IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: VTMatt on Jan 23, 2016, 06:02 PM
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So my first issue which I think loose battery terminals is that the unit completely shuts off when I hit the side of the unit or set the unit down too hard. Dead......then when I turn it on my settings are all gone. It gets changed to max sensitivity and open water mode.....huh?????
Next is this ghosting I'm seeing constantly. I tried every setting imaginable buy whenever I would drop a jig down it would leave this ghost looking stuff all around the jig. My screen just lights up and it stays green and yellow for a good 10 or 15 seconds before finally disappearing. I know it's not ice on my lube because it is stationary 100% of the time even when I move my line.
Anyone know what's going on here? Do I just have a bad unit or what?
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Trade it in and get a FLX 28!
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Ohhhhh boy......here we go.......
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sounds like the gain is way too high! when you can see all of that extra when you sink a jig its up too high. try it half way up on the gain instead and use narrow beam if fishing more than 20 feet of water.
if you can hit it and get it to work it's a loose connection. if the connections are good even in the back of the unit it may be a loose internal connection.
you do want open water mode tho.
only keep an inch in of the puck the water and centered in the hole.
here's more on how to use one.
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=319913.0
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J/k. Somebody did that to my vex chat once! Had to try it! Lol. To each his own!
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sounds like the gain is way too high! when you can see all of that extra when you sink a jig its up too high. try it half way up on the gain instead and use narrow beam if fishing more than 20 feet of water.
if you can hit it and get it to work it's a loose connection. if the connections are good even in the back of the unit it may be a loose internal connection.
you do want open water mode tho.
only keep an inch in of the puck the water and centered in the hole.
here's more on how to use one.
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=319913.0
Gain settings at 3 and 4 still did it in open and ice mode....
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Honestly vt send it back to marcum. Or contact them. I had an earlier lx7 than you and had zero tech issues. Only problem I had was loose terminals, which was an easy fix. My buddy now has that unit and still no issues.
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try a reset. you say it was glitching, might have it jacked.
if you can't figure it out-
toll free number is 888-778-1208
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The unit can be extremely sensitive. Sometimes when I hook a fish on a muddy bottom I get a big bloom on the screen from the mud being kicked up. I've also had ghosts from ice on braided line. But I've learned and I absolutely love the unit. Makes fishing so much more fun.
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I clamped the cap out of the terminals today and it didn't shut off on me at all. Still had the annoying ghosting thing going on every time I would drop down a new hole. I know it wasn't mud because it happened on the way down. Hated having to wait for my screen to clear up to see what was really down there.
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Honestly vt send it back to marcum. Or contact them. I had an earlier lx7 than you and had zero tech issues. Only problem I had was loose terminals, which was an easy fix. My buddy now has that unit and still no issues.
you say that you had a lx7. Do you still?
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you say that you had a lx7. Do you still?
No. Sold it to my buddy. I needed $ for a move. He won't sell it back
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I think if my problem isn't solved after the update I may send it in and have them look at it. Really not wanting to go without a flasher during that time though....
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Did get it from a local shop? Bonus from one of our local shops they have loners if you bought it from them while it's getting fixed. Pretty cool plus imo!
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Did get it from a local shop? Bonus from one of our local shops they have loners if you bought it from them while it's getting fixed. Pretty cool plus imo!
Ordered from Glens online..
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I clamped the cap out of the terminals today and it didn't shut off on me at all. Still had the annoying ghosting thing going on every time I would drop down a new hole. I know it wasn't mud because it happened on the way down. Hated having to wait for my screen to clear up to see what was really down there.
Possible it's stuff in the ice (dirt, algae) which falls out and is sensed by the unit. I have had that happen too, and it usually stops after a few minutes. It might help to drill holes a few ahead, and then by the time you get over to fish them the stuff will have settled.
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Possible it's stuff in the ice (dirt, algae) which falls out and is sensed by the unit. I have had that happen too, and it usually stops after a few minutes. It might help to drill holes a few ahead, and then by the time you get over to fish them the stuff will have settled.
It is not that. It ONLY shows on my screen when I drop my jig down and then when I first lift it. Old holes or new holes it didn't matter. I pounced rhe bottom and made a huge mud cloud yesterday and the flasher didn't mark a thing. I'm just dumbfounded at this point. I have also seen the triangular glitches in my screen the last few days that has to do with the range settings. I ended up using manual most of the time to avoid it Again, I shouldn't have to miss out on features that this unit is supposed to have just to avoid bugs in the software.....right? If I could get a refund from Glens then I probably would but it's been a little over a year so I highly doubt that.
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I know your struggles. I've had issues with mine since day 1. The triangle glitch, the ghost return after a good hook set. Most annoyingly is the constant flashing on the column view and column zoom view. For a company to sell a unit that is up-gradable, it's that we have waited 2 years for them to release an update to fix these stupid problems.
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Not sure this applies to your Marum woes
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Not sure this applies to your Marum woes
that was interesting ,I did not know that.thanks for sharing
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Not sure this applies to your Marum woes
I've read up on that. While I have seen what is described in the video, I have the issue even when it's above freezing while using 4 lb mono. I don't run braid on any of my panfish reels.
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Also when hole hopping ...and you get some wonky readings ...just turn the unit off and on again ...especially if your using bottom zoom ...fixes a lot of stuff.
