Marcum update

[BlackDogAlpha]

I started with a lowrance off my boat that was garbage and saved up for my LX6, I compared them side by side with the Vex (which I grew up with on Lake Superior and had brand loyalty with) and bought a good unit, good warranty, and good folks using both. In a unintentional side by side comparison with a Vex FL28 unit we both caught exactly the same amount of fish on a beautiful day in February. Not once did we take out our wallets or other things to measure up at the end of the day. Keep your stick on the ice...

[missoulafish]

Keep your stick on the ice...

Word!

[Agronomist_at_IA]

tight lines boys!

[helimpd124]

 I've now tried a known usb 2.0 cable and computers running Windows 10, 8, 7, and XP. All are saying that the computer doesn't recognize the USB device and to reconnect and try again, which results in the same error. I sent an email to Marcum.

[3300]

are you sure it's a data usb cable? some are charge only.

[missoulafish]

Have you tried to reinstall the USB drivers?

[sra61]

Have you tried to reinstall the USB drivers?

I agree, I think it sounds like the USB drivers need updated. I'm a big digital fan, and addicted to my LX9. I just think comparing a flasher to a digital is like comparing an old pinball machine to a Playstation 4. Both are fun, but man there's a heck of a difference!

[Majja13]

is the unit powered on when you plug it into the computer or are you turning it on once it is plugged it?  I would try it both ways if you have not.

It could be drivers but since the OP said that he used 4 different computers running all versions of win XP - 10 I would be inclined to think it is back to cable or port on the unit, not drivers on 4 different machines. 

I had a similar problem with a Garmin GPS and it was some security software on the computer that was not allowing we to do the update on it.

[missoulafish]

Good point Maj, there is an issue with the device, not the computer or the cable.

[helimpd124]

I've tried it with the unit already powered on and beeping and then turning it out  after hooking it up with the same result. Marcum asked me to reset back to factory which changed nothing. I'm waiting to see what their response is.

[missoulafish]

Do you know how to get to your pc event logs?

[maddogg]

Any flasher will catch you a fish. Why spend $800-$1000 on one when you can get one for $300-$500 that does basically the same thing??? It's just a way for people to show up others I guess. I'll take my normal flasher over a digital screen that looks more like tv than a tool used to catch fish

If I tried to find ways to show up others I 'd be flat broke in less than a day.
I buy what I like best and enjoy life.I bought a digital locator because I didn't like the noise of a flasher in my flip
over.

[eriksat1]

The noise of a flasher is music to my ears. All I have to do is hear that sound and my mind goes straight into ice fishing mode.

[Chute82]

I agree, I think it sounds like the USB drivers need updated. I'm a big digital fan, and addicted to my LX9. I just think comparing a flasher to a digital is like comparing an old pinball machine to a Playstation 4. Both are fun, but man there's a heck of a difference!

Yeah the old pinball machine go for 1000's of dollars...PS4 in 3 years will be worth $50... on a serious note to each their own, it your hard earned money after all

[Crappielover89]

Is anyone else having trouble installing the update on a marcum? I follow the directions but I can't get a computer to recognize my lx6. I've tried two different computers and two different USB cables...same result. Am I alone in having trouble?

I did have a problem on my company computer with that same thing grabbed my laptop and wala it worked. Apple product won't work has to. E PC

[VTMatt]

So we waited all this time for a firmware fix on the shallow water issue and it doesn't even fix it. That's great.

[3300]

So we waited all this time for a firmware fix on the shallow water issue and it doesn't even fix it. That's great.

that's right.
there's also no mention what the fix is on their web page where the updates are to be downloaded, like the previous updates had the information about them to see if you wanted to do them or not.

the timing of this is very strange tho. it came out when no ice was around and still warm outside and they said they needed more field testing before releasing it last season so no update was to be available. maybe they meant to say more open water testing.

some of us are still waiting (lx9 users), but after seeing what they did for a "fix" it's not worth waiting for. the lx9 has no update still.
it would seem all they did was a rename of the ice mode /open water mode for the shallow water "fix".

