DFF1 Giving Wrong Depth

[Meanwhile]

I run a 10" & 7" display on my Grady White, using a M260 in hull transducer. Today on my shakedown cruise the depth showed very shallow when I know it was deep. I tried to look through the menus but could find no relief.

The transducer has acted this way when the glycol fluid was low in the tank. It has a slow leak. I filled the tank last week knowing I'd be going out. When I received the bad depth I went below and topped off the fluid, no luck. Still errors in depth. Good thing the chart plotter was working.

Any help on items to check? The units are connected as the depth was showing on each. I took a few photos of the screens.

 

[Meanwhile]

Trying to upload photos.
1 Meg size limit?

 

[Magnetron]

The transducer has acted this way when the glycol fluid was low in the tank. It has a slow leak. I filled the tank last week knowing I'd be going out. When I received the bad depth I went below and topped off the fluid, no luck.

No Glycol - no XDR, it might as well be beaming in the air... In-hull XDRs need Glycol like a through-hull needs water over it's face. Seal up the tank, fill it up, likely the depth will come back given that the hull hasn't been recently painted :cool .

Hope this helps, :sail

- Maggy

 

[Meanwhile]

I'll try that, reseal the tank. However, when on the river I topped off the tank and had no success.
How can I tell if the issue is the DFF1 or the transducer?

 

[Magnetron]

I'll try that, reseal the tank. However, when on the river I topped off the tank and had no success.
How can I tell if the issue is the DFF1 or the transducer?

Well you could crank the gain up high, try it in AUTO-CRUISING mode, adjust the TVG values up or down. Else, there are diagnostic tools available that we have, or your local dealer might have, to test the health of the transducer. Otherwise, you can use another sounder (like a FCV588 or BBDS1) on the transducer and compare results, or you can just send in the DFF1 to Furuno's Camas, WA Service Repair Center for an evaluation and we'll check it out for you.

Hope this helps, :sail

- Maggy

 

[Meanwhile]

I appreciate the quick reply.
I might drop them off at Camas.
Thanks.

 

[Magnetron]

I appreciate the quick reply.
I might drop them off at Camas.
Thanks.

If you do we appreciate if you call ahead so we know to expect you.

- Maggy

 

[Meanwhile]

Called and left a message. I'm curious as to turn around time to check DFF1, and both displays for internal batteries.

 

[Magnetron]

When it comes to service repair times at the Camas facility, it's all relative to how busy we are at the time or where we are in the season. Officially we try to service all requests between 7 - 10 business days.

When dropping off, you can always ask the technician you leave your device with. :furuno

Hope this helps, :sail

- Maggy

 

[Meanwhile]

Thanks.

I dropped them off today. Looking forward to some information.

 

[Meanwhile]

I picked up my sounder today. Hopefully it will work.
Cudos to your crew for a quick turn around.

 

[Johnny Electron]

If the depth is off you should look at any setup offsets in the MFD. Hopefully you fire it up and all is good.

 

[Meanwhile]

Redid the tank bedding and all works. Thanks again.

 

[Meanwhile]

Quick followup, my Icom radio no longer shows the GPS position for DSC, and the Simrad AP tells me I'm missing navigation info when I try to navigate to a way point.

Could the shop have reset or changed something when they bench tested my displays?

I just looked at the wiring and there is no corrosion on the connections, everything is tight. Position shows on my Furuno display and the plotter works OK.

I'm not sure of how to check which sentences get passed to the radio and/or the AP.

 

[Magnetron]

Quick followup, my Icom radio no longer shows the GPS position for DSC, and the Simrad AP tells me I'm missing navigation info when I try to navigate to a way point.

Could the shop have reset or changed something when they bench tested my displays?

I just looked at the wiring and there is no corrosion on the connections, everything is tight. Position shows on my Furuno display and the plotter works OK.

I'm not sure of how to check which sentences get passed to the radio and/or the AP.

If either of those have a NMEA0183 port monitor you could look at that and see if you were getting any $GP sentences. If neither of those have port monitors, than you could put a multi-meter on volts to the TX wires to see if it's outputting anything. Otherwise, make sure under the port settings for the VX2 that you have GGA/GLL sentences outputting on that port at the baud rate acceptable for the icom/simrad (e.g. 4800).

Hope this helps, :sail

- Maggy

 

[Meanwhile]

Thanks for the help. I managed to turn on the correct network sentences and all is now good.