I've read up on that. While I have seen what is described in the video, I have the issue even when it's above freezing while using 4 lb mono. I don't run braid on any of my panfish reels.
Could be the curls in your line ...as you letting it drop/feeding it down ...you do have the latest up date I am assuming
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Also when hole hopping ...and you get some wonky readings ...just turn the unit off and on again ...especially if your using bottom zoom ...fixes a lot of stuff.
Could be the curls in your line ...as you letting it drop/feeding it down ...you do have the latest up date I am assuming
Appears when my jig drops fast and when I pull it up fast. Hole hopping and turning the flasher on and off every time is kind of counterproductive IMO. The latest update? The one from 2014? Haha yes I got it on day one.
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there are a lot of unanswered questions here.
is it under warranty?
is this a used unit?
did you reset it?
did you check your transducer cable for cuts?
did you drop the transducer ever?
is it cracked?
have you shaken it to listen for noise?
did you check the connections and cables behind the head unit?
is the battery new or in good shape and charged?
are you fishing it like macums manual says to do?
did you call marcum? that's free and your best option always. we try to help here, but they are the experts.
toll free number is 888-778-1208
hope you get it figured out. the power issues you mention leads me to believe it may have hurt the sonar engine or software tho. one problem leads to another many times.
a reset or firmware reinstall may fix it. that's also free and easy to try and only take a moment to do.
you said you upgraded the firmware from day one. did that go correctly? why didn't it have the current fimware when you bought it?
you sure have bad luck with ice gear. this and your new hut. hope some thing goes well for you some time soon.
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there are a lot of unanswered questions here.
is it under warranty?
is this a used unit?
did you reset it?
did you check your transducer cable for cuts?
did you drop the transducer ever?
is it cracked?
have you shaken it to listen for noise?
did you check the connections and cables behind the head unit?
is the battery new or in good shape and charged?
are you fishing it like macums manual says to do?
did you call marcum? that's free and your best option always. we try to help here, but they are the experts.
toll free number is 888-778-1208
hope you get it figured out. the power issues you mention leads me to believe it may have hurt the sonar engine or software tho. one problem leads to another many times.
a reset or firmware reinstall may fix it. that's also free and easy to try and only take a moment to do.
you said you upgraded the firmware from day one. did that go correctly? why didn't it have the current fimware when you bought it?
you sure have bad luck with ice gear. this and your new hut. hope some thing goes well for you some time soon.
Brand new unit. I have never dropped it and don't put it in the hole low enough to wrap line around the ducer cable. I have reset it but have not reinstalled the firmware. I emailed marcum about small chips in the epoxy coating on the ducer just days after the first use. The coating was flaky looking and I pulled two small pieces off with my fingernail. Marcum said it would not affect performance. This is under warranty of course but a flasher with issues is better than no flasher for weeks. I am continuously trying different things while I'm out on the ice but can't ever get it to run consistently good.
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What are settings are you using on the marcum?
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I clamped the cap out of the terminals today and it didn't shut off on me at all. Still had the annoying ghosting thing going on every time I would drop down a new hole. I know it wasn't mud because it happened on the way down. Hated having to wait for my screen to clear up to see what was really down there.
My LX-5 will do this too.
It is ice on the line and lure being picked up by the finder.
Usually takes a couple of minutes to disappear.
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okay.
i wish i lived closer to see if it's setting or needs to go in for what ever the power issues may have caused or not. i would like to help more is what i'm saying.
if you do send it in. it takes 10 days start to finish. it takes one day in the shop is all. if you want to expedite any of that shipping time you can pay the extra to have it back in 5 days or less. otherwise it's all free.
i have an extra transducer i would try to narrow it down, but all of this time trying to figure it out could be time in the usps truck or ups or fedex.
here's some suggestions i posted for getting them dialed in
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=319913.0
i know i can get a sonar to follow the air or disturbance caused by the jig if the gain is too high even on my ice-55 hb.
i keep just an inch in the water and it works the same as all of the way under the ice plate, so there's no need to put more in the water than an inch. i pulled over 30 fish out the same hole my marcum transducer was in with out having to move the transducer at all fishing it it this way. it' makes catching fish all the more easier to land them. not one time was a worried a fish line would get caught on the transducer cable. it only had about 2-3 inches of cable exposed at any one time. it keeps the puck centered so it's not leaning on the ice and you having to turn up the gain to try to find your jig because of it. the arm and the just wet puck is great and it's one of the things i like a lot about marum's ingenuity.
if your using a scent to attract fish that's like oil base it will do that too.
try reflashing the firmware first. that's what i would do if it were me. it boots just like a computer and it may have corrupted data on it from bad power connectors.
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Your first post mentioned the unit shutting off ...has that issued been resolved ?
