posted 05-27-2014 01:42 PM ET (US)        

https://vimeo.com/93176960

https://vimeo.com/93098078

https://vimeo.com/96197938

https://vimeo.com/96602668

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv129/bluewaterpirate/ Garmin%20547%20xs/Garmin%20547%20Tm150%20vs%20Simrad%20NSS8%20TM260/1-1. jpg~original

http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv129/bluewaterpirate/ Garmin%20547%20xs/Garmin%20547%20Tm150%20vs%20Simrad%20NSS8%20TM260/6. jpg~original

Tom

posted 05-28-2014 10:40 AM ET (US)            

The first thing I noticed: the Garmin software is quite interesting in its presentation. It shows the SONAR screen display and also a chart plotter track. On the chart plotter track a thickened portion of the vessel track line represents--I assume--the position of the vessel when the SONAR data was recorded. That is very cool presentation!

posted 06-01-2014 06:12 PM ET (US)            

I saw your post before I took my first salmon fishing trip out this season with my new electronics suite, which includes the 547xs and TM150 combination. I was pretty excited to try it out. Unfortunately, the performance of the combination was not satisfactory at all.

The week before, I tried out the combination in a local lake. It appeared as if all was well, except while working through a couple of menus, when I went back to the sounder, there was no graph and the depth reading was blinking. I thought, hmm, that's weird.

I then rebooted the unit, and it appeared to display and operate properly. This was only a quick run out to the lake to verify if all systems of the boat were ready for our ocean trip the following weekend, and all seemed to be ready and in operating condition.

After loading the boat from the ocean trip, we found that the transducer was in the released position, as if we had hit something. There are not marks or evidence otherwise of hitting anything. I noticed that the hinge screws could be tightened, so as to help the release hold down a little stronger to eliminate an inadvertent release while underway.

I am very certain that my transducer installation is satisfactory, due to me first test. The unit displayed a very definite graph and the depth reading was very consistent (even as fast as I could go on the small lake, in excess of 35 knots), until I opened the menu to check
menu settings and tried to go back to the sonar screen.

It seems that this the problem is software related. Upon installation of the unit this past winter, I checked for a software update, and I believe I installed it.

Does this sound software related to you? I am currently checking on this, but would respect your opinion.

Thank you,

posted 06-01-2014 09:38 PM ET (US)            

I just downloaded and installed the latest version. Hopefully this cures the ills.

Has anyone else experienced a software glitch in the 547sx?

posted 06-08-2014 11:23 PM ET (US)            

I spoke with the vendor I purchased the combination from. He asked if I could hear the transducer clicking. Today my wife and I took the boat out. We could not hear the transducer clicking. A very faint graph line is visible on the display, though no digital indication of depth is available.

It sounds possible that the transducer may be the culprit. I will be contacting garmin and airmar tomorrow.

posted 07-20-2014 11:41 PM ET (US)            

I tried it last weekend while on a pleasure cruise with my wife and the system worked very well. The only problem I had was that I was unable to maintain a bottom reading at planing speed without someone standing near the stern of the boat. I then lowered the transducer 1/8" after getting home.

We fished out of the boat yesterday and the system worked flawlessly. I was able to obtain a bottom reading at over 20 knots in 300 feet of water in the ocean.

The irony was that for two fishing trips this season without an operational sonar unit we limited on salmon, and the first trip this season with an operational sonar unit, we were much less successful.

Its funny how life works sometimes.

posted 07-22-2014 10:16 PM ET (US)            

Maybe I'll try turning the gain down some so I can sneak up on them. ;)