After having the bottom job completed, the depth sounder in my Garmin no longer functions. I have tried various gain settings, automatic, manual, high etc. but nothing has helped. Looking for suggestions on how to start troubleshooting. I do have backup in another unit but really need to figure this out as I have lost redundancy.
Garmin 2210 Depth Sounder not functioning
- Thread starter dkasprzak
- Start date
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It's not transom mounted, I find it hard to believe that the transducer can't shoot through the new paint but that is what it seems like.
Marlinmike
Guru
Could you some details, is this a shoot through transducer, flush mount, transom mount? and as far as bottom job, are you taking sandblasting and paint, or just a repaint?
Marlinmike
Guru
My guess is its a flush mount (most common) and the yard just painted over it, some bottom paints have metal in it. If indeed through hull you'll need to take a quick dive on it to check, can always take a scrubby pad and rub off the paint.
If shoot through it could be as simple as transducer went, I have gotten a transom mounted unit as a loaner to attached to Garmin unit and hang over into the water to test.
If shoot through it could be as simple as transducer went, I have gotten a transom mounted unit as a loaner to attached to Garmin unit and hang over into the water to test.
Edelweiss
Guru
I have an older 3210 on my flybridge and had the same thing happen after a haulout.
Like you, I tried everything for months and couldn't figure it out. Almost gave up and then read a post on a Garmin user forum, where a poster commented on losing the sounder function after haul out. He didn't know what caused it, but found a software setting for the maximum depth was set for 20'.
I checked mine and sure enough, mine had done the same thing. Put it back in auto select maximum depth and Voila. Works fine again.
Like you, I tried everything for months and couldn't figure it out. Almost gave up and then read a post on a Garmin user forum, where a poster commented on losing the sounder function after haul out. He didn't know what caused it, but found a software setting for the maximum depth was set for 20'.
I checked mine and sure enough, mine had done the same thing. Put it back in auto select maximum depth and Voila. Works fine again.
I had a friend in high school who replaced his spark plugs (on his car) and later that day had a flat tire. He concluded that re0placing the spark plugs caused the flat tire.
A haulout or bottom paint job cannot change settings on your plotter.
If the depth sounder worked before the haulout and/or paint job and doesn't work afterwards, it's most likely that the failure was caused either by damaging the transducer or by painting over it.
My transducer is inside the boat and shoots through the hull and at least two layers of copper based bottom paint. It works fine.
The question is, was anything else done to the boat between the time when the depth sounder worked and the time when you noticed that it didn't?
Edelweiss
Guru
______________I had a friend in high school who replaced his spark plugs (on his car) and later that day had a flat tire. He concluded that re0placing the spark plugs caused the flat tire.
A haulout or bottom paint job cannot change settings on your plotter.
The question is, was anything else done to the boat between the time when the depth sounder worked and the time when you noticed that it didn't?
Like you I thought the same thing! It worked just prior to haul out, didn't work after being set back in the water. Several calls to Garmin customer service and trying everything they suggested didn't fix it.
The 3210 is a computer based combo plotter/sounder unit and changing the environment, was it left on when it was hauled, removing the boat from the water, changing the ground state and plugging it into the yard power while blocked, all these may affect it. We'll never know for sure. (until I haul my boat next year at the same yard and it does it again.)
But the point was for him to check all the software switches. Costs him nothing other than his personal time, before giving up. The maximum depth soft switch is buried in the setup menus and normally left in "Auto", not something you would routinely change.
There certainly could be another cause, but when all else fails, I wouldn't totally dismiss the experience of others.
It solved the problem for me and at least one other Garmin user
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