Author Topic: Frankenstein Flasher  (Read 3913 times)

Offline Just a random icefisherma

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Frankenstein Flasher
« on: Jun 10, 2018, 10:37 PM »
Saw this lowrance flasher at an auction, and got it for a cheap 10 bucks. After cleaning it up, I found that the original contact board was corroded beyond repair. After a little tinkering and jerryrigging to the batteries, I turned it on, and it ran. The ducer was faintly clicking away, and showed a false bottom at 37 ft. that was the wall I assume. It does squeak a small bit when it runs, but it also appears to have not run for 1+ year before it was put on auction. Also, does anyone have a serial number lookup for these machines or know how to find when it was made? It's a lowrance fish lo-k-tor, model LFP-300D, serial number 211439. I have seen that people have rewired them to run on flasher batteries as well. Now the waiting sets in to test it, as there is about 5 months till ice in, and 5-6 months before the ice is thick enough to fish on.







 The bottom pic is the contact board
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Offline hays47

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #1 on: Jun 11, 2018, 05:11 AM »
No need to wait. Go to public dock and test there. Simple to re-wire for standard flasher battery. Remove the corroded plate and use those leads.
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Offline esox_xtm

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #2 on: Jun 11, 2018, 06:54 AM »
Those old Lowrance "green boxes" go way back circa 1960s. They were one of the first. If it still runs it should still work. They originally ran on a pair of 6v dry cells (you know, the big rectangular ones with springy things for connections) and that likely explains the corrosion as they were notorious leakers.

You can easily power with a more modern sealed lead acid (SLA) battery. Find the two wires coming off the circuit board and attach the red one to the positive (+) terminal on the battery and the black one to the negative (-) terminal.

Now for the bad news/good news. This unit will work but has limitations. First the depth range is (usually) 60 feet and will not give you much resolution or target separation. No fancy colors like the current sonar tools and simple adjustments. One knob is on/off and sensitivity (gain or signal power/strength) and the other adjustable for suppression to reduce interference from other electronic sources.

What's the good news? When I started ice fishing my budget was pretty much zero but I did have a Humminbird super 60 and found an old yellow Bird Trap (the H-bird version of the green box) at a rummage sale sans locator for $5. I used it clear into the 90's when I was able to score a Vexilar FL-18. Thing is, it helped me catch more than fishing blind. Indispensable for finding depth and, with practice you will be able to determine fish from weeds, ID rocky areas, hard/soft bottom transitions basically everything you can do with current units only not as fancy and not as "definite".

Again, especially if you're not practiced using a flasher to begin with, it will take a lot of practice before you feel confident in what you think you're seeing. Start in areas you know well and compare that with what the locator is showing you. A whole generation of anglers got their start with these things and served them well until technology took off. Once you're really good with that one, the leap to a more modern tool will not only advance your tools but you'll get more out of it having spent your learning curve on one that requires much more skill to read.
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Offline Raquettedacker

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #3 on: Jun 11, 2018, 06:56 AM »
Used one for years on the ice and in the rowboat..    Wish i still had it..... :-\
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Offline UFCreel

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #4 on: Jun 11, 2018, 06:58 AM »
Yep i had one. It was state of the art in its time. Gave mine away once i got a Vexilar. Sort of wish i had kept it.
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Offline DR.SPECKLER

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #5 on: Jun 11, 2018, 01:11 PM »
ive got the same one.i rewired it to run a small 12 volt,works good but cant be used next to any other flasher..no interference rejection back then.another thing is that unit will go up to 300 ft hence the 300d name. ive got the manual for mine somewhere.ill take pics  of the pages and post them here when I find it.

Offline Just a random icefisherma

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #6 on: Jun 12, 2018, 10:02 PM »
ive got the same one.i rewired it to run a small 12 volt,works good but cant be used next to any other flasher..no interference rejection back then.another thing is that unit will go up to 300 ft hence the 300d name. ive got the manual for mine somewhere.ill take pics  of the pages and post them here when I find it.
Thanks, the manual will sure come in handy. I wired it to a 12v flasher battery like everyone said, so the only thing left is to take it fishing tommorow and test it alongside my newer lowrance elite 4 to see about interference. I dont plan on using it a lot, just when I go on a private pond.  The squeaking has now gone away as well.

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Offline caldwellite

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #7 on: Jun 14, 2018, 10:09 PM »
I have one with the manual. Still works, I use it for fun on occasion. A few years ago Lorance service still had the manual, they would Email it to you. Try customer service. Cone base is 1/3 of the depth and I run it off a 12 volt 7 amp battery. Manual has lots of info about fish identification bottom structure etc. I have a Garmin with GPS, a couple of newer hummimbirds, but the old ones work and are fun.