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okay.
i wish i lived closer to see if it's setting or needs to go in for what ever the power issues may have caused or not. i would like to help more is what i'm saying.
if you do send it in. it takes 10 days start to finish. it takes one day in the shop is all. if you want to expedite any of that shipping time you can pay the extra to have it back in 5 days or less. otherwise it's all free.
i have an extra transducer i would try to narrow it down, but all of this time trying to figure it out could be time in the usps truck or ups or fedex.
here's some suggestions i posted for getting them dialed in
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=319913.0
i know i can get a sonar to follow the air or disturbance caused by the jig if the gain is too high even on my ice-55 hb.
i keep just an inch in the water and it works the same as all of the way under the ice plate, so there's no need to put more in the water than an inch. i pulled over 30 fish out the same hole my marcum transducer was in with out having to move the transducer at all fishing it it this way. it' makes catching fish all the more easier to land them. not one time was a worried a fish line would get caught on the transducer cable. it only had about 2-3 inches of cable exposed at any one time. it keeps the puck centered so it's not leaning on the ice and you having to turn up the gain to try to find your jig because of it. the arm and the just wet puck is great and it's one of the things i like a lot about marum's ingenuity.
if your using a scent to attract fish that's like oil base it will do that too.
try reflashing the firmware first. that's what i would do if it were me. it boots just like a computer and it may have corrupted data on it from bad power connectors.
No scent used and I barely drop the ducer below water when fishing. I will wait for the firmware that is supposed to be coming and go from there. I hope the shutting off is fixed. I clamped the connections hard so if it still does it then it must be internal. I forgot to mention the charger the LX7 came with capped out on me in a month. Luckily I have a battery tender but I shot Marcum an email and explained what happened and instead of sending me one they redirected me to the warranty claim into. I know that's standard procedure but I was half expecting them to say sorry for your trouble we are sending you a new one. Maybe I am used to other types of customer service in the fishing industry I guess...
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for what it's worth. my new lx7 went dead first time out and was a serial cable that has about 10 wires or so that has an inline connector that fell off from the inside control panel to the main board. so that means it wasn't pushed in all of the way from the manufacturer. i wonder if this may be happening to you but not all of the way off yet.
they normally do just take care of you while on the phone and not make you go thru red tape to get help. it's normally the tech that answers the phone too. it used to be chris, but he is gone now and Jeremiah is the man.
a call might shed some light on what else to try on your end.
good luck!
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I got to get me one of them Marcums
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My LX-5 will do this too.
It is ice on the line and lure being picked up by the finder.
Usually takes a couple of minutes to disappear.
This is what I was thinking as well.
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I get the "ghost stuff" on my lx7 as well. I take the sensitivity all the way down to zero real quick, then bump it back up to where I had it set, and it clears the screen. Like was stated, it is usually after a missed hookset, but it doesn't do it often enough to bother me. I figure I am a lot better off having a unit that has a ghost now and then rather than no unit at all. My fishing has improved a TON over last year with this unit. It's my first ever, and I love it. I figure if it is sensitive enough to pick up a ghost, it should do fine with fish! ;D
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that was interesting ,I did not know that.thanks for sharing
+1
I learned something new today. Thanks
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Took my new LX-7 out today after watching every video I could find and reading all the information I could especially the knowledge on the unit from "3300". Thank you sir. No issues or problems. The unit ran like I'd hope it would.
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yes sir they are amazing sonars! so cutting edge many aren't used to them and try to compare it to what they used to use while learning it.
they are like the differences between a smart phone and a land line phone.
i'm glad you are enjoying yours like i do my own! thanks for the kind words and you are most certainly welcome ;)2
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I was so close to chucking my LX7 down a hole today....I had clouds of yellows near bottom and the thing would just LAG horribly when I would move my jig up and had fish follow. Hours later in shalower water the thing was just going bonkers. Triangles all over the screen, depth going from 6 ft to 180 ft. Wacky lines all over the place....shut off the unit multiple times. Checked every connection. Checked ducer cable. Checked battery connections. Messed with every setting possible as well. Got real bad when the wind picked up and it got really cold. I took a video of it going bananas that I will post tomorrow. This thing needs to be replaced....
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that's what the warranty is for.
no one else ever mentioned those issues before tho.
looks like end of the ice maybe anyway.
if you want to sell it shoot me a pm. i might be able to move it for you.
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At this point I don't understand why you don't just send it in. Can still catch fish without a sonar. Does it suck? Yeah. But still doable
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I'll give ya $100 for it. Marcum's suck ::)
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At this point I don't understand why you don't just send it in. Can still catch fish without a sonar. Does it suck? Yeah. But still doable
I am calling them Monday about a warranty return.
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they changed it so you don't need an rma anymore. just use their online procedure on their site to get it going today.
http://marcumtech.com/customforms/index/warranty/
i think it's a loose header connector (12 pin?) that's not fully seated is all, but maybe not. if it were mine, i would open it and see. they were known to do this on rare occasion. mine had it happen , but it fell completely off instead of part way like i think yours is.
it will be fine soon enough.
i kept my nasty bird for back up.
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I am calling them Monday about a warranty return.
Make sure you give a detailed description of the failure ...so they can duplicate the condition/settings of the failure ...not sure... you could email them a video of unit in action/failure .
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Completely broke today to where it no longer reads anything and the ticking noise coming from the ducer stopped completely. Must be the cable connections are bad. Boxing it tonight and sending it out tomorrow.
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Good let us know the turn around time and if issues were resolved.
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Can this get any worse????? Finally got the unit back and open the box to a shattered screen. Awesome. I look at the transducer they replaced and the epoxy is all chipping on the corners. The paperwork says they replaced the transducer and an electrical component but this broken body is the original I sent in, so that was not replaced. On top of that, the paperwork doesn't isn't filled out where it says who repaired it or the date. Oh and did I forget to mention they didn't include the faulty charger I told them about 5 times?
