Lowrance unit message?

[Merrittboy]

When hooked up, system reads "GPS module not found, or something like that." Does this mean that the puck (reciever, Lowrance 3000) is shot? Could it be anything else? Ideas.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Merrittboy]

Oh and yes the wires are all hooked up properly. lol

 

[Whole in the Water]

I have had some experience with this error message on Lowrance products. Here are some things to check out:
- power supply must be at least 12.5 volts all the time,
- if applicable do you have the lastest s/w upgrade installed?
- are all connections to the unit clean and sound?
- especially check the male & female connections that you connect/disconnect frequently as these can wear loose over time,
- your GPS receiver antenna may need to be replaced depending on how old it is - they can wear/crap out,
- if it is not properly shielded it can be knocked out by ship's radar. If it doesn't have a shielding sticker on the bottom, then you may need to get a new puck.

I think that your puck is shot. The 3000 series had loits of problems, I went through 3 of them. The newer 4000 pucks are shielded against radar and are more reliable so far.

Good luck! (I hate intermittent electrical/electronics problems they are a royal pain in the butt!)

 

[Klob]

After I had the store check out my antennae and main unit, I checked all connections and applied dielectric grease. Finally worked my way to the fuses and changed them, although they looked fine, seems to have solved the problem.

 

[lazoman]

Yes, check, clean and grease up all connections, right from the battery, all bus bars, fusable links etc. That fixed mine, now it "gets position" within seconds of powering up.

 

[GLG]

Yup the fuse holders are junk. Cut out that 1920’s technology and put modern fuse and fuse holders in. One less thing to go wrong when your out in the chuck.
GLG

 

[drhook]

I've also had lots of experience with this problem. All of the the comments made above could lead to this problem. It can be vey difficult to track down the exact cause.
In my case it turned out to be the GPS receiver antenna. It gave the 'module not responding' message so intermittantly that it took 6 months to finally track it down to this specific failure.
In a friends boat, the fix was easier. He had the antenna plug in outside the boat and moisture had got inside the plug. By filling the plug full of electric grease we solved the problem.
Contact Harbour Chandler in Nanaimo if you havn't already. They are fantastic at helping out. Good luck.

 

[Peterman]

Yep, just replaced my Antena aswell..... worked the second I changed it out... You can be put on a list for used ones when people upgrade.... I didnt have time to wait... ofcourse.... cost me just under $200...

 

[Tips Up]

Same issues with my unit.
Very intermittant so hard to trouble shoot.
Seems to be a power issue for me. When it loses position and the message comes up I would take the fuse in and out a few times and eventually it would connect.
A couple of weeks ago I put in new battery and went over all of my wiring. First trip out all was good. Next trip more issues. I then also replaced the fuses even though they were fine and have had no problems last 2 trips.
Very frustrating. Always have the hand held back up on board and have had to use it.
If I have more issues I will try new antenna I guess.

Tips

 

[Klob]

Same issues with my unit.
Very intermittant so hard to trouble shoot.
Seems to be a power issue for me. When it loses position and the message comes up I would take the fuse in and out a few times and eventually it would connect.
A couple of weeks ago I put in new battery and went over all of my wiring. First trip out all was good. Next trip more issues. I then also replaced the fuses even though they were fine and have had no problems last 2 trips.
Very frustrating. Always have the hand held back up on board and have had to use it.
If I have more issues I will try new antenna I guess.

Tips

Before you buy a new antenae, have it checked out along with the actual unit. Harbour Chandler can do this, or any marine store that deals in Lowrance.

 

[Lipripper]

Try this too

Soft reset first.... the hard reset erases all the data.

That has fixed the GPS module not responding for me

 

[Tips Up]

Spoke to some friends "in the know" and was advised that if it is intermittant issue it is power related.
I put new battery in boat and spent some time checking all connections and wiring. Did some clean up and replaced all fuses (even though they looked fine)
No problems last 4 trips (knock wood)
Still keep the handheld back up in the glove box but good to go for now.

Tips