I agree. The wiring will only be as good as the smallest wire in the installation, so running a heavier wire won’t really do anything. That being said, I did run a bit heavier wire, but not much, probably like 14 stranded I think. It’s a solid wiring installation, so I really don’t think that’s it. I’ll be giving it a look thru this winter tho when I tear the back of the Lund apart again for a livewell pump that won’t work and I can’t budge. Good times.

Unit in question is brand new, less than 10 hrs on it. They have their own power cords in each boat, all are clean and look new as well.

I’m starting to think maybe these units are just power hogs. I took the 12 out of my big boat, put it in the little boat yesterday, and it was flashing at me there too. Would be up around 13v while driving, then sitting was all the way down to the 9.5 range. Battery is good too. Kind of a bummer so far.

I’ll have to look for that connection, see if it’s ok to the fuse panel.

I’m sure it’s not the wire size. I ran thicker than needed wire back to the unit to make sure it wasn’t an issue. The screen flashes a bit less when I have the kicker on, but it still flashes.

Welp, even though it said it was up to date on the graph, I ran an update anyway….woolah. Problem solved. Goes to show you can always trust that info I suppose and an update won’t hurt anything. Go figure. If I coulda deleted the above post, I woulda.

Found out they are Akara from Missouri. Great lures.

Does look somewhat similar, but I know I didn’t pay that much for it.

No, I think it’s some off brand, smaller company, something similar, ya know? Sure wish I’d held onto the packaging. Will be doing so in the future, that’s for sure.

I’m told the screens are just lesser quality than the HDS screens and this is just the way they are. Great answer I wasn’t thrilled with, but I guess it is what it is. The 12 is manageable, the 9 is a nightmare to deal with.

Alright, yes, both units are updated. I did the screen calibration on the 12, it solved nothing. I even did it twice. I had not done a hard reset yet, will do that tomorrow and see what happens. The 9 seems to be running alright, but it doesn’t get used as much as the 12, so it’ll take some time to work on it.

It’s brand new, no cleaning needed. I don’t believe I should have to calibrate anything out of the box, but I’ll watch that video and check it out. I never had an ounce of problem with my HDS units. I’m a little peeved.

12 had the newest update, the 9 let me update this time. Now they are connecting wirelessly, which is nice. The 12 seemed to still have the touch issues, but will look at it more later and give it time. It may be headed for a hard reset. Anything else I should consider?

The 9 wouldn’t let me update it. I’m going to look to see what the deal is on the 12, and see if it needs an update and try it now.

That’s quite the endorsement right there.

Yes, I live on gravel so my boat is always on gravel. However, anytime I’m on gravel, I never travel more than 25 mph, so I’d have to think that helps. I wouldn’t be too worried about the rocks getting in there much with it already on the trailer. I’m sure there’d be more to worry about at the ramp than anywhere else.

Were the scratches on the bottom highly noticeable? Or fairly minimal?

Mojo,
I don’t know…..I just don’t wanna mess with carpet. Plus, the boards won’t hold sand and weeds like carpet, and the boards are better for drying out and not spreading invasive species too. They also look real good, and would be maintenance free. I don’t care so much if they slide or not; I gotta back the thing in so far anyways because it is such a heavy boat to float, it doesn’t matter much. Plus, if I’m floating the boat, I shouldn’t have to worry too much about it rubbing paint off either. That’s really my only concern at this point, is the paint.

Tim,
That’s good info. Have you noticed any paint being rubbed off or anything bad about em? Glass or tin boat?

I’m still not getting that option to choose other lakes on my card, just the one that comes up. I’m going to work on it when I get my computer back, which is currently getting an overhaul. Have talked to Lowrance a few times, and I hope what they’re telling me will work.

Lady at Lowrance made it sound like if you make folders for each lake, you can put as many as you want on one card. So, I hope to figure that out next without calling them back.

I called Lowrance again and she told me about the file folders, which nobody had mentioned before to me. Once I created new files for lakes, I put the files in there, and sure enough, the lake I was fishing popped up.
Now, as stated above, it only gave me the choice to chose one lake, and I put two on the card. So, I will try it again and see if it’ll work, but so far, it’s only letting me do one lake.

Actually, my problem may not be on here, at least I hope. I talked with Lowrance today; was impressed by how quick I got in, and how helpful he was. I’ve done all the basics, made sure of this and that….except one thing. The serial and content ID numbers are case sensitive. One is alphanumeric. So, I checked on my numbers- sure enough, the letters were lower case when they need to be upper. So I changed that, and will give it a try.

He also told me there will be 5 files, and I believe he said you need em all. I will look into that too.

Ok, checked the serial and other ID numbers, they are legit.

Am I going about it wrong on the Insight site? I’m going to the social map, putting the lake I want on a card, like they say, then extracting files, then putting it in my plotter, and I’m getting no results. Very frustrating.

I will make sure of those things. I know I’m updated, but I’ll check the serial and all that just to make sure. Surely it’ll be something else, but it’d be great if it were something that easy.

Very nice. Looks like a good sized lake. Looks like a fun lake that would be nice to fish for a week or so.

Yup.

Regarding the Wedge, I see them used and advertised as a single unit, when there are two rams. How necessary is it to have a wedge on each ram?

Well, I’ve had the reel out a few times, and wow…these bearings really zing. Mike said I may have to oil them to slow em down, he wasn’t kiddin. So far I’ve just tightened the tension screw and tried to dial it in, but these bearings are super fast. I’m slinging baits quite a ways now, and it’s really taking some getting use to, as I don’t do it a whole lot. Totally worth every penny, that’s for sure.

Yup, I sure plan on it. I know the results will be worth the time I put into the reel.
I would encourage you to take that reel apart and at least check it out to see what your problem might be. I say that because when I took my Abu apart, I couldn’t believe what I saw. The bearings all seized up, nothing working like it should. I mean, I did buy it used, but this was ridiculous.
Can’t wait to give it a spin, hopefully tomorrow.

Ok, the last update is here. Ordered the bearings, got em inserted into the reel, and I really can’t wait to see what this thing will do now. I hope to get the boat out this week and scream some baits at pike and see how far down the coves I can cast. I have a feeling I’ll be able to cover more water faster to find the active fish with these bearings. Glad I replaced em.