Yeah, I'm loving it.
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Sorry you seem to be having problems and am surprised by the service you say you received as my experience with Marcum was first class. I have the vx-1p and dropped it from a moving ATV. Had to send it in as it knocked something loose inside and it eventually stopped working. I recently mailed it on a Thursday and it was repaired and back to me the following Friday.
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So, whoever packaged the unit back up put the screen facing UP, put one single layer of bubble wrap over it, then put the transducer ON the screen and closed the box up. There was no description of what was wrong with the unit either, just what they replaced...
(http://i65.tinypic.com/2lc8gvo.jpg)
Whether or not I stay with Marcum is going to be purely based on how they handle this. If they're going to make me send this unit back in and then wait to evaluate it before sending a replacement, I'm going to be really, really disappointed...
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That's very disappointing VT....I d be fuming ..I have gotten more bubble wrap on lure orders . A respectable Email and phone call is in order . Once again lets us know .... ???
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That's very disappointing VT....I d be fuming ..I have gotten more bubble wrap on lure orders . A respectable Email and phone call is in order . Once again lets us know .... ???
Guy I just spoke to wasn't very friendly and when I asked to get a new head unit overnight shipped he just did a "ehhhhh"....Then said there was no mention of a new charger when I know I put that in the email for the warranty. He also said the chips on the epoxy are normal which doesn't sound normal to me since it looks like it was bouncing around on concrete. I just emailed him pictures, he got them and then said " let me go see when I can do K? I said sure, thinking I would be put on hold. Nope, he just hung up. No mention of a call back or an email or anything. Disappointing.....
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I have never had an unpleasant experience with Vexilar customer service when I've had to call them about firmware issues, ghosting, chipped epoxy, bad wiring, etc...
But seriously, good luck with everything Matt, I know you fish hard and you buy quality gear and take care of it. I'm not using my bomb-proof FL-18 this weekend if you're desperate.
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that's strange, I've had numerous email conversations back and forth with Marcum support and they always respond within the hour...They've always been a 1st rate customer service company in my experience...
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If you bought it via your credit card there may extended protections offered by the card one call may answer that question ...may want to wash your hands of this unit and move on to another Marcum unit or another brand .
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Someone else called me back and they were in a much better mood. They're overnighting a new head unit and are giving me a prepaid label to send the broken one back. Also including the charger. They had a new guy in shipping apparently and it was not boxed correctly. Hopefully things are better from here on out and I can test it on Sunday.
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Very good news :clap:...keep us posted ....about your saga ...
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Glad things might finally work out for you :clap:
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I'm still baffled at the luck you've had Matt!!! Hang in there man, a good days fishing is all you need!!!
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I bet the Ion is next in line :'(
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Hope Marcum sends you a tracking number ....curious to see what route it takes before it arrives on your doorstep.
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Hopefully it all works out Matt, Compared to other equipment vendors my experience with them has always been quick and helpful. I am one of those guys who have to sniff every flaw in a piece of gear before I buy it, and I was really surprised to hear you had these issues. I have had mine for two seasons now and I still chuckle when I think of buying a (insert competitor version here).
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marcum have been replacing people. i had a recent talk with a newer employee of three months on the job. i know who he replaced.
they are making it right. that's what matters most here.
so four pages later, you maybe able to go fishing tomorrow with your sonar!
I'm still baffled at the luck you've had Matt!!! Hang in there man, a good days fishing is all you need!!!
same thing i am thinking. never seen such poor luck. looks like if it weren't for bad luck he'd have no luck at all.
i wounder if it's just ice fishing gear or bad luck with every thing.
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Marcum=junk
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Marcum=junk
Keep on thinkin' that :cookoo: :icefish:
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Don't care what kind of machine your using just really stinks not to have it to use.
Rp
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New unit, charger and even another screen protector came this afternoon. Excited to finally use it!
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New unit, charger and even another screen protector came this afternoon. Excited to finally use it!
Good to hear! Mine comes tmmrw. Ordered another one to replace the one I sold to my buddy. Can't wait to finally have one again. Especially chasing lakers now. Want to watch them chase my bait in hi-deff @)
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Ok, so I've got pretty much a whole new unit now, but I'm still getting ghosting.
I know it's not ice buildup because I had my line in the water for 10 minutes. I was jigging a rubber minnow and when a fish came and pecked it, I set the hook - whipping the minnow up fast. The screen lit up with 3' of red and green like a school of fish moved in, but there was nothing there. It took 30 seconds for the marks to slowly fade away. Almost every time I ripped the lure or jig up it would do this. I played with the settings and changed everything you can possibly change.
Now, tell me others are experiencing the same, because there's no way this is isolated to just me. If you own an LX7 test it out. Rip a lure up quick like you're setting the hook and see what the screen shows?
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It is possible what your seeing is bubbles from setting your hook. Try the same thing but turn your sensitivity down but make sure you can still see your bait.
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It is possible what your seeing is bubbles from setting your hook. Try the same thing but turn your sensitivity down but make sure you can still see your bait.
I had the same issue, and this is what fixed mine. Keep the sensitivity down to where your jig is only a thin green line, and it will keep that stuff from happening. I LOVE my LX7. Anyone that thinks they are no good is obviously just jealous and only complaining they don't have one. ;D ;D
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Sens was on 6ish. Pretty low..
