A while back I put my Garmin LVS-34 in perspective. When I moved it back to forward, the screen looked really wrong. I fiddled with it for a while and finally tried one click 'up' from the white line. Then everything looked fine and I've been using it since. But I'm seeing some things elsewhere about transducers going bad and this solving the issue; some people just calling garmin and they got new transducers. 

 

Anyone have experience with this? 

Following up here, apparently the angle really isn't fixed, the computer does a bunch of stuff to figure out how to get the bottom of the screen flat to the bottom of the lake. 

 

It is fixed now - if you ever have this problem just calibrate compass and then set it back where it's supposed to be set. It'll jank around for a few seconds and the image will stabilize and look just right. 

Are you saying to rotate/turn the LVS transducer up one notch above the A, B, or C mark on the mounting bracket?

 

The plastic ultrex jam nut is letting it slip down a lot, so the unit isn't always the same height.   I need a fix for that, too.

 

I upgraded to a plus system(2nd gen) when I replaced all my electronics back to Garmins late last year.   

I haven't messed with it much.   I had to put a huge lithium battery on to stabilize the voltage so I can run it all day, if needed.   I always liked Garmin because you just turn it on, and don't have to mess with it.     I'm fishing not tuning/playing with electronics.   Not with LVS, apparently.  But it's 'new' and learning curves required.

Seems this new one has some issues I didn't have before.   In forward, the bottom near the top(farthest) is real fuzzy/indistinct.   I get an interference a fixed distance from the transducer that looks like an angled away tree trunk, but it stays a fixed distance so it's an artifact of the sonar beams overlapping, not real.   In perspective, I get a too bright zone about midway and not much detail.   The "rays" are very segmented.   Something's not right, but messing with it, isn't my forte.   If I can't get any hints here, I'll call Garmin tech over the coming winter months.   I'm on the H2O all year.

I got a message this week the GPS isn't calibrated, but I'd calibrated it a while ago.  And it was using it's internal gps.   They told me the separate GPS on the network is just so they all use the waypoints are same coordinates, doesn't affect performance.  I'll have to get the cal. procedure out again, next trip.

ps: I was at Hartwell for 3 days during the last college open in late Oct.   Every practice boat was exclusively using FFS almost to a fault, plus they were coming up/encroaching on me.   Whatever happen to "sportsman" society?   I don't think they're learning how to fish in my opinion - just video game fishing.   I also think they 'over practiced', as the tournament wasn't until the weekend.   Lake was crowded on Tues in late OCT???   Of course, if I was in my 20s, and could fish instead of not go to college????     I'm noticing, spots are not taking the minnow baits I'd been using successfully all over for a few years now.   They would hit but not eat BB swim baits.   I guess after getting caught and relocated many times, they're turned off.   I'm having to adjust to the pressure and that's a huge lake - my "local" preferred.   Not all bad, there were some nice guys, too.   This week it was more like NOV, a few or no boats, but more as the day warmed.   Fish were still 'off' and a weather change and I was plying unfamiliar areas searching.   I've had to expand my range as the tournament pressure rearranged the fish.   Places I could rely on are barren now.  But spots are roamers.   I used to fish tourneys, so I'm not opposed - just saying.

 

13 hours ago, fish'n Jim said:

Are you saying to rotate/turn the LVS transducer up one notch above the A, B, or C mark on the mounting bracket?

yeah just angle the beam up higher. But try the calibration first!

 

13 hours ago, fish'n Jim said:

I get an interference a fixed distance from the transducer that looks like an angled away tree trunk, but it stays a fixed distance so it's an artifact of the sonar beams overlapping, not real.     The "rays" are very segmented.   Something's not right, but messing with it, isn't my forte. 

Me too, I just ignore it. I only have that one segment though, about halfway out. I notice it on other people's videos too. 

 

13 hours ago, fish'n Jim said:

I got a message this week the GPS isn't calibrated, but I'd calibrated it a while ago.  And it was using it's internal gps.   They told me the separate GPS on the network is just so they all use the waypoints are same coordinates, doesn't affect performance. 

The calibration is actually calibrating more than GPS - it is calibrating what level is on the transducer. (I think... this is a guess based on how it changed what the computer was doing)

 

When I got a good calibration I watched the system try to find "flat/normal" for a few seconds, and then settle down and it looked great. Calibrating instructions will come up on your screen when you start the process. It's literally just drive the TM in a circle for a few minutes. 1000% worth your time, start here. 

 

Oh and I don't recall if it was anywhere in the thread - you might turn image stabilization off, then back on, and probably keep it on low. It attempts to keep the screen chilled out when you are in rough waters. But can cause problems sometimes. 

 

Thanks.   I'll adjust the Xducr and try settings when I go Mon.

Try to calibrate your compass first then get a good size lure that’s very easy to see on your scope. Then go into the installation settings and adjust your transducer depth level until you see the splash when your lure hits the water. I’ve never had to click my transducer up .

On 11/14/2025 at 6:37 PM, fish'n Jim said:

Thanks.   I'll adjust the Xducr and try settings when I go Mon.

How did it go?

It got rid of the ghost tree and the bright bands for sure.  So it was pointing too far down.   The flat side lines up square with the TM shaft now.   But it 'confused' the orientation.   Orientation was OK before I "notched it".   I had to manually set to forward, it kept going to perspective even though the Xducr is upright and that looked all messed up - looked like a time warp.   It was showing a bright band in perspective before blotting out everything in that region.

