DFF1-UHD w/ B265LH HF freq seems to have lost…something

[PugSndBoater]

Motor yacht with DFF1-UHD, B265LH transducer, and quad TzTouch2 displays. Curiously, the HF frequency seems to have lost… something (power? discrimination? gain?). Symptoms illustrated in photos attached to this posting:
1 - LF operating, about to toggle to HF frequency
2 - HF depth not registering
3 - back to LF restores function

Vessel has operated successfully and solidly on primarily HF frequency for the past 3-4 years in many depths of water, so I’m unsure what’s going wrong here. Vessel was stopped for a couple days at anchor and these symptoms appeared when the systems were powered on again. No shipyard haulout recently that might’ve fried the transducer from dry operation.

Tried stopping and restarting fishfinder Tx. Same result.
Tried power cycling everything. Same result.
Tried resetting the TzTouch2 fishfinder settings. Same result.
Tried doing the “Set Hardware to Factory Default” and reinitializing the finshfinder. Same result.
Tried power cycling everything again. Same result.

TzTouch2 displays are on software V7.01.
DFF1-UHD is on software V03.04, which was in fact upgraded not too long ago (early May on our system I believe), but this failure symptom started after we’d been operating on the new firmware for a while.

 

[Johnny Electron]

The transducer where it connects to the UHD; has the orange wire disconnected, correct? Transducer setup is set for the B265LH? If all that is good it sounds like the transducer or sounder has an issue. The sounder could be sent in for testing or someone can run the Airmar TDT-1000 tester across that transducer. If someone had a good transducer, I guess you temp could swap it and hang it over the edge for testing. It sounds like you have done many of the things I would normally advise.

 

[PugSndBoater]

Thanks Johnny. Correct, the orange wire is disconnected. I checked the initialization one more time to be sure, and it is set by Model to the B265LH. I tried one more power cycle too.

I don't have access that test equipment, or a spare transducer, so I guess I'll try to locate an Airmar installer somewhere nearby next to test the transducer. It seems more likely the transducer is bad versus the DFF but that's just a guess.

 

[Johnny Electron]

Transducers sometimes get hit by objects in the water and elements can get cracked. Odds are higher that it is related to the transducer but it could be either. I would highly recommend the transducer be tested with the Airmar TDT1000 or the sounder be sent in for check out under the process of elimination.

 

[PugSndBoater]

I found someone who will let me borrow a known-working DFF1-UHD from another vessel to temporarily drop in this boat and see if that resolves things. If the temp unit does resolve the issue, I will look at sending this DFF1 in for eval. If it does not, then I will search for an Airmar tech with a TDT1000 to evaluate the transducer. Thanks.

 

[Johnny Electron]

:capt Good Plan

 

[PugSndBoater]

Confirmed the problem isn't with the DFF1, as the temporary replacement DFF1-UHD box sees the same behavior on HF. That's a bummer, as I was sort of hoping the problem would be in the DFF1 to avoid the likely need to have this larger vessel hauled to replace the transducer, but it is what it is. Moving on now to looking for an Airmar tech or someone who has a TDT1000 to evaluate the transducer.

 

[Johnny Electron]

Thanks for following up. Sorry to hear the transducer is looking more likely the problem.