Humminbird ICE 35 Charger Issue

[Wintersoul23]

Hey guys,

Just bought a new Hummimbird Ice 35 finder, and have used it 5 times. Now, when I connect the battery, the charger indicates charging for a second or two, then shows full charge. Which is BS. The unit has never died. The first two times I used it all day, and it indicated about 3/4 charge on the unit when we packed up and left, then I plugged it in at home and it seemed to charge correctly. This time we used it for 3 days (maybe 16 hours total) to see how long the battery lasts. And it did some wierd stuff. It slowly read the bottom as being shallower and shallower. We knew we were in about 11 feet of water, but towards the end it had creeped up to 6 feet... which we could measure as incorrect. (And yes, we read the unit correctly since I anticipate this question!). It also still read about 3/4 charge on the battery.... after all that time. Starting to wonder if it was broken and always showed 3/4 battery. Now when we plug it in, it immediatly reads full charge on the charger. We also tried another 12v car charger, and it also read... you guessed it, 3/4 charge.

Can anyone explain whats going on? No conjecture please, need answers from folks who know for sure. Supremely pissed off that my $300 investment is already sputtering.

Edit, it also rattles REALLY damn loud sometimes and I have to weigh it down with something. Tried to torque all the screws a little but theyre snug. I realize it makes some noise, which is fine. This is very clearly not normal.

Thanks guys. This machine makes fishing a lot more entertaining, so I'd love to get it working...

[DR.SPECKLER]

id try another battery and get a charger like a battery tender jr.chargers that come with these flashers are cheap junk.the display and depth will be wonky when the battery is low too.

[Buckshots]

From my experience with a bird 35, when the bottom starts creeping up and doing weird things, the battery is dying. Sounds like a bad battery. It's under warranty, just call Humminbird and they'll send a new one out today probably. (888) 227-7007 They have excellent customer service. I've never had a problem with them.

[Buckshots]

Have you tried the charger on a different battery? That would elimante if it's a charger issue or not. I've had my charger replaced. The light quit working on it. As far as the noise, that's common. Why do you think they're called Humminbird?

[Wintersoul23]

Well, we left it charging for an hour on a 2amp charger we have, then put it on the stock 1amp and it seemed to charge fine... so thats wierd. If I notice anything else I will just contact them for a new one. Thanks guys!

As for the noise, I damn near need earplugs. Thats a HUGE flaw. Strapped it down with my belt yesterday and it helped  I guess I'm always jamming anyway.

[3300]

see if you can get your money back before it's too late.

that noise only gets worse. they don't balance the giant plastic hub that is spinning on the tiny motor shaft. that's where the noise is coming from.

[Wintersoul23]

I think I will do so. Do you know if the 45 is like that? I can't afford anything above that 

[3300]

all three ice 35/45/55 are built like that. look into some thing digital or a different brand that is also mechanical like the hb ice are.
you have two other choices. marcum and vexilar.
marcum is made right here in the usa! vexialr is not.

when you look to the top of this page you'll see a logo for marcum. they give you 10% off for signing up for emails. so there is a break in cost and with a sponsor. you should be able to start finding deal being the worst winter i have noticed and stores want to clear them out of their way. gander mountain has or had some deals on ice sonars.
vexilar doesn't care to support us here. so there is no link on these pages to find their link on this site.

the reason you should look into a different brand is the cost to repair their mechanical ice units are 180$ plus shipping. that is nearly what you paid for i think. i had to pay several times to get them to fix issues mine still has and the refuse to fix them. i think it's because they can't for the center screen that blacks out and then comes back all of the time.

some thing like this would be better to pay more now to get the features you want or think you may want so your not buying some thing twice or more to get the unit you want in the long run.
you can out grow them if you are particular about your equipment like i am. i bought the hb ic-55 and didn't like it, but i didn't know i didn't like it until i used it enough to have things i hated about it like night fishing. those are way too bright and all the clutter it shows makes it all the harder to read the information you really  need.
the other is that loud off balanced plastic hub noise. i would tap mine to shut it up for a short time. and then it would be back.
the being too bright problem, i had to turn the head unit down towards the ground to try to get it from pointing straight into my eyes.
now better units have a way to turn that brightness down.
and then there is the power/depth knob down in the bottom right corner sticking out waiting to get hit with out notice that many of us have had issues with. mine included. they won't replace it and you can not use any thing else in it's place. this has been talked about in length here many times now.

if you think digital may be for you, check out marcum showdown or if that is still too much, check out marcum troller.
vexilar doesn't make a digital unit for ice.
lowrance and garmin do, but those are made for open water and either make you buy an ice kit or you pay more for it upfront, but these are for open water mainly and suffer on ice more than ice sonars do.
some ice sonars double for open water so your not needing to spend twice.

so if it were me, i would start looking for deals and more information on what else would work for you that you would be happy with. watch the return time frame on the ice-35 so your not stuck with it.

i will keep my eyes open for deals for you if you want. if you could tell us your budget it would help. i know others would like to help too.