Identifying and Fixing Bow Electronics Installation Problems - Transducers, Cables, and Wiring

After his new Ranger Z520R boat came in, the customer got a chance to use it a couple of times but said that he wasn't able to see his bait on the Garmin Livescope. And his Humminbird Mega 360 transducer was coming out of the water in light choppy waves. We identified several other problems with the bow and then proceeded to correct each one. He now has a bow with Lowrance, Garmin, and Humminbird units that work properly. In a subsequent video, we also configured the Lowrance console units and got everything updated too.
Remember: Do it right, do it once.
For your marine electronics needs visit:
BassFishin Electronics: www.bassfishinelectronics.com/

[@glenndaugherity6187]

Amazing work Gary ! I wish you were in Illinois !! 👍👍👍

[@garrywoodruff960]

I do get to Buffalo but that's still a ways. And thank you very much.

[@scottsasanecki4106]

I can't say enough great stuff about Garry. I used his idea for the trolling motor strap and it's simple, cheap and genius. There is one aftermarket item that does the same thing but this saves time and money and costs almost nothing. Garry is also a great guy! He spent several hours with me just going through my boat and examining some rigging issues making suggestions and reset-up my electronics. He is meticulous, very thorough and very thoughtful regarding the rigging of your boat. Experienced Man that you should bring your boat too.

[@garrywoodruff960]

Thanks Scott.

[@Cman12972]

Outstanding work as always. Sir 😊

[@garrywoodruff960]

Thanks again!

[@fishntools]

FYI- "best practice" is to coat the conductor with dielectric grease prior to crimping. Heat shrink is great for concealing corrosion and isn't really waterproof (even when they say it is), it's an insulator.

[@garrywoodruff960]

Dielectric grease is an insulator, do you perhaps mean conductive grease? Dielectric grease is used to repel moisture and prevent corrosion, it is applied after electrical connections are made not before. Conductive grease is used to increase the conductivity between materials. So applying dielectric grease and then crimping creates an insulation barrier between the wires and the connector. This will increase the resistance, resulting in loss of power in the connection. What is important is to use similar materials for both the connector and wire. That is why I use Ancor connectors (tin plated) and Ancor wire (also tin plated).
The heat shrink that I use, and have mentioned and shown in various prior videos, is marine grade heat shrink which has an adhesive inside the tubing. When it is shrunk down, you can see the adhesive at the ends. This creates a reasonably good seal and barrier for moisture. And yes, heat shrink is an insulator as well.

[@fishntools]

@@garrywoodruff960 Measure the difference between crimped with and without dielectric grease, I see no difference in resistance, do you??? I want that barrier against oxidization. Learned this the hard way repairing truck trailer lights over and over again until I started using dielectric grease trick.