Anyone use them? My HDS 7 Touch at the bow of the boat starting shutting off intermittently and now all I get is an almost completely black screen. I've been shopping around for a replacement and came across Raymarine Axiom and it looks like an amazing unit.

Thoughts?

Those look great for the price. The only negative I can see is that the screens are lower in resolution compared to the latest stuff of others. The Axiom 12 inch screen has a resolution of 1280x800, which is only slightly more pixels than a 9 inch HDS Carbon (1280x720).

You don't tell if you've done any analysis yet so here is what I would do. Bow units, take a beating. It is not common, but internal wires can loosen. First, I would check all my external connections for tightness, especially to the battery. Not only would I check it, I would take the wiring off the battery, clean and reconnect wiring. This may be all that is necessary.

If this does not stop the intermittent shutting down, I would take it to Boris Marine and speak to Don Boris. He was an authorized Lowrance service center before Lowrance stop using service centers. He has all the tools to properly maintain the internal parts, which would include unhooking, repair/replace and hooking them all back together. The internal wires are the dickens to work with; kind of like having to use special tools on European cars. I'd estimate $100 - $150. Hopefully, that would fix your problem without having to shell out more for a new unit.

You might also check your power cable to the unit to make sure it is drawing the correct current. The male/female connectors can get bent or misaligned just enough to cause problems.

Have you done a soft reset? This may fix it too or a hard reset if the soft reset doesn't help. Remember to save all wpts, routes, trails and settings before performing a hard reset. Check if you're using the latest software too.

If you have a compatible console unit, switch units and see if the issue remains at the bow. Just another trouble shooting method. If the console unit at the bow has the same issue, I would definitely look at wiring.

I tried it in place of the HDS 8 at the console and had the same problem. Before I go any further - I'm old and a techno idiot. I have nary a clue how these units operate or how to use them to their potential. They were on the boat when I bought it and have no manual for it.