Well i have had this going on a while.I have a h.b. 1198c at comsole,after being on the water say 20min. Low Voltage appears on screen. Read out is [varies] 11.4/2 to into the high 10.7v. The engine seems to crank right up, i have checked battery volts with meter, after being on the minnkota,315d charger, it reads 12. 78 v. My screen on si. is terrible,got color on amber and only small center area is well light??? Sorry for long rant/ info. Btw connections, clean,tight.

get the battery load tested if you can just to eliminate that potential problem

Well update on the mystery, Had battery load tested, ck'd good. Took battery out of boat. I ck'd volts when i did . It was 13.4v , course it was just taken off charger. Hope unit hasnt shot craps?

Ike,

Make sure you check ALL the wires - both positive and ground wires, for unit. These are small wires, and easy to break a few strands inside a wire and not know or be able to feel it. With it hooked up and on, try wiggling wires at different points - again ground and positive. Often times find the ground is forgotton... and it is the problem.

Good luck with it. Electrical issues can be the worst to figure out.

Ken

Electrical issues aren't mystical if you know enough to deal with them. A cranky outboard is far more of an issue in my mind.
Did the HB1198 ever work correctly, or has this essentially been an issue since day 1?
WHEN you check the battery voltage is important. Checking it after charging isn't when the problem is happening, so that might not be the best time to check battery voltage. Go on the water, fish, and when the HB1198 says you have low voltage, check the voltage at the battery posts RIGHT THEN, and get back to us.
While it's good to know that battery voltage is good after charging, you aren't done yet. There could be a voltage drop between the battery and the HB1198.
Where did you get power for the HB1198 power cable? Possibly an existing power source under the console? When you have the low voltage indicated on the HB 1198, you should also check that point under the console. If that voltage is in the "good" range, then the last point to consider is the HB1198 power cable or its connections to the unit itself. Do you know which pins on the cable/unit connector are power and ground? If so, when the 1198 has been showing low voltage, unplug the connector, and measure voltage on those pins. Have you checked that the mating power terminals for the power/unit connection are clean and tight? If they are corroded, there are contact cleaners available that can help clean that up.

10-12 Gage wire directly to battery. This is what is recommended.

For a single HB1198 unit at the console (likely less than 8 feet of wire)? 10 ga. is utter overkill. While that recommendation will certainly work, there is no technical reason for it.

I think it's reasonable to assume an 1198 draws less than 5 amps, so lets take a look at the American Boat and Yacht Council Specifications for a 5A load.

ABYC E-11 tables for critical voltage applications (3% or less voltage drop) indicate that 16 AWG marine stranded wire can carry up to 5A for a distance of up to 15 feet while maintaining less than a 3% voltage drop. The same table shows that 14 AWG can have a home run of 20 feet, and 12 AWG can reach 30 feet.

Let's look at 12 AWG marine wire for the 3% voltage drop limit. That can support 25A at 6 feet, 20A at 10 feet, and 10A at 15 feet. Remember, we only have a max load of 5 Amps!

Looking at 10 AWG marine wire for the 3% voltage drop limit, we get support for 30A at 6 feet, 25A at 10 feet, and 20A at 15 feet.

Even if you want to beat the 3% drop rule, you get extra "head room" simply by going to 14 AWG for the console, and 12AWG for runs to the bow.
The only time I would say that 10 AWG was ever appropriate would be as a feeder to a fuse panel located at the console, for instance.

thanks Ken believe i have wiring issue.Have had 1198 5yrs, has worked fine.I thinking if i can find someone with similar power connector to unit, plug mine in& see what happens. BTW we have more in common than fishing,Iam a bowhunting addict.YES i admitted it going on 30yrs. No chance of quitting.LOL

Just to trouble shoot, run a 12 volt source directly from the battery to depth finder. Just run a piece of wire above the decks from the back to the unit. For the 8 - 10 feet to the console, anything 16 ga or bigger should work. This will let you see if the problem is battery or something else. If the unit works, then wire it PROPERLY. If not, then it's an old unit.

Thanks mci, I have question. So if i run wire direct from battery, how do i connect to unit. There is 4 connectors on the back of unit ??? Thanks to yall for help, i am not real knowledgeable on electrical.

You will need to tap into the power cable for the HB. Follow the cable from the HB to the point under the dash where it connects to the boat wiring. If you are lucky, there will be terminals on a fuse block, individual fuseholder or a circuit breaker that will allow you to disconnect the wire to temporarily connect to your alternate power feed wire. You'll need to do the same with the ground wire as the issue could be with it just as readily as with the positive wire.

For someone without skills, an easier thing is to borrow a HB unit like yours from a friend, try it, and see if you get the same issue.

You need to get away from the current boat wiring to check for that being the source of the problem.

Run your wire from the battery directly to the unit. You'll have to cut the existing power cable and splice your wires into the power cable on the back of the unit.

If you're not comfortable doing that, finding another unit to use for a check won't hurt, but someone will eventually have to track the source of the problem, and this is the easiest way to eliminate a lot s potentials.

I bought a wheelchair battery and used that to run my Helix 9. It fit right underneath my console. Had a couple of quick connects on it so I could take it into the garage and hook it up to the battery charger. I'm just not a fan of running my units on the same battery as my motor. Plus, when I started my motor, it would turn off the Helix unless I first put it into standby mode.