the work around was to use open water mode in shallow water and still have 2.5 feet of not seeing the jig. they say it's "fixed" now and it's only missing the same 2.5 feet of missing jig. the open water mode upset some users saying it's an ice sonar, so they took the open water and ice mode away from it because it's also an open water sonar.
so now it's simply mode 1 and mode 2. not much of a "fix" at all. it should have never been named ice/open water modes.
that's okay tho, i would rather not see all the worthless surface clutter in those few feet anyway like my hb ice 55 has.

they said some other gain curve tweaks have been added. so that's some thing. any thing is better than buying a new one for new performance increases. it should be worth the update for this at least.
i like mine the way it is and they can make it even better is why, in part, i use them.

[32footsteps]

Regarding the shallow water issue.  I've become convinced that some people will piss and moan unless these units show what is located above the transducer.   

[justborn]

Regarding the shallow water issue.  I've become convinced that some people will piss and moan unless these units show what is located above the transducer.   

Interestingly, a vex proview is able to do that.  It can read all the way up to and slightly past. 

The worst part of the lx6&7, the units read better near the ducer in narrow beam mode.   Shouldn't they have marked better in wide beam in close proximity?   Also, the issue wasn't really a shallow water issue per say.   Most people that experienced issues did so shallow, but if you fished in 60', the units had/have troubles reading near the transducer even more so than fishing in 10'.  The filtering is based on depth range and gets worse with deeper range settings.

[Flint]

I've used my lx 7 three times since the upgrade and the gain curve sure seems improved to me.

[32footsteps]

Interestingly, a vex proview is able to do that.  It can read all the way up to and slightly past. 

The worst part of the lx6&7, the units read better near the ducer in narrow beam mode.   Shouldn't they have marked better in wide beam in close proximity?   Also, the issue wasn't really a shallow water issue per say.   Most people that experienced issues did so shallow, but if you fished in 60', the units had/have troubles reading near the transducer even more so than fishing in 10'.  The filtering is based on depth range and gets worse with deeper range settings.

It appears that your vex proview is unable to pick up sarcasm which is unfortunate.  Too bad it can't be upgraded with a software patch to fix that issue. 

Complainers going to complain regardless how of big or small that "dead" area is. 

[VTMatt]

It appears that your vex proview is unable to pick up sarcasm which is unfortunate.  Too bad it can't be upgraded with a software patch to fix that issue. 

Complainers going to complain regardless how of big or small that "dead" area is.

That wasn't sarcasm, just you being a douche. People complain when the $700 piece of equipment they bought has "known" issues that took forever to get fixed. That's life, people are never truly satisfied. On a side note, I've not updated my LX7 yet but the Marcum rep I got an email from says that it should be showing at 2.5 feet now and they even tested and confirmed.

http://blog.iceforce.com/news/software-update-improves-marcum-digital-sonar-performance-in-shallow-and-deep-water/

[3300]

it always showed at 2.5 feet before the fix.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

That wasn't sarcasm, just you being a douche. People complain when the $700 piece of equipment they bought has "known" issues that took forever to get fixed. That's life, people are never truly satisfied. On a side note, I've not updated my LX7 yet but the Marcum rep I got an email from says that it should be showing at 2.5 feet now and they even tested and confirmed.

http://blog.iceforce.com/news/software-update-improves-marcum-digital-sonar-performance-in-shallow-and-deep-water/

X2

I'm sure the units are great sonars. However, paying the kind of money they want and not being able to show the first 2.5ft............Hope they get it fixed. Really is a sad deal. I do a Lot of fishing shallow for panfish. Heck some lakes around here are 5-6ft deep. Hate to have 1/2 the view missing.

[32footsteps]

That wasn't sarcasm, just you being a douche. People complain when the $700 piece of equipment they bought has "known" issues that took forever to get fixed. That's life, people are never truly satisfied. On a side note, I've not updated my LX7 yet but the Marcum rep I got an email from says that it should be showing at 2.5 feet now and they even tested and confirmed.

http://blog.iceforce.com/news/software-update-improves-marcum-digital-sonar-performance-in-shallow-and-deep-water/

This is rich.  Calling me a douche for posting something that essentially says that some people will never be satisfied no matter how big the "dead" zone is...and then you came back with this as a direct quote: "That's life. People are never truly satisfied."  Same sentiment, different ways to say it.  Apologies if I may have offended your sensibilities.

