Storage & Prevention Tips; Electrical Interference - VEXILAR FL Series Owner's Manual

General Trouble Shooting
Storage & Prevention Tips
Symptom
● Store in cool dry area. Do not store
Unit is turned on, but no display
in a sealed container, like a bucket or
and motor is not running.
Soft Pack, trapping moisture.
Unit is turned on and the motor is
running, but there is no display.
● Be sure an SLA battery is fully
Unit runs well for a short time, then
charged before storage.
lights flash randomly or unit quits.
● Clean the flasher body and screen
Unit runs and shows display light,
with a soft cloth and a mild detergent.
but does not read depth.
Do not submerge in water or other
Unit works, but needs high gain to
liquids.
see bottom or targets.
Unit works, but has too many lines
● Do not expose the body or display
on the display. Can't tell what is
to chemicals, such as fish attractant or
what.
insect repellent. Damage to the surfaces
can occur. Unit works well when sitting still
or at when slow trolling, but loses
● Do not submerge the body in water
reading at higher speeds.
or subject it to heavy wave splashing.
Unit shows noise when engine or
The flasher housing is weather-
electric motor is turned on.
proof for most conditions, but is not
I.R. does not work. Can't eliminate
waterproof. Water damage is not
interference from other depth
covered under the warranty.
finder.
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Possible Cause
Check for bad connections, proper hook up polarity, and
make sure you have a good, fully charged battery.
Battery voltage too low. The unit will show no display if the
voltage is below 8 volts. Check voltage while unit is running.
Bad battery or connection. Voltage may be good when
checked, but will fall as unit runs.
Transducer is not plugged in or not in contact with the water.
Transducer is not aimed correctly or needs to be cleaned.
19° transducers will have trouble seeing small targets deep.
Improper transducer adjustment. Also, gain may be set too
high or, if gain is set to minimum, switch to the LP Mode.
Improper transducer type, install, or adjustment causing
loss of clear water flow across the transducer when the boat
reaches a certain speed.
Defective engine or electric motor. Also can be improper
grounding or missing ground in electrical system.
Gain may be set too high or the transducer is weak. Also,
check for ice or debris buildup under the Gain Control.
Electrical Interference Trouble Shooting
There may be situations where you experience interference from
other electrical devices, not just another nearby depth sounder. This
interference will show on your display as random signals and interfere
with your ability to see the normal display signals. The most common
sources of interference are electric trolling motors and engine ignitions
systems. Your flasher's IR feature won't help much, as this is designed for
cross-talk, but here are some tips that might.
Sources
Interference can be introduced into your sonar system through the
power supply, transducer line, or both. To identify the source, unplug the
transducer and run the trolling motor or the engine. If the interference
disappears, you know the noise is coming in through the transducer line.
If not, it's coming through the power line, or both.
Wiring
Power line interference can generally be solved by improvements in the
wiring positions, connections, and grounding. You want to be sure the
sonar wiring is as far away as possible from the trolling motor wiring, and
the wiring is neat. Make cable runs as short as possible and neatly coil
extra wire and tie it off so it stays put in rough water or while pulling the
boat. All electrical connections should be in very good condition. Push-on
terminals should be tight. Wire crimp connections should not come free
when pulled firmly. Conductors should be shiny, not dull or corroded.
Grounding
The boat's electrical system should have a common "Earth" ground to the
water. Most boats electrical systems are grounded through the outboard to
the water. Many times a electric trolling motor interference problem can be
solved by a "ground" wire from the negative trolling motor power source to
the negative of the starting battery.
Equipment
Electric trolling motors and gas engines can have technical problems that
can cause interference. If common wiring improvements do not solve the
problem, be sure to check with the manufacturer to see if there are any
recommendations or updates available regarding interference with depth
sounders.
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