My Garmin Vivid 7sv is giving me fits again. Started out this spring working fine and now I'm back to seeing the "transducer not connected" message.

Last year it was pretty reliable until the end of the season and I got the disconnected message. This will be the third season on the transducer. I've tried all the methods to resolve this suggested by Garmin. A replacement transducer runs $250-$300, OCH!

 

How long should transducers last without being damaged?

I’ve never had one go out, and I’ve been running electronics on boats since the 1980s, but I’ve heard of it happening; know a friend or two who have had to replace one before, so not a complete anomaly.

They rarely go bad.  If it were me I’d talk to Garmin before buying one.  It might be something in the head unit or they might give you a price break.

Mine only quit working when I smash them into a log at hi speed…….

Do you have a friend that you can borrow a fish finder that will hook up to your transducer for a couple of days.  I wouldn't get a new transducer until I was certain that was what the problem is.  You could also borrow a transducer and hook it up to your unit, but that might be more difficult than changing the finder.  Either way you will find out what is broke.

Mine never went bad but blink at speed 😔 

If the finder is not seeing the transducer, I would suspect a bad or dirty connection or possibly a bad cable. 

 

I would clean the connections and check the cable for cuts or kinks. 

I've checked the cable and there doesn't appear to be any damage to it. Today I cleaned the connections with electrical contact cleaner. I'll be on the water tomorrow and I'll see if that helped.

On the water yesterday. Turned on the FF and the same issue - transponder not connected. 5 minutes later, it comes back online everything working as it should for the rest of the day.

 

I'm still scratching my head about this. I'll have to call Garmin when time allows. In the mean time I'll clean the contacts prior to every outing.

Sounds like it could be a poor contact crimp. I use DeoxIT contact cleaner for all my electrical connections including light bulbs, prevents oxidation and cleans the contacts.

Spray both the plug and receptacle interface all connectors.

It’s more then likely the head unit circuit board then the transducer.

Tom

 

 

Thanks. I'll try the DeoxIT. Placed an order and my fingers are crossed.

Garmin has great customer service so don’t hesitate to give them a call.