Offline Old Goat

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #8 on: Jun 20, 2018, 03:26 PM »
had a few of those over the years

Offline Just a random icefisherma

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #9 on: Jun 22, 2018, 10:38 AM »
I have one with the manual. Still works, I use it for fun on occasion. A few years ago Lorance service still had the manual, they would Email it to you. Try customer service. Cone base is 1/3 of the depth and I run it off a 12 volt 7 amp battery. Manual has lots of info about fish identification bottom structure etc. I have a Garmin with GPS, a couple of newer hummimbirds, but the old ones work and are fun.

Would you mind posting pictures of the manual onto the site? After a week of waiting, the reply I got from lowrance was  more or less "we cant help you with this."
"I love the freedoms we got in this country, I appreciate your freedom to burn your flag if you want to, but I really appreciate my right to bear arms so I can shoot you if you try to burn mine."
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Offline DR.SPECKLER

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #10 on: Jun 22, 2018, 01:46 PM »
I wouldve posted pics of the manual but my very forgetful wife put my flasher in one spot and the manual in another..im having a hard time finding it.like everything she touches.i can find a screwdriver on the garage floor thats been sitting for 10 years but she cant remember where she puts stuff after a hour.drives me nuts!

Offline Just a random icefisherma

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #11 on: Jun 22, 2018, 01:50 PM »
Dont worry about it then. I can probably figure it out alongside my elite 4 chirp on the boat. (Aside from the interference)
"I love the freedoms we got in this country, I appreciate your freedom to burn your flag if you want to, but I really appreciate my right to bear arms so I can shoot you if you try to burn mine."
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Offline DR.SPECKLER

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #12 on: Jun 22, 2018, 02:28 PM »
Dont worry about it then. I can probably figure it out alongside my elite 4 chirp on the boat. (Aside from the interference)
oh ill find it im ocd like that..one feature thats not that obvious is to switch over to 120ft scale you pull the suppressor/scale button out.


Offline Just a random icefisherma

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #13 on: Jun 22, 2018, 06:19 PM »
Yeah, mine is stuck, so it will not go to 120 ft, which doesn't really matter as most lakes around here are about 40 ft.
"I love the freedoms we got in this country, I appreciate your freedom to burn your flag if you want to, but I really appreciate my right to bear arms so I can shoot you if you try to burn mine."
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Offline DR.SPECKLER

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #14 on: Jul 04, 2018, 12:36 PM »
Heres all pages of the manual.








Offline Just a random icefisherma

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #15 on: Jul 11, 2018, 09:06 PM »
Thanks for finding them. I saw a box someone had made that was similar to a blue genz box, so that might be the next step.
"I love the freedoms we got in this country, I appreciate your freedom to burn your flag if you want to, but I really appreciate my right to bear arms so I can shoot you if you try to burn mine."
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Offline DR.SPECKLER

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #16 on: Jul 12, 2018, 06:50 AM »
Just curious.. why take it out of its green box?its all contained in it and the back of the head unit the wires are all exposed but protected in its original box.its a good setup in its green box.jmo

Offline esox_xtm

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #17 on: Jul 12, 2018, 07:13 AM »
Just curious.. why take it out of its green box?its all contained in it and the back of the head unit the wires are all exposed but protected in its original box.its a good setup in its green box.jmo

Yep! I used my BirdTrap that way. I really liked it because when it was put away everything was protected. Come to think of it, why aren't ice units made like that?
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Offline Just a random icefisherma

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #18 on: Jul 12, 2018, 07:49 PM »
Sorry, I should have specified. It's a wood box with a handle and a space for a battery with a arm for a transducer. I saw it on Ebay.





Do something like this, just paint-matched so it looks decent, and the arm  since the skimmer cord is kinda sketchy
"I love the freedoms we got in this country, I appreciate your freedom to burn your flag if you want to, but I really appreciate my right to bear arms so I can shoot you if you try to burn mine."
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Offline esox_xtm

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Re: Frankenstein Flasher
« Reply #19 on: Jul 13, 2018, 07:14 PM »
I see but I don't get the purpose of the wooden box. The locator box folds down and has a handle on it. If it was like my BirdTrap it was powered by a pair of 6v dry cell batteries and usually a SLA 12v will fit into that same space. When you're hole hopping you can leave the box open and grab it by the top lid and go. They made things more sturdily in those days... Need a home for your 'ducer on a stick? Get a clip from the hardware store and stick it to the outside of the box. In my mind that wood is dead weight that serves no purpose, the locator is already self contained.
To fish or not to fish? That's a stupid question!



“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”― Lewis Carroll

 



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