To be perfectly clear so the undies can be unravelled.  If the fix would've left a mere 2 inch dead zone there still would be people complaining about it.  I researched the snot out of these things and was aware of the dead zone issue.  It did not deter me from purchasing one.  I used it most of last year in water no deeper than 5 feet and it worked well.  The work arounds to get them to function in shallow water were well documented here and elsewhere.  Apply them, they work.

[VTMatt]

This is rich.  Calling me a douche for posting something that essentially says that some people will never be satisfied no matter how big the "dead" zone is...and then you came back with this as a direct quote: "That's life. People are never truly satisfied."  Same sentiment, different ways to say it.  Apologies if I may have offended your sensibilities.

To be perfectly clear so the undies can be unravelled.  If the fix would've left a mere 2 inch dead zone there still would be people complaining about it.  I researched the snot out of these things and was aware of the dead zone issue.  It did not deter me from purchasing one.  I used it most of last year in water no deeper than 5 feet and it worked well.  The work arounds to get them to function in shallow water were well documented here and elsewhere.  Apply them, they work.

Rich indeed!  Some guys just cant stand it when others want their products to work without error. You just cant stand that some people are unhappy with the dead zone and you are. Sounds like you need to get over it. News flash - if the, "workarounds" worked as good as you'd like to believe they did, people wouldn't be waiting for a real fix, nor would Marcum be spending time and money trying to fix it. Stupid customers and their stupid feelings of entitlement for a product they paid good money for...am I right or am I right?

[Deal Ninja]

Gentleman.  Please stop.  I believe Marcum has issued V5.10 and what they did was change the names of Open Water Mode and Ice Fishing Mode to Gain 1 and Gain 2.  PERIOD!  I am NOT impressed and have vigorously asked Marcum for a full explanation of the enhancements provided in the update by phone and email and on Facebook.  Nothing.  Crickets.  The runaround.  Their lack of a full explanation of the upgrades/enhancements of the firmware lead me to believe the 5.10 release was just to shut Marcum critics up temporarily while they release the new flagship RT9.  THEY WILL NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE on Facebook or elsewhere.  I own two Marcum LX7's.  I love them, but am LESS than impressed with their coy release of 5.10 and lack of details regarding it.  Read some of 3300's comments regarding same subject.  This release was a sham.  I will continue to press Marcum for answers to our questions, but there is no point or reason to the continued bickering here.  Put the heat to them.  Demand answers.  Tell them releasing a firmware update without details and instructions on using the new features is irresponsible and shameful.  Mark

[VTMatt]

Get any more info from them Mark?  I updated mine last night, but haven't tested it out yet. 

[Deal Ninja]

Matt, I sent Marcum CS another email last week with a list of detailed questions about v5.10 and let them know in no uncertain terms that I wasn't happy with the lack of guidance from Marcum on the new features and verbiage.  Jake from Marcum replied with a copy of that vague press release (release notes) quoting that "Rocky Holmes" person that we've all already read ten times.  Unbelievable.  Don't hold your breath in getting any additional info from Marcum on this firmware update.  I give up.    The best I can do is say "Gain 1 is for open water and Gain 2 is for ice."  That is the extent of what Marcum will tell me.  I guess we'll all have to experiment to find out what works best for each of us.  Very disappointed in Marcum over this. 

[hardwater diehard]

Although I don't have a Marcum I believe its not a software issues but a hardware issue with the transducer and addressing that could be expensive . Any Marcum open water users out there having the same 2 foot loss with the open water transducer ?

Hummingbirds digital units are new on the market I am curious if any depth issues are going to occur?

Although the two foot loss isn't a big deal for pan fish/bottom oriented fishing folks ..those trout and pike which can cruise in the 2 foot dead zone could be disappointing/frustrating.