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that's not ghosting!
it should be the things such as algae and plankton's in the water it's see's when you rip thru it with large items. it should show scents added when you do that to any size lure/jigs too. it's a good thing to have. it shows plankton too and also a good thing that it can show.
i was watching tiny particles from the surface show on my lx9 yesterday.
try a different lake or two.
rip a small jig thru it. try a size 3mm. it has far less drag in the water.
make sure the line is just barely there for your 3 inch lure or any lure.
use open water mode to lower the curve gain.
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Make sure your using v4.07
Select open water mode
Use the 6 color palette
Turn sens and target adjust down to minimum
Dynamic and manual mode should be problem free. If you're having issues from there I would contact marcum. The are usually extremely helpful.
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Make sure your using v4.07
Select open water mode
Use the 6 color palette
Turn sens and target adjust down to minimum
Dynamic and manual mode should be problem free. If you're having issues from there I would contact marcum. The are usually extremely helpful.
I'm on 4.07, the unit came with it. Target adjust is 0, sens is so low my jig barely shows up red. I called marcum and they didn't have a remedy other than me sending in my unit (which they just replaced) Had fingers crossed weeks ago for the supposed firmware that was coming out but I'm sure it'll be out when the seasons over.
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6 isnt low really...i was using 3 in 60ft of water today and picking up a hali fine. Itll pick up your braided line if the sensitivity is too high
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Target adjust is 0, sens is so low my jig barely shows up red.
My jig never shows red-green or lower for me...Sens is to high it seems to me....
Should have target adj 2 or so.....
IMO
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Vtmatt, i see youre on the northern end of champ. Idk if theres safe ice up there but id go out with ya and try to help. If not, theres safe ice down near crown point. Cann compare the lx7s and see if its your unit or what.
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My jig never shows red-green or lower for me...Sens is to high it seems to me....
Should have target adj 2 or so.....
IMO
So I shouldn't be seeing my jig with a slight red line....? I've tried all target adjustment levels as well as ping. I will try running sensitivity very low next time and see..
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So I shouldn't be seeing my jig with a slight red line....? I've tried all target adjustment levels as well as ping. I will try running sensitivity very low next time and see..
Ping should be all the way up. Never use icemode. You should turn sens until you can always see your jig and then target to adjust size. My personal belief is not using the larger cone past 20 feet, use the 8 degree. Make sure your transducer is below the bottom of the ice. If there's still a problem, it's your flasher, not the settings.
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I think I read the shallower you are the lower the ping you should have. Another thing is I learned to never even bother using Dynamic, because as soon as I get solid marks from fish somewhere, it thinks that's the new bottom and starts changing depths and then the unit starts to lag and freeze up.
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So I shouldn't be seeing my jig with a slight red line....?
For me... I set it so the jig is a green line,yellow if it's a bigger sized spoon.
Red usually indicates and larger return ie: if I have a red mark come up to my bait it's usually a bigger fish.
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I think I read the shallower you are the lower the ping you should have. Another thing is I learned to never even bother using Dynamic, because as soon as I get solid marks from fish somewhere, it thinks that's the new bottom and starts changing depths and then the unit starts to lag and freeze up.
-ping rate is just for the graph speed. so ping rate is 1 not 4. you can have a fast ping rate, but it will defeat the purpose of having it. the faster rates are for using on your boat when you want that updated faster while moving.
-the target separation is only if you want to increase the line size, so increasing is not needed especially if using zoom. that is for those who stand farther away and want to see the line in normal view, but then it becomes more like a big blob like flashers use.
-dynamic manual is what you want, not auto for depths. the symptoms you describe are for auto depth.
-only an inch of the transducer needs to be in the water. it only needs the air removed to work correctly. it states that in the manual too. it states never hang it below the ice also.
http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aagv_prd/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-rapala-Library/default/v1448364706251/downloads/marcum/2015_MarCum_LX-6s_LX-7.pdf?id=10
there doesn't seem to be any thing wrong with yours and if that's why you sent it in, then that's why it still does it.
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=319913.msg3365405#msg3365405
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Mine does not work even close to properly sitting an inch in the water.. but I have close to 40 inches of ice.
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40"! so you don't have missing water issues hardly. it does say to lower it if in deep ice. keeping it centered will be key too. it will be bouncing off the ice hole walls. it's kinda like a scope and looking straight thru it to see.
if you could only send some spare ice this way.
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You can have 12 or 15 inches! It's a chore to drill through!
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I take it you dont want to compare units? :roflmao: :roflmao: starting to sound like someone just wants to bash marcum
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Another thing is I learned to never even bother using Dynamic, because as soon as I get solid marks from fish somewhere, it thinks that's the new bottom and starts changing depths and then the unit starts to lag and freeze up.
I disagree. Where the auto-dynamic is useful is if you are quickly jumping from hole to hole looking for a certain depth. I use it then and then once I find the depth I'm looking for I switch over to manual dynamic. If you are fishing then I agree, that auto-dynamic mode is pretty much useless but it's awesome when you've got a bunch of holes drilled and are in search mode.
