Sub troll issues Pics added

[overthelimit]

Picked up a used sub troll this offseason. Out doing a little shake down as we speak. Unit is working intermittently then stops. Also when working speed is about 1+ mph over gps speed. I have no experience with these. Any thoughts /ideas appreciated.
Cable seems to be wavering back and got that lot as I only have ball down couple feet.

 

Here is a couple pictures, one of the connection to the cable. This was how it was set up when I recieved it. The other of the antenna on the rigger boom.

 

Yes, as you can tell, my dog spends a lot of time in the boat.

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2015 by overthelimit

[Skippers Trophy 01]

Make sure you have metal to metal contact from the top eye of the unit to your coated cable.

Are you using a "clincher" style connector for that?

New 9V battery in unit?

[MeanMachine]

Make sure the wire that connects to the antenna is connected.  I've had issues where this has started to separate causing the unit to read incorrectly.

[baitrigger]

If you're in any kind of current. There may be a 2mph difference from gps. On rough days down speed may be 4 mph different than surface speed.

[jason]

If it's waving back and forth check your weights. As for faster then gps that can be currents.

[overthelimit]

Metal to metal contact and new battery. I'll try to upload pic later of connection.

[Gill-T]

Breaks in the coated cable can cause this.  A bad sending antenna or the cable that plugs into the back of the display are also causes.  Call Moor in Buffalo.  You may have to send the unit to them to diagnose the problem.  Rarely is it the probe. 

[Silver Fox]

Try Putting a wet rag on the antenna

Sent from my XT1080 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[overthelimit]

added a couple pictures to original post, maybe there's something obvious im missing

[Silver Fox]

I'm not joking.

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[overthelimit]

I'll try it next time out. Just wanted to see if there was something noticibly wrong.

Edited April 5, 2015 by overthelimit

[LongLine]

Do you have a good tight clean connection between the antenna cable & the extension cable?  When it goes off, do you loose temp also or just speed?  The little dot in the temp display tells you that you have power.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[spoonfed-1]

Obviously check all connections including the inline fuse holder

I have had trouble with corrosion on the contacts and make sure you have a good fresh 9 volt in the probe.

Find somebody else that has a subtroll and one by one substitute your components until you find the problem.

I would start with the cable that runs from the antenna cable to the head unit as I have had the connection inside the plugs break on me. Took quite awhile to find that one but those soldered joints are kinda flimsy and are subject to stress while plugging in and unplugging the cable. Next substitute the probe and finally the head unit.

 

Good luck

[overthelimit]

Lose both speed and temp. Had power going to the unit the whole time. It would stay on for 5-10 minutes then go off, then come back on, then off every 10 minutes or so. Seemed if I took it out of the water for a while then dropped it back in it would start working again then quit.

[JakeyBaby]

When it goes off are you losing complete power or just speed/temp? If the unit has power going to it there should be a little dot where your temp display is. If that is not there your problem could be with another piece of electronics interfering with it. I had that problem last year with my auto pilot.

[overthelimit]

Still had the black dot indicating power. The only other electronics running is a basic lowrance.

[LongLine]

I definitely suspect the cable or one of it's end has a bad connector.  Sounds like when you lift it up, you're giggling a connector.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[thork9]

I had similar problem was connector between main cable and short cable at down rigger.

[brucehookedup]

Scotty is correct in putting a wet paper towel on the antenna. These units are sensitive and will build up a negative effect and work intermittingly. The bare cable will not cause that issue. Next time you use the unit and the problem happens try the towel. Broken wire inside of antenna will do that as well. Wiggle that wire to see if the issue changes and that should be your answer.

[overthelimit]

Thanks for all the replies fellas. I'll run through all your suggestions and hopefully figure it out. I know the unit wasn't used in a couple years and was operating fine before that so hopefully it's something simple.

[UNREEL]

As Capt Bruce said check your antenna especially under the tie wraps. That's where the most stress is put on the antenna from the downrigger cable.

[overthelimit]

So today everything seems to be ok. Temp and speed consistent. Still curious about speed though. Running ball down 3-4 feet and sub troll is showing 1 mph faster than gps speed regardless of trolling direction. Does it need calibrating?

[Tim Bromund]

The number is just a number. The value to a speed and temp unit is repeatability. What the number displayed is, is in all honesty, completely irrelevent, as long as you can repeat the reading that is catching fish. Once you determine that, it really doesn't matter what the number is.

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Edited April 12, 2015 by Tim Bromund

[Little Crappie]

Check this site for antenna upgrade. Def worth doing....

http://www.fish307.com/cannonsnt-kelldepthraider-moorsubtroll900antennamodification-1.aspx

Then consider a fish hawk lol as the coated cable cuts in half as soon as the cable is degraded in any way... And in fishing anything and everything happens lol

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[Tim Bromund]

Check this site for antenna upgrade. Def worth doing....

http://www.fish307.com/cannonsnt-kelldepthraider-moorsubtroll900antennamodification-1.aspx

Then consider a fish hawk lol as the coated cable cuts in half as soon as the cable is degraded in any way... And in fishing anything and everything happens lol

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

That's not actually even remotely close to being true, but whatever.