I think a future upgrade will be one of the style with a thru hull eye.

[pmoomba]

I think I have that hawkeye (or one that's very similar). There are a number of reviews that complain that it just reads '---' a lot of the time or doesn't work very well. Maybe I just need to replace it.

[yearround]

These are the factory style replacements.

http://www.boatersland.com/depthgauges.html

This is the one i have but i bought it threw NorCross who makes them and picked the one with Water and Air temps on it also.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_11151_10001_434229_-1?cid=chanintel_google&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=434229

can these factory replacement use the same puck and water temp that is already in the boat? i installed the faria depth temp gauge in a previous boat and was happy with the performance, and liked the ease of temp readings, but i am used to checking once then not minding any more.

sorry no help on the depth problems, only that mine does blank out for unknown reasons, not much concern when i know the area, nervous when i don't.

[mmandley]

The Seoncond link is the one i have and its a threw hull so it doesnt use a puck.

As for the puck styles i am not sure if you can interchange them, i know my facory was a solid wire that went from the puck to the guage so when i cut it, i didnt think it was possible to splice another guage into it. So i replaced it. I also wanted water temp which the factory style doesnt provide. If you have PP then you get water temp.

[jpetty3023]

This is a dumb question but what does the puck look like? I think I messed with it yesterday but all i saw was a grate cover, nothing inside except what looked like a thru hole


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