Lowrance HDS units with Motorguide Xi5 Trolling Motor

Last year I got a new boat.  Had a HDS 9 Gen 3 (structure scan too)installed and linked to my Xi5 Motorguide with built in transducer.  This year I bought a HDS 7 Gen 3 for bow, had it installed and linked with the trolling motor and HDS 9.  I'm getting readings from the lowrance hds 9 into the 7 OK (both graph and maps), but I can't figure out how to get the HDS 7  on the bow to use the motorguide transducer for sonar.

Is there some setting I'm missing?  Something not connecting properly?  Thanks for any help or suggestions!

Also, as it sits now, the HDS 7 in the bow reads maps and sonar from the 9, but not temperature..any reason for this?

Hi....

i didn’t noticed a post giving a resolution to your problem. Several of the comments were correct by having you check the installation and setting the correct transducer, but I recently had a problem that was similar yours. I came across an internet video that fixed my problem.

The issue concerns the Local vs Global setting. The video advised to just set ALL your units settings to local. This can sometimes cause erroneous, unintended problems with how your units react to setting inputs.

What local and global does is allow you to make a change with a setting on one unit, and that setting change, should change to that setting with any other unit.

Example.... say you have two HDS-9’s at your concole, AND they are networked together with a eithernet, and on one of the 9’s you change the sonar sensitivity to a higher setting, if you went to the sonar screen of the the other 9, you will noticed the sensitivity changed to the setting you just set on the other 9. However, what the video I watched described, was the local/global selection should not affect the “installation selection” on another unit. HOWEVER, the video I watch showed that there was something “wonkey” in the software that WAS changing the installation setting on other unit after changed on another. So what I did was set ALL (3) of my HDS Carbon units to “Local”. This is no big deal for me, cus at my console, I have an HDS-12 carbon mounted in front of me above the Steering wheel. I ALWAYS Set 3 screen selection with down scan and sonar at the top and side scan on the bottom. And my HDS-9 Carbon at the console is ALWAYS set on map to see my trails and waypoints. The only exception... when I’m at a lake with lots of submerged trees that I have designated trails to avoid stumps, I will put my map on as the only view on my 12.

At my Bow, I have another HDS-9 Carbon and an Xi5 with a external HDI transducer added for downscan ability, which was a waste of a purchase, because I never use the downscan when up front fishing. I typically search, find structure, and mark waypoints, whe idling from the helm. When I’m up front, i’d rather have my 83/200 sonar displayed along with my map to maintain waypoint position. Hoped this helped!!

When I ran Lowrance that iritated me.  I had 2 console units and one bow mount all networked.  Either I couldn't run off a xducer in the read of the boat as well as off the trolling motor xducer at the same time, or I just couldn't figure out how to do it.  Not for this reason, but for others I have switched over to Hummingbirds.  They both have Pro's & Cons.

Its working, except when I select "This Unit" on the HDS 7 it switches the HDS 9 at the same time, and vise versa.  Is there any way to run the HDS 7 off of the Xi5 transducer, and the HDS9 off of the normal ducer..at the same time?  Maybe I'm being too picky lol...Thanks!

Squid lips there is a video on YouTube that says that motorGuide has the gateway for the xi5 is working on the nmea 2000 network.but wouldn't hurt to double check the tranducers and also getting your temp to work properly.so there is a wire from the trolling motor to a nmea 2000 network backbone.if that was working before you might want to just check the settings for that nmea 2000 network and see if the motorGuide gateway is showing up anywhere in the network settings mainly the nmea 2000.

Thanks for the tips all.  I wont get a chance to take a look at it until the weekend.  I will let you know if I get it fixed.  Thanks again!

From the sonar page hit menu scroll down to source make sure it reads this unit. As for the temp hit menu twice go to page then to edit data overlay then to add and make sure the temp is checked 

Try selecting the source as the hds 7 for the transducer.it should recognize the xi5 as a transducer it might be set for the skimmer on the hds as the source.but if the trolling motor is out of water you won't have the 83-200hz reading or regular sonar.got to make sure the xi5 is recognized in the hardware in the settings.might be listed as a device or something like that.maybe undo the ether net cable and reconfigure the hds 7 seperate from your hds 9.then see if it reads sonar alone by itself.I always mess up with the source selection.water temp is a good question I don't know if that comes off the structure scan transducer or the skimmer or 2d transducer?both units updated?recheck all your cables and connectors and the pins.there is a menu setting where you select your transducer and can see the software updates etc. Just eliminate the hds 9 and redo the 7 until it reads sonar then reconnect the ethernet.might have a bad wire going to trolling motor transducer.good luck hope you can get it to work right.they can be super difficult sometimes.