Follow Contour Option not listed

[photojon]

While I can now get the "follow contour" popup to consistently appear, the behavior is erratic. Was out one night and it worked just as you would hope: get the crosshair of the cursor on a contour, goto follow contour, purple route and away it goes extending the purple line as it follows. A day later doing the exact same procedure, it would find the contour, I choose the purple route and the ultera fires up navigating to what it thinks is the line only to spin in circles and the "purple line/overlay" of the route is no longer on the screen.

After several attempts I restarted my Solix. It would then find the purple line and navigate correctly down that line but fail to extend the line. I was fishing the same contour I had the previous night and it worked fine. Seems to be very finicky. I see the "not extending contour" was one of the issues supposedly fixed in the last software update.

[Ches]

Are you sure all the hardware has the current updates. When I bought my first Helix 12 I updated it and the Terrova but forgot to update the hand held remote. My boat spun in circles when trying to follow the contour. Lucky I had my computer and internet access because I was on a two week fishing trip in hayward. I updated the controller and all was good. Just a tought.
Ches.

[DSFEDER]

I have a 2017 Solix 12 at the helm. My FTC feature works well or...it can suddenly beep three times and stop working. Also it can, without warning, reverse course, and then we have to scramble to reel in our lines so we don’t get tangled or get caught in the motor. My FTC feature either works well or it gets flukey and then I have to reboot the unit by disconnecting the power to it and then reconnect the power. I sent it in to Humminbird over the winter and had them update the software and they also replaced the control board. I have it wired directly to the battery but it goes to a dedicated battery cut off switch then to the unit because turning it off and then back on with the power button is not the same thing as disconnecting it from the power. Disconnecting it to the power seems to do a better job clearing things out of it. I have it connected to my bow trolling motor which is a 2017 Ulterra with I pilot link. I find that my unit in general either works well or it doesn’t work it’s flooky. But when it does it’s God’s gift to trolling. I can concentrate on fishing and boat control is taken care of. With FTC and Cruise Control (CC) the only thing I need to worry about is if there are other boats in my path. Also if I’m fishing with someone who has not experienced FTC and CC it’s great to watch their eyes in disbelief that this is even possible! As I stated I had the software updated over the winter in my Solix unit. I did not know that you could do software updates to the i-Pilot Link remote or trolling motor. How does one update the software in trolling motor or trolling motor remote?


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[Ches]

If I remember right, it went this way. Remember, I was in Hayward on a fishing trip so beer might have been consumed. I got the Helix program downloaded from the Humminbird site and on a different card, I downloaded the Trolling motor update then took a 3rd card and downloaded the remote program from the Minn Kota web site. You might be able to put them all on the same card, but I think they had to be done in order and I didn't want to mess it up. Remember beer was involved. All are updated thru the Helix card slot, I think the TM gets it's update thru the ethernet cable and the remore gets it's wireless from the TM. Follow the directions given step by step. I think the locater went first, then the TM, then the remote, but I could be wrong. Good luck.
Ches.

[photojon]

Originally Posted by Ches

Are you sure all the hardware has the current updates. When I bought my first Helix 12 I updated it and the Terrova but forgot to update the hand held remote. My boat spun in circles when trying to follow the contour. Lucky I had my computer and internet access because I was on a two week fishing trip in hayward. I updated the controller and all was good. Just a tought.
Ches.

I have them all updated as of July 5th. I actually don't use the remote with the Ultera. I control it via my Solix screen. Not sure how a remote would factor into this use model

[Diesel Pro]

So I got to use my follow Contour today. Initially it worked quite well. My first run it went for a quite a long distance and the tracks showed that it could have gone further but it was beyond my trolling area. On following runs it decided to beep and tell me I was at my destination after only going a couple hundred yards. This became quite annoying as it would just quit mid pass.
I found out why it sometimes wants to turn around and go the opposite direction when I start a follow. It is because the system makes a very odd start point that is sometimes actually behind my boat. Other times it starts ahead and tracks just fine. Has to be a bug in the logic. It seems to vary sometimes based on proximity to the selected contour. Rather than drawing a line direct from my location to the junction of the orange and blue highlight it decides that I am someplace else I guess. It also had some odd double lines and sometimes would follow nicely while other times it would cut corners of a contour line. Other times it would follow a contour but it would not show me the gray highlight at all. Overall the system has great potential.

[Ches]

After reading this and other posts, I think I am lucky and happy to own Helix units and a Terrova. Sure, I have to deploy it myself, but it works great.
Ches.

[photojon]

Originally Posted by Diesel Pro

So I got to use my follow Contour today. Initially it worked quite well. My first run it went for a quite a long distance and the tracks showed that it could have gone further but it was beyond my trolling area. On following runs it decided to beep and tell me I was at my destination after only going a couple hundred yards. This became quite annoying as it would just quit mid pass.
I found out why it sometimes wants to turn around and go the opposite direction when I start a follow. It is because the system makes a very odd start point that is sometimes actually behind my boat. Other times it starts ahead and tracks just fine. Has to be a bug in the logic. It seems to vary sometimes based on proximity to the selected contour. Rather than drawing a line direct from my location to the junction of the orange and blue highlight it decides that I am someplace else I guess. It also had some odd double lines and sometimes would follow nicely while other times it would cut corners of a contour line. Other times it would follow a contour but it would not show me the gray highlight at all. Overall the system has great potential.

This is EXACTLY the behavior I am seeing. I reset the "Chart" settings (only) and that seems to have addressed the extend contour beyond the 100' or so issue. The logic behind where it decides to start the contour is still a bit perplexing. I have started to choose points a bit ahead of me so it has plenty of time to think about where its going and prevent the circles or sharp turns. Until I get it figured out, I don't let out line until its on the right contour .

[Ches]

So, do you guys think this is a glitch in the Solix or the Ultera, or just the combination of the two?
Ches

[ThreeDogsDown]

I think its a combination of the two...the network and the GPS.


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