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I too have an LX7 I'm having issues with. After reading through this whole thread I hope I have better luck! I got the unit last year late in the season. I has worked really well until about 2 weeks ago, the screen would start flickering and blinking in and out and I would have to turn my sensitivity way up to see my jigs. It seemed to come out of it the next time out but I was starting to get moisture behind the screen. Well, this past Sunday it started to act up again. I plugged and unplugged the battery and even tried a different battery and now the screen won't light up just the buttons. I emailed Marcum about noon yesterday and got a response at about 9:00 today to send it in and warranty will fix it. I had already taken it to the post office today. The Post Office told me @$11 dollars and it will be there in three days, but they thought it would actually be 2 days. I hope they are timely about getting it going and shipping it back fast. I'm hopeful that I can have it back by next weekend (Mar 5-6). My big question in all this is, are the new digital flashers like the LX6, 7, and 9 and vexilar FLX28 really going to be able to hold up to lots of use and a little abuse (not fall off a trailer and drag across the lake) but getting knocked around a little and being out in the elements (wind, snow, sleet, slush, extreme cold)?? Just seems that more people have trouble with the really new stuff. I have an older FL-18 and that thing is bullet proof! We still have my grandpa's FL-8 that has to be over 20 years old and it still works great. Don't get me wrong I love how my LX-7 works it is an awesome machine, but for the price it has to hold up and can't fail! Otherwise I'm truly better off owning 2-3 old flasher that work and hold up. I'm just really glad I have a backup flasher to use or else I would really be upset! This isn't a big complaint towards Marcum..............ye t, I will see how this issue is handled and how the unit works/holds up when I get it back.
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The wind flipped my tent over one day, and my flx28 flew ten foot... Smacked the ice hard, I was scared to death. Till I picked it up, brushed it off, and kept on fishing!
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Year after year i keep hearing about these marcum issues. I said i'm waiting til they get all the bugs out before i invest in one. Been at least three years and i'm still waiting. Hopefully all these complaints will stop by next seasons models and i can upgrade to digital without fear of losing my money or fishing time. They're one of the only ice units i haven't tried yet.
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Lol. By the sounds of it, you might wanna keep it that way!!!
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When the latest and greatest Marum model comes out next year the complaints will surly follow.
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Just got to use my LX7 yesterday. It was a learning experience for the most part, trying to familiarize myself to the unit. Me and my buddy drilled about 40 holes and we're looking for fish. I think his unit is a Lawrance,anyway he said he was marking fish in 1-2 holes and I wasn't marking anything. So I was changing lures and put on a heVy tungsten jig dropped down hole hit bottom, lifted about 6 inches up and it was like a line of fish show up, first bite. The only way they were biting was if I bounced jig off bottom lift up and not move it, and the bite was really light. Now I had a solid red line for bottom, but couldn't c any fish on bottom. Bounce jig and the fish were coming right out of solid red line and hit the jig. Do I need turn sensitivity down. Only had it at a 5-6. Still trying to learn the unit?
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Just got to use my LX7 yesterday. It was a learning experience for the most part, trying to familiarize myself to the unit. Me and my buddy drilled about 40 holes and we're looking for fish. I think his unit is a Lawrance,anyway he said he was marking fish in 1-2 holes and I wasn't marking anything. So I was changing lures and put on a heVy tungsten jig dropped down hole hit bottom, lifted about 6 inches up and it was like a line of fish show up, first bite. The only way they were biting was if I bounced jig off bottom lift up and not move it, and the bite was really light. Now I had a solid red line for bottom, but couldn't c any fish on bottom. Bounce jig and the fish were coming right out of solid red line and hit the jig. Do I need turn sensitivity down. Only had it at a 5-6. Still trying to learn the unit?
How deep were you? 5-6 is the highest ive had to be, but that was 60-80ft of water and a small lead head/minnow. Were you on a dropoff? Always use a skinny cone on dropoffs. That goes for any sonar. Less dead zone
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Year after year i keep hearing about these marcum issues. I said i'm waiting til they get all the bugs out before i invest in one. Been at least three years and i'm still waiting. Hopefully all these complaints will stop by next seasons models and i can upgrade to digital without fear of losing my money or fishing time. They're one of the only ice units i haven't tried yet.
Same here, I've been really close to pulling the trigger this year on a LX6s, but it just seems crazy to me all the workarounds people have to use to get these things to work right. I keep hearing to not run the digital Marcums in ice mode... seriously!?
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Same here, I've been really close to pulling the trigger this year on a LX6s, but it just seems crazy to me all the workarounds people have to use to get these things to work right. I keep hearing to not run the digital Marcums in ice mode... seriously!?
There really aren't that many workarounds with them but the perception exists that there are because they are discussed frequently. I run mine in ice mode 95% of the time and it works fine. The only time it is not in ice mode is if I'm in shallow water. That's it. The rest of the time it's in ice mode.
People buy these things and don't research their minor little quirks meaning they haven't seen tons and tons of discussions all over the place. Then when they get stumped they start the same conversation up again making it feel like it's the most complicated piece of equipment on the market. It really isn't. My 8yr old nephew figured out how to use mine in about 20 minutes of unsupervised use. Put him in a shack with my LX7 and within minutes he got the hang of it and knew enough to reference the users manual that I had in the shack. An 8yr old can figure it out quickly but grown-ups can't. Hmmmmm....