I tried turning the Xducr upside down since there's no indication and it was worse.   I played around with some of the settings and got it totally screwed.   

Today, I read the "recommended" settings, so I went too far with some.  Why would they put an adjustment item on then tell you not to use it?   It looks to me like the bottom is reversed and I get an "aurora borealis" in the water column.  eg: Instead of sitting in 15' and seeing the bottom sloping up when pointed toward shore, it slopes down away from the bottom corner then up.   I didn't have that before.   I turned the 'bottom' on and that helps orient you, so you don't just get the fuzzy line.   I can go back, if needed.

I chatted with Garmin and they say this thing needs 'constant adjustment' for water clarity even on the same lake. (WTFKOBSIT?)   The factory Utube videos are no real help.   No operating manual for this unit.   They call the installation, the operating manual, then palm you off to the chartplotter manuals.   What we need is a troubleshooting guide.   Does this, do that, for these water conditions, do this, etc.  Things they could do automatically but chose not to.

I downloaded and installed the updates, did the GPS cal*., so I'll have to take to the water again and start over, when I get some time - next good weather.   *- It was on the local GPS, not network, before so it was getting a good signal.   I'd calibrated the network GPS before, so it lost it somehow.

Going back to basics.   I'm going to reread everything and see if I got something else messed up first.   When you see the "pros" screens on BASS channel, they look perfect, like a video game, but who knows if that's photo shopped or not?  Of course some factory guy probably set them up.   I'm not convinced(yet) this "plus" version is all it's cracked up to be.   At least I could operate my first gen system without much intervention.   It wasn't great, more grainy, but I could see under docks, fish, etc.   Makes me think somethings wrong with it.   I see they dropped the price again.

My main frustration is you can't determine if something is not working and needs fixed or it's simply just out of adjustment, not installed right, or not adjusted for the conditions?    That's a circular trap in itself.   Reminds me of the early daze with just flasher sonar.   You didn't know when you got a signal/blip if it was real or not ro what it might be, animal, vegetable or interference.   When they went to LCD, they used fish icons for arches, but who knew if that was right.   Since these new ones, U R pretty sure when it's a fish.   When I first got this LVS, I could see them swimming around and their size but the constant low voltage thing made it short term prospecting at best.

Good news I did manage 4 keepers in the cool and windy waters on Norman.

Well, looks like I had the Xducr turned the wrong way for starters.   I'm making a copy to keep in the boat.   

Maybe I can adjust it now????

Today, I checked all the settings and the forward was still messed up.   I put in perspective and the middle beam is black/not working.   I called Garmin and the same guy was at chat and he gave me the run around.   Said you have to recalibrate every time you go to perspective, but it's not in the no manual?

They want the same price for the transducer as the whole unit?    Must have been replacing a few.   Now they want me to call them from the water and take picture to verify it's not working?   My trust in Garmin has waned dramatically.   

I figured out that when I changed it back from perspective the last time, I missed the correct line up as I had the xducr in the wrong orientation.   Easy to do without the paper in front of you because they don't label the marks on the mounts.   You have to guess which one it is.   They mark the installation paper but not the mount nor the xducr.

There’s been some reports of bad transducer. And garmin has been replacing them free of charge if your within the 2 years warranty. Others have been offered new transducers at a discounted price that are out of warranty so as crappy as it is I would do what garmin asks. But those who had bad transducers could not calibrate the compass.

UPDATE:

After chatting w/ marine support yesterday again, he told me I had to put the boat on the water, call this 800 number so they could "hijack" my phone camera and see what's going on.

I just came back, and even though I had the orientation in "auto" when I flip to perspective the echomap didn't switch views.   I didn't know that different beams are use d in different views and you have to recalibrate the GPS when you switch.   Likely because there's no operating manual...   That's why the one beam was missing.  Forward wasn't calling for it.   Everything works OK, in perspective now.   Setting took the bright area away, without "clocking" the mount.   I didn't want to turn the XDUCR again, while he was on, since I got something I can use for a change.   It'll stay there until I get up a enuff courage to attempt another embarrassment...   I kinda prefer the forward, but perspective is easier.   Lots of time between now and next year.

Garmin just sent me an email, they got NMEA manufacturer of the year.   So as much as I think they should clean up the act, their apparently better than the lot.

I'm on my third echomap 106 SV cover.   I usually tow with the cover so that can't happen.   I took off the cover at home to make it quicker to get in and out at the launch.   Traffic gets high around school hours/rush.   Of course, I checked the secureness of both covers right before I took off.   When I got to ramp, front was gone.   I traced my path home and not to be found, so it either was picked up or run over or flung into the abyss.   Another $40 for a new one.   I got to come up with a solution.   They hold good if they're on just right, but too light and fly off if not snapped in right.   I used velcro on the lowrances 12s boat came with as they were loose fit.   

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/DD26_Fishing_Graph_Strap_Cover_Keeper/descpage-DDCTTGT.html

This will probably help with the cover flying off. 

It is important that you get it working in forward mode again to make sure the transducer is good - as mentioned above there was a run of them that the factory took back because they were having this problem and calibrating didn't fix it.