2020 SX190 Depth Gauge Issue

[SevenXL]

At the end of last season we got a Transducer Communication Error on our 2020 SX190.

The dealer looked at it while we were getting it winterized and wrapped. They said it was a dirty connection.

We just got the boat back in the water this past weekend and everything was fine except the depth gauge now.

It is showing crazy depth readings, sometimes with the side blue graph and other times flashing without the blue graph.

Any idea on a quick fix? No really interested in taking it 2+hrs back to dealer.
The boat is wet slipped

It looks like I can unscrew the top of the transducer and check wiring but not sure if it can be done while in the water.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Frewy]

At the end of last season we got a Transducer Communication Error on our 2020 SX190.

The dealer looked at it while we were getting it winterized and wrapped. They said it was a dirty connection.

We just got the boat back in the water this past weekend and everything was fine except the depth gauge now.

It is showing crazy depth readings, sometimes with the side blue graph and other times flashing without the blue graph.

Any idea on a quick fix? No really interested in taking it 2+hrs back to dealer.
The boat is wet slipped

It looks like I can unscrew the top of the transducer and check wiring but not sure if it can be done while in the water.

Any help is appreciated.

The cable will (should be) fully moulded and sealed at both ends. You could remove the connector at at the head unit, Look inside the dash from behind and reseat the cable to the head unit. This is what the dealer did. If the cable is damaged there thats most likely the problem and you maybe able to find a replacement connector and cut off the old one and replace it. Any electronics person or auto electrician could do that if you had the right connector. This is only of any value if that is the cause of the problem.

Other causes could be the female connector on the head unit has failed you would notice this if it rotates or is loose. In that case I would have the head unit replaced.

Or the cable is damaged at the transducer end or on the route to it, any sharp bends can damage the cable as it has a ~200khz signal firing out and then it listens for the very low level signal response, the electrical characteristics of the singles on the cable are actually quite extreme. The cable should have two wires and a earth shield wrapping it. In that case replace the transducer.

Also any air bubbles between the transducer and the water will always give crazy readings there must be no air between the transducer and the water!! This is why many deep sounders give poor reading at speed.

Back in the day when I was repairing deep sounders you could change the sender and receiver electronic components but now days they are sealed black blobs which is brilliant for reliability but when something fails you just replace the unit in this case that would be the head unit or the transducer and its cable which is sealed into the transducer end. If I was to place a bet on it the transducer is the problem I have even seen the crystal in the transducer fail.

Has anyone replace the transducer in the new 19' hull is it hard to get the cable out and in? Is it possible too cut the cable at the transducer end and tape the new transducer cable to the cut end and just pull it though the hull with a bit of careful assistance to not damage the new cable?

Take a photo of the back of the head unit and cable if you can.