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Year after year i keep hearing about these marcum issues. I said i'm waiting til they get all the bugs out before i invest in one. Been at least three years and i'm still waiting. Hopefully all these complaints will stop by next seasons models and i can upgrade to digital without fear of losing my money or fishing time. They're one of the only ice units i haven't tried yet.
i know tons of guys who have bought the last few years with 0 issues. so its not a"every unit will fail"
its very frustrating to see though. Marcums technology mechanical and digital trumps everything else in the ice game. their reliability being suspect is quite annoying. When people using anything else look at my lx5 and go "wow, i want one of those" but you have to tell them its possible they'll get a lemon, it doesn't feel quite as good.
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I'm not really sure there are that many "lemons" out there. Obviously I can't know anything except my own experience, which is that the lx7 felt like a lemon a couple of times to me until I learned how to adjust it. It took about three trips to work with it enough to figure out how to use it. It also took posting on this board and asking questions to those who use them. I sent several pms to lx7 users and all my questions and problems were addressed and answered until I finally understood how it works.
It can seem like there are problems, and there may be. But mine felt like a problem until I understood how the many adjustments all fit together. Once you understand how the sensitivity fits with the target size and the IR is not a "gain" issue but several different frequencies, 25 to be exact, to use when other flashers were around, and that open water mode is only for shallow water, and the cone angle adjustment and what 20 gives you vs 8 (including the knowledge of how many feet your cone is encompassing on the bottom, however deep it is, it all begins to makes sense.
Now its a pleasure to use it because there really is more information available than my other flasher and truly amazing target separation. Instead of a wide red blob, I can tell how many fish are looking. Sometimes the problems are just part of a learning curve, sometimes the problems are just because the unit is so powerful that it sees a great deal more than was ever possible before. I am not knocking vex or bird or anyone else, I'm sure they're great, and they certainly have a quicker learning curve. But I'm happy with the 7 and now that I know how it works, I would not trade it. PS I have only had it for a little over a week, so the learning curve is not that long.
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I'm not really sure there are that many "lemons" out there. Obviously I can't know anything except my own experience, which is that the lx7 felt like a lemon a couple of times to me until I learned how to adjust it. It took about three trips to work with it enough to figure out how to use it. It also took posting on this board and asking questions to those who use them. I sent several pms to lx7 users and all my questions and problems were addressed and answered until I finally understood how it works.
It can seem like there are problems, and there may be. But mine felt like a problem until I understood how the many adjustments all fit together. Once you understand how the sensitivity fits with the target size and the IR is not a "gain" issue but several different frequencies, 25 to be exact, to use when other flashers were around, and that open water mode is only for shallow water, and the cone angle adjustment and what 20 gives you vs 8 (including the knowledge of how many feet your cone is encompassing on the bottom, however deep it is, it all begins to makes sense.
Now its a pleasure to use it because there really is more information available than my other flasher and truly amazing target separation. Instead of a wide red blob, I can tell how many fish are looking. Sometimes the problems are just part of a learning curve, sometimes the problems are just because the unit is so powerful that it sees a great deal more than was ever possible before. I am not knocking vex or bird or anyone else, I'm sure they're great, and they certainly have a quicker learning curve. But I'm happy with the 7 and now that I know how it works, I would not trade it. PS I have only had it for a little over a week, so the learning curve is not that long.
Very well said sir
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well 8 year olds can show me how to upgrade my computer and use a smartphone.This stuff is ingrained in kids these days from birth...for us old farts it a bit steeper of a curve..but certainly doable ;) my lx7 is coming this week ..I can't wait.. @)
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Adkrs I was in 13 feet of water the sensitivity was 5-6 from what I remember. I know I had a 20 degree cone though. Still tweaking my settings and on a learning curve first time had it out. Thanks for the info really appreciate it, love the 7. When the fish finally showed up after I bounced the jig off bottom it was crazy, you could see them come flying up after it. The screen had so many fish you couldn't see ur jig. Again I'm still learning with this unit, so any advice from you guys with the 7's is greatly appreciated.
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Adkrs I was in 13 feet of water the sensitivity was 5-6 from what I remember. I know I had a 20 degree cone though. Still tweaking my settings and on a learning curve first time had it out. Thanks for the info really appreciate it, love the 7. When the fish finally showed up after I bounced the jig off bottom it was crazy, you could see them come flying up after it. The screen had so many fish you couldn't see ur jig. Again I'm still learning with this unit, so any advice from you guys with the 7's is greatly appreciated.
I have a completely different unit, I converted my Humminbird 688 boat ducer to a Ice Ducer. The more I jigged the more fish would appeared on my screen. I thought this was slick. Took me two or three trips out on the ice to realize the more I jigged the more the Ducer was picking up my jig, they weren't fish. Had to turn my sensitivity down. Not saying that is what is happening to you but it was funny and a lesson in humility. I told everyone I was marking fish all day but they wouldn't bite!
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Lol no no I was catching fish, it was a weird bite they were tight to the bottom(red line) I would let the jig hit bottom jig off bottom 3-4 times bring jig up to ten feet and it was like a parade off bottom to the jig.
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Lol no no I was catching fish, it was a weird bite they were tight to the bottom(red line) I would let the jig hit bottom jig off bottom 3-4 times bring jig up to ten feet and it was like a parade off bottom to the jig.
