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SUPPORT > TROUBLESHOOTING

SUPPORT TROUBLESHOOTING

Below is a table of common problems and solutions. If you have a problem that cannot be solved from the table below, please contact StarFish Technical Support.

Problem... Solution(s)...
Electrical interference This is most commonly seen as bright small snow-like dots over the image - usually with some form of regular repeating pattern.

The most common cause is interference from other high-current switching electrical devices (such as mains inverters, or motors) connected to the same power source as the top box electronics module.

Try methodically turning off other electrical devices to find the cause, or running the StarFish from its own dedicated power supply (or battery).
Acoustic noise This is most commonly seen as large stripes or pulses of varying brightness over the image, usually with some form of regular repeating pattern.

Try to identify and, where possible, remove the source of the acoustic noise. Most commonly, your boat, or other vessels, may have an echosounder that is running at a frequency close to that of the StarFish.
Image ghosting or mirroring This problem may occur if the StarFish is operating in close proximity to the boat hull. If depth permits, try deploying more cable to distance the sonar transducer head from the boat.

This problem can also occur in shallow water, where the high intensity transmission from one transducer is being recieved by the other. If possible, use the software to display only a single channel (and prevent transmissions from the other); this will reduce the inter-channel cross-talk.
Uneven channel brightness The problem may occur if the StarFish is not balanced correctly, and has an uneven drag, causing one transducer to be angled more towards the surface than the other.

Check the towing cable goes beneath the shackle and the StarFish looks symmetrical along its length (when viewed from the front). See Rigging The Sonar.
Surfacing when towed This is caused by incorrect balance of the StarFish from its towing hole. The StarFish needs to be more 'nose-heavy', so move the towing hole backwards by one position, and try again. See Adjusting The Towing Position.