# Lowrance HDS Gen 2 Date Issue - 2099



## crazy4fishing (Mar 14, 2010)

I have two Lowrance HDS Gen 2units - both have the same issue - time overlay is displaying as "---". When looking at the Satellite Status page, I have great reception and the date being received is being listed as a date in 2099. 

After some Google research, it appears to be an issue with a chip within the unit (internal antenna chip I believe) and all units using that chip are impacted. Started in the mid Oct 2018 time frame. I talked to Lowrance support today and the customer agent indicated the government changed something within the satellite systems that broke this these chips. He indicated that they are working on a software solution but have not idea on when it will be ready. IMO - I would be more apt to believe that it is a firmware issue for the chip itself not something the government did as all of the other GPS receivers I know of are still working fine.

I am hoping to get one or two more times this year yet - doubtful that I will have the correct time - at least I do not have to deal with any tide info for Lake Erie.

Anyone else having the issue?


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## piketroller (Oct 24, 2016)

The GPS signal actually breaking the chip? I’ve heard some tall tales in my day but that’s up there with the best of them. Now if they really spec’ed out an antenna chip that could damage itself from some kind of induced back current from the signal, then they really screwed the pooch on standard electronic design practices and validation testing. Sounds like Lowrance has a problem they want to blame on someone else.


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## ebijack (Apr 20, 2009)

If the year is the only problem. I don't see a problem as far as the units working for what you want them to do. 
I never displayed the date on my older units. Only time, water temp, depth, gps speed. I don't even know what date mine show. Never looked. 
Do you use the date readout that much?


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## crazy4fishing (Mar 14, 2010)

ebijack said:


> If the year is the only problem. I don't see a problem as far as the units working for what you want them to do.
> I never displayed the date on my older units. Only time, water temp, depth, gps speed. I don't even know what date mine show. Never looked.
> Do you use the date readout that much?


Date / Time is simply not present on the display unit itself. Date / Time stamps on GPS waypoints are all defaulting to <time>2000-01-29T18:26:40Z</time> (this is the data that is actually being exported). Problem also caused issues to the waypoint naming convention within. So not a big deal if you just want the time displayed on your screen (lots of way to tell time). However if you use your waypoints with any type of historical tracking process this is really an inconvenience. Also track data is also messed up because all of the timestamps associated with each track point reads the same incorrect date /time (
<time>1970-01-01T00:00:01Z</time>)

Lowrance just published a software update to resolve this issue. I completed the update this afternoon on both of my Gen 2 units and it appears to have worked. Planning on testing on the water tomorrow (Lake Erie).


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## crazy4fishing (Mar 14, 2010)

For anyone that has a Lowrance HDS Gen 2 unit and installed the fix that this thread talks about - the GPS functionality is no longer working as of April 7 2019. In order to get the GPS functionality back you have to install an older version of the software. Please see this thread for an update - http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=975091&page=2. See thread #32 for the links to the old software. 

Have to say not very happy with Lowrance - both of my units were working fine on Lake Erie on Sat April 6th. Went to fish the Detroit river on April 7th - both units could not obtain a GPS fix.


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## fels340 (Nov 9, 2011)

I have 2 HDS Gen 2 units on my boat. I pulled them off of the boat last fall before I winterized it. Haven't done anything with them. Am I going to have a problem when I hook them up this spring? Or is it just for units that recently installed an update?


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## piketroller (Oct 24, 2016)

Are the units networked with Ethernet? If so, they should just be on the same software version to work with each other. Other than that, the old software will work fine. Most of the issues people have are from things being at different software versions on the same network, or problem ms from an update not loading correctly.


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## crazy4fishing (Mar 14, 2010)

fels340 said:


> I have 2 HDS Gen 2 units on my boat. I pulled them off of the boat last fall before I winterized it. Haven't done anything with them. Am I going to have a problem when I hook them up this spring? Or is it just for units that recently installed an update?


If you have not installed the specially released software update that came out in the fall of 2018, your GPS functionality should continue to work - your date / time will be incorrect when saving waypoints as well as the time display overlay will be incorrect.

If you have installed the fall 2018 update - your GPS functionality will not work. To correct you need to revert back to the 4.0 release from 2015.


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## fels340 (Nov 9, 2011)

Ok. Thanks guys.


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