How to Troubleshoot and Fix a Garmin Echomap that Won't Turn ON!

What's up everyone, today we're back in the shop and fixing things! I’m going to show you how to troubleshoot and fix a Garmin Echomap that won’t power on and this applies to all Echomap versions, including Gen 1, Echomap CHIRP, Echomap Plus, Echomap UHD and Echomap Ultra units and works on models such as the 93SV, 95SV, 73SV etc.

As an angler, many of us rely heavily on our electronics when we're hunting our favorite species and there’s nothing much worse than getting on your boat and going to power up your Garmin Echomap and the unit is completely dead.

Why do I know all about these issues and how to fix them? Because I had 2 units die on me suddenly in the last year and I happen to figure out how to fix them at NO COST after they would no longer power on and I thought they were bricks.

Check out the video where we’ll go over power requirements and troubleshooting your battery power, why power readings on your cradle are not reliable and a hidden trick 99% of people would never think to check! If you have an Echomap unit, be it a 6” series, a 93SV UHD, a 95SV Plus or a 12” Ultra, and it won’t power on, be sure to try these steps before spending a penny on a replacement or a trade-in.

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I would LOVE to hear from you if you have a busted Garmin unit and how you fixed it or if this video helped you repair one. Drop your feedback or questions in the comments section! Smack that like button and do the right thing, subscribe!

All the very best and tight lines :)

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0:00 Introduction
2:45 Troubleshooting Power
7:50 The Cradle
10:45 Desperate Measures
15:55 Conclusion

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MY GEAR:

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[DanRichardFishing]

If you guys have a busted unit and were able to fix it, please leave a comment and let me know how you fixed it!! And hey, don't forget to tickle the like and sub buttons ;)

[mtridgee]

THANK YOU!!! Took the device apart, the cable was completely out of the socket! Powered right on. You are the MAN!

[fire]

I just got off the phone with Garmin after seeing this video and they are sending me a cradle to try. I bought an echomap ultra 126sv October of 21. Went out this weekend and it would not power on. I did the troubleshooting steps and found power all the way to the cradle, even on the cradle itself. Saw this video and immediately called Garmin. They are sending me one next day air for free. The easiest transaction for service/warranty I have ever made. The support representative even sent me an email to contact him directly if the cradle does not work so we can take the next action of sending head in. Thanks Dan Richard Fishing for the video and I hope its just the cradle.

[NeilGraham.I.M.F]

Great video man! I am new to garmin's as I just bought a boat that has an echomap Ultra. Me and the guy I bought it from spent 2 hours trying to figure out why it didn't want to come on but we didn't have any tools or anything. Now that I am home with the boat though I have somewhere to start thank you very much

[brentoneil]

Thanks! Helped me to find my issue with 74dv. Would not power on but, I had power at the cable. (Test light). After watching your video, I grabbed my fluke meter.
Turns out, I had low power from the cable. Saved me hundreds of bucks!

[djtilt]

I really appreciate it you just saved me a whole bunch of time and frustration. Just opened it up and pushed in the ribbon. Much appreciated

[albowoops]

Thank you! Thought my 43dv that I use on my float tube was bricked, your video saved me. Thank you again!

[Sailingrogue]

Fixed a EchoMap 73SV that would not power up by reseating the ribbon cable which was halfway out of the connector. Thanks for doing a video on this!!

[DIYBuildouts]

Super helpful. My Garmin 73sv quit booting up and after pulling it out of the cradle and putting it back in, it works now. I did the battery checks and everything so it’s the cradle. Thanks!!

[toddbollen]

Thanks I have the older one. You gave me few things to try

[philtarbox]

Good job on the troubleshooting Dan... glad your issues were just power problems... relatively easy troubleshooting those kinds of problems

[GreenJamSkater]

Just bought this unit out of the box it did that have to call him tomorrow thank you for your help and you got a sub

[raymondreiff]

I just got a 551VD Echo unit working again after You mentioned the base's being a Problem sometimes, I cleaned up the far left connector the red one of three with two pins in it has room for 4, Also the pin tension was too low not allowing a good connection so I pushed them together tighter so better contact was now made, This unit also powered in now after a year of not, So Thanks 🇺🇸👍

[mikegoyette]

I have 2 of the Echomap Ultra 106sv's - had an issue with one (recovery loader ready error), thought it was bad power or software. Simple cradle swap, as you showed, solved the issue. Bad cradle, missing a pin. Don't under estimate the basics. Thanks bubbs!

[ewpbaker]

Thank you so much for the voltage explanation! I thought mine was bricked and it turned out that 12.2 at the connector wasn't enough... I ran some new wiring, replaced my aging battery, and now my unit powers on just like last year!

[willfara]

Garmin has an issue with these cradles for sure. They are a quality company and after I posted this I spoke to them and they sent me out a replacement cradle. Garmin has the best customer service for sure.
My first unit had a cradle failure but garmin replaced it for free. I think they wanted a shipping fee but I dont recall now.
My Newer( 2 years old) 93sv UHD just had its cradle fail, the unit would start going off intermittently and would be difficult to get back on. After cleaning all the connectors it was still flakey and I noticed that reported power to the unit would waver to lower indicated voltages. Cleaning and testing and monitoring voltage inside vs the plug one minute it was perfect and the next 8 or 9 volts. I wiggled and cleaned everything I could but finally I decided to see what was inside the cradle and between the cable connectors and the multi pin strip that the finder unit snaps into.
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I Drilled out the little torqs screws and viola, Between the rear and the front there is actually a multi layer printed circuit board which connects all those pins on the inside to the plugs on the outside. As with most PC boards, It is sealed and not serviceable at all. (technically), I bought a new cradle and the unit is instantly perfect again. I am going to call this a manufacturers defect with the cradles since I do not remove my unit as many people do so they just went bad internally. Two times is too many times. Garmin needs to fix these even out of warranty since it is an obvious design issue.
After spending thousands on garmin livescope and fishfinders I am loyal customer but I am going to call and ask for a replacement for this second failure anyway.

[ethanm]

Awesome job on the troubleshooting.
I can just imagine how many units are sent in to get repaired and sold as refurbished and all that was done was to re-seat the power adapter...

[BurqueMD]

My fish finder was seeing 11 volts from the battery but the fuse was still blown so replacing that did the trick. Would not have thought to have done that. Thanks so much!

[flysubcompact]

Thanks a lot. Waa connecting up my older, but barely used 43DV Chirp and it would not power up. Ended up opening it and gently cleaning the keypad contact points with an alcoholed q-tip. Reassembled and she fired up. Note to other small units: the ribbon connectors in these are extremely delicate. Thanks.

[ljohns]

Just thought i'd fill you in on one of my experiences of checking an inline fuse with a vom. I can't remember the device i was checking but the fuse checked good but in fact it was open on one end of the filament. I was actually checking the fuse with the vom leads lying on the fuse but should have been putting the vom leads against the end caps and pulling away when i was measuring instead of just laying the leads on the glass fuse. Cost me two days of anguish. Hope this helps someone.
Btw i love your videos. Keep up the good work.