DFF1 & DFF3 Sounder Issue

[Adeotec]

My boat has a DFF1 which I use to power a B60 transducer. I also have a DFF3 which I use to power a B175L and a B175HW transducer. I have a 10” VX2 and two 7” VX1’s. Everything is networked.

The DFF3 is set to 42khz and 190khz in an effort to eliminate interference with the B60. Everything has been working relatively well in shallow water (10-60 feet) but the first time I went offshore both sounders stopped providing readings. The depth offshore was between 600-2000 feet.

1) When the sounder screen stopped showing valid information I was unable to change the settings between Cruising/Fishing/Manual. I was also unable to switch between LF/HF by using the soft key. Being unable to change the control to Manual made it difficult to try and play with the settings.
2) The B60 50khz did not show any useful information, just the lines shown in the photo.
3) I cycled each MFD’s on and off several times but the issue still existed on both units. I also tried running only one MFD at a time but it did not resolve the problem while in deep water.

The issue partially resolved itself when we anchored in 100’ of water. The VX2/DFF3 began providing accurate images when using the HW transducer. This occurred was after I kept the DFF1 off and changed the DFF3 TX rate from “Speed Sensing” to “20”.

Any thoughts on what I should try? I’m considering removing one of the VX1’s and the DFF1 from the network and wiring them directly together. I’m also considering changing the DFF3 to transmit on 40khz instead of 42khz. Perhaps there’s some issue with the network or an issue with interference between the transducers?

Thank you very much

 

[Snips]

Adeotec,
Thanks for your screen shot. It looks like the sounder is in the Auto Range mode, correct?
First thing I would try would be a putting the DFF3 into a fixed range and out of Auto Range. I do not recommend the Speed Sensing TX Rate, manual 20 is better. If you are fishing deeper than 500ft I would focus more on using the DFF3 than the DFF1/B-60.

Snips

 

[Adeotec]

Snips,
Thank you for the response (particularly on a Sunday).

Once the sounder screens went haywire neither MFD would allow me to change out of auto range. I selected "Manual" by pressing the soft key "Auto/D. Box" multiple times. However every time I tried to adjust any setting after selecting "Manual" I automatically received pop up message stating ".... can not be adjusted while in auto."

Although I was fishing in fairly deep water I was only interested in viewing the top 300-400' of the water column. We were trolling for tuna and looking for bait. That's why I wanted to keep the wide angle of the B60 active while also using the pair of B175 transducers.

 

[Adeotec]

I thought there may have been an issue with the VX2 so I transferred the sounder source on the VX1 to the DFF3. It still didn't resolve the problem. I unplugged the DFF3 power source for a while and re-connected but it did not help either.

Both the DFF1 and DFF3 showed the usual steady blinking green light on the outside of the box.

 

[Snips]

Adeotec,
Start with the basics, one display and the DFF3 only and get that portion working at the dock. Stay in manual range and manual gain if you are just looking at the top part of the water column.

Snips

 

[Adeotec]

Snips,

The DFF3 works great most of the time. We actually tracked bottom at cruise with the B175HW for about three hours before arriving in the canyon. That's when the sounder screens started acting up.

 

[Snips]

Adeotec,
May I ask what kind of depth performance are you expecting from those 175 transducers?

Snips

 

[Adeotec]

I was hoping to see a bottom return in 2,000 feet. If I could see 2,500 I would be really happy. However I would typically have the sounder set to manual only view the top 300-400 feet.

 

[Snips]

Adeotec,
If the LF side of the 175 is pointed straight down I would consider 2000ft within range, maybe a little deeper depending water conditions.

Snips

 

[Adeotec]

I took the boat out the other day and did some testing. This issue is present when I had the 7" display powered off. The 7" display is set to read the DFF1/B60.

The DFF3 sounder screen seems to be "freezing." This occurred in shallow water 10-40 feet and appeared to be random. It happened auto or manual mode. When the screen freezes I cannot change the sounder settings (manual/auto/ect.)

I can't figure out if its a VX2, DFF3, Setting, Network Issue or a combination.
I'm going to try and take the DFF3 off the network and wire it directly to the VX2.

 

[Snips]

Adeotec,
I agree with wiring the DFF3 direct.

Snips

 

[Adeotec]

Furuno's support was awesome as usual. They quickly determined the network cable was likely going bad. I wired the head unit directly to the DFF3 with a new cable and the odd sounder issues went away. The sounder was up and running just in time for an offshore trip.

Upon closer inspection I think the network hub might be going bad as well. There was quite a lot of corrosion on the RJ45 cable ends as well as the hub. It is not a Furuno HUB, it is just an off the shelf consumer electronics hub.

My only issue is my new B175L transducer would only reliably read bottom to 1,500 feet at 5 knots. Perhaps I need to double check some settings in the sounder menu.

Thanks again!

Thank you again!

 

[Snips]

Adeotec,
If it is speed related I would suspect turbulence more than a sounder setting. Since the 175L is a flushed transducer they are susceptible to water flow issues.

Snips