I would try turning it down until your jig is a constant green. Remember to try open water mode if youre fishing shallow, personally have mever used it as i dont really jig shallow. These units have a ton of power. Like i said, i havent been over sensitivity 6 and that was using flies for smelt in 60-80ft of water. The fact that it goes up to 25 sensitivity makes me want to find some really deep water just to see how it does
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Lol no no I was catching fish, it was a weird bite they were tight to the bottom(red line) I would let the jig hit bottom jig off bottom 3-4 times bring jig up to ten feet and it was like a parade off bottom to the jig.
your bringing sediment/silt/debris/mud up from the bottom is all your seeing. sounds like it's working right.
wait until you fish plankton!
the bottom is supposed to be tuned to be red in color. the jig/lure should be green. if the jig is red, you have the sens way too high.
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I didnt know the color range was important, I have had yellow bottom, blue jig on a small tungsten, and on a big spoon it changes to a orange but only when I hammer it. I wonder of Marcum thought about the color choices as red and green are bad for color blind people. I had a real hard time seeing my jig last week and fiddled the sensitivity up to 12 and that was the lowest I could detect the jig, 8 degree cone in 18' of water. I will have to play with it more.
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they did and have other color palate choices for you including gray scale.
also, use ice mode to get the sens back up to full power. open water mode lowers the curve gain and will knock out the jig after about 10 fow unless you crank up the sens/gain.
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I too have an LX7 I'm having issues with. After reading through this whole thread I hope I have better luck! I got the unit last year late in the season. I has worked really well until about 2 weeks ago, the screen would start flickering and blinking in and out and I would have to turn my sensitivity way up to see my jigs. It seemed to come out of it the next time out but I was starting to get moisture behind the screen. Well, this past Sunday it started to act up again. I plugged and unplugged the battery and even tried a different battery and now the screen won't light up just the buttons. I emailed Marcum about noon yesterday and got a response at about 9:00 today to send it in and warranty will fix it. I had already taken it to the post office today. The Post Office told me @$11 dollars and it will be there in three days, but they thought it would actually be 2 days. I hope they are timely about getting it going and shipping it back fast. I'm hopeful that I can have it back by next weekend (Mar 5-6). My big question in all this is, are the new digital flashers like the LX6, 7, and 9 and vexilar FLX28 really going to be able to hold up to lots of use and a little abuse (not fall off a trailer and drag across the lake) but getting knocked around a little and being out in the elements (wind, snow, sleet, slush, extreme cold)?? Just seems that more people have trouble with the really new stuff. I have an older FL-18 and that thing is bullet proof! We still have my grandpa's FL-8 that has to be over 20 years old and it still works great. Don't get me wrong I love how my LX-7 works it is an awesome machine, but for the price it has to hold up and can't fail! Otherwise I'm truly better off owning 2-3 old flasher that work and hold up. I'm just really glad I have a backup flasher to use or else I would really be upset! This isn't a big complaint towards Marcum..............ye t, I will see how this issue is handled and how the unit works/holds up when I get it back.
Update: Sent the unit off last Tuesday (2-23-16) was told in an email that I would receive an email when my unit arrived. I saw that it arrived on Thursday morning by watching my tracking #. Waited until Friday morning and still no email. Sent another email and got a response Friday about 4:30 said my unit arrived on Thursday and was already fixed and apologized for not emailing like they were supposed too and said it should be shipped out Monday afternoon. I haven't heard anymore since then and wasn't told in the last email what the problem was. Hopefully it shows up by the end of the week and I can use it this weekend to see how it will work. Maybe there will be a "report" of what was wrong and what needed to be fixed. So far I'm impressed with the speed of the process but disappointed in the lack of communication.
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I got no explanation as to what was wrong with mine. Just a piece of paper that someone forgot to fill out, but even that didn't have room for explanation. When I first got mine, it kept dying on me on the ice the first time out. I called and left a very detailed message and I NEVER got a call back. I found out what was wrong on my own. As of now the unit is a little better but I'm still waiting for a firmware fix for shallow water.
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Sounds like your battery connections were a little loose. Thing dies when you drag it from hole to hole. Just pinch the connectors a little with pliers and you'll be good to go.
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Update: Sent the unit off last Tuesday (2-23-16) was told in an email that I would receive an email when my unit arrived. I saw that it arrived on Thursday morning by watching my tracking #. Waited until Friday morning and still no email. Sent another email and got a response Friday about 4:30 said my unit arrived on Thursday and was already fixed and apologized for not emailing like they were supposed too and said it should be shipped out Monday afternoon. I haven't heard anymore since then and wasn't told in the last email what the problem was. Hopefully it shows up by the end of the week and I can use it this weekend to see how it will work. Maybe there will be a "report" of what was wrong and what needed to be fixed. So far I'm impressed with the speed of the process but disappointed in the lack of communication.
My LX7 arrived yesterday. 8 days round trip with 2 of those days being Saturday and Sunday. I though that was pretty good. I cost me @$11 dollars for 2 day shipping, the only cost I had in the whole process, Marcum took care of all repair and return 2 day priority shipping. Not much explanation of what was wrong. It seems to be working well, will get it out on the ice this weekend and will know for sure. They even put a new snow shield on it and a new power cord and connections. As long as it works and doesn't have to go back every year I would say I'm very happy with how it was handled. Also, I will add that I bought it from a local well respected and liked store and they were very helpful with the process too and even messaged me a couple of times to see what I was hearing and if there was anything else they could do to help out.