I have that exact unit and like it a lot. I find it hard to believe you got 2 defective units in a row. Have you tried to wire it straight to your battery and see if works? Maybe you have a wiring issue somewhere, this would bypass any switching / wiring issues. But when the unit has 12v to it you should still have to use the power button on the unit to turn it on. Try holding it down for a few seconds and see if it powers up.

 

I gave up on Lowrance in the early 2000's. terrible customer service and quality issues. You should give a look at raymarine, garmin and hummingbird.
jayman

 

lol….. just hold the power button down for a couple seconds… I have a Lorance that has a switch like that right now…, but… the guys are right about customer service and Lorance being sub par…. I went with Raymarine on my last one because of it. Kirk

 

I’ve been running that same unit for 2 years without a hiccup. I would also assume it has to be something to do with the wiring. But it’s hard to say.

 

I ruled out a power issue. The plug has the right voltage. The 2nd unit powers up and down on the battery switch. It seems to work fine, with the exception that the power button not functioning. I tried every conceivable way to gut it to work short of standing on my head. I sent it back to lowrance warranty. It will cost $60 shipping. If they can't find anything wrong, they'll charge me another $50 for looking at it. At least, they'll test it and update the software. I wish Lowrance would test them before they sell them. I'll follow up in 2 to 3 weeks.

 

What do you mean that”the second one powered up and down with the battery switch, with the exception of the power button not functioning” ? What battery switch? How does the unit the power up if the power button doesn’t work?

 

Sorry for the confusion. A battery switch is installed by boat makers and in near the battery. The power button on the fishfinder doesn't turn turn the fishfinder on or off, or does any screen edit button functions. When I turn the battery switch on and power up the dash, the unit will power up. With the unit powered up, the power button won't turn it off or edit screens. In other words, the fishfinder power button does nothing. To power off the fishfinder, I turn the battery switch off, and the fishfinder will power down. I hope that clears that up.

 

I'll see what Lowrance comes up with in 2 to 3 weeks. Lowrance outsources their customer service to the Phillipines, and outsourced the warranty and repair to another company. Just that alone tells me I will never buy another Lowrance product.

 

Thanks.... I had a bad experience with Lowrance not covering the warranty on a cracked case. They told me they only cover the electronics. Even though my unit was only 6 months old they wouldn't honor the warranty. Fortunately i had purchased that last one through Amazon, and they refunded the total cost less $100. Then i went to Raymarine. The plugs in the back of the unit , and the case construction were much higher quality on the raymarine unit. I got a really good deal with the Sportsman's show discount through Fisherman's Marine and saved about 30%. These damn things are getting expensive any more. Kirk

 

I have always had Lowrance units and never had issues with any of them.
The one time I had a GPS puck problem, out of warranty, Lowrance sold me the new model replacement at cost.
No haggling, no problems.

Sure, it wasn't free but it wasn't under warranty either.
Now I have an HDS 7 Live running in tandem with an HDS 7 elite and both work perfectly.
I did have to rework my NMEA network and add a separate power feed since my old LMS units that I replaced used to inject that power but once I did, everything from the 4G radar to both head units work flawlessly.

The biggest difference I had to adjust to is the power button functions between the new HDS and the old LMS.
They are not the same.

 

Lucky you. Some of us rely on luck when dealing with the elite sf9. I had 2 back to back units that don't work. The latest one I sent out for warranty 3 weeks ago. All i heard is it is unrepairable. I haven't heard anything back yet. If I get a second replacement and it too is faulty, I will take the $1000 loss and throw it out. I'll never buy another lowrance product. Summer is too short here to go without dependable electronics.

 

If I'm reading this correctly, They said the unit was unrepairable and are sending you another unit? Please keep us updated. I'm hoping this works out for you.

 

I guess you didn't read all. The warranty people said it is unrepairable. I've been all over this issue. 3 strikes and your out of Lowrance.

 

Update:
I finally got back the 2nd replacement Elite fs9. This one appears to work. I need to test it out to be sure the depth works.
So, it took 6 weeks from the time I mailed out the 2nd faulty unit, until I got a 3rd unit back. I had to pay the shipping to them, and since they confirmed it was unrepairable, they didn't charge me for the replacement. The shipping they used was economy shipping by FedEx. It sat in Troutdale Oregon for 6 days.
So, if this 3rd one fails, I will just switch over to Hummingbird products. I will never buy another Lowrance product, since they outsourced the customer support as well as the warranty outsource.

 

I was on hold to speak with Lowrance customer service the other day, 1.75 hours before I got thru. I had a slim hope that I’d speak with someone inside and knowledgeable, but that wasn’t the case. The employee ran “diagnostics” which was the same as googling the problem. No support and now I’m a Garmin customer. 3 failed Lowrance products in less then 6 years.

 

lowrance did me good in the 90s thru about 2010 then i started to have issues with alot of their units and service sucked i currently run humminbird and they have been rock solid to this day. my most current is the 1199CI hd 360 imaging which has been a game changer and that with live scope fish don't stand a chance! well except in my boat lol...

 

I have used nothing but Lowrance since I had my boat built (2 units). I have needed customer service twice and both times they said the unit was out of warrantee so I need to run down and buy a new one. The latest problem happened 3 years ago where the vessel position icon would not update the position when I was underway (motoring to a waypoint). Customer service would barely even acknowledge I was talking to them. At the same time I had an issue with my battery so I replaced it, and miraculously, the problem with my chart plotter cleared up and has worked flawlessly ever since. So although my HDS5 is working perfectly after 12 years, I would never buy another Lowrance product given their horrible customer service.

grant radke

 

I feel your pain. No more Lowrance for me.

 

You have to press and HOLD the power button for a few seconds until it powers on.

 

I have a lowrance Elite FS 10 that I purchased in February 2025. Installed it in my boat and used it in our club monthly tournaments up until last weekend with no issues at all. Had been a great unit. Last weekend I got to the launch, set the boat up and launched ready to go to my first waypoint to fish and when I hit the power button nothing happened. We fished blind all day with no electronics on a very stumpy lake. Day after the tournament I go out and start trying to figure out the issue. Start at the battery and check voltage, that's good. I check the inline fuse, and that checks out good. I go to the power connection for the cable and check it with my multimeter, it checks out good as well. This leaves something with the head unit causing the issue. I sat down and sent an email to the lowrance CS email detailing all the information that they need, date of purchase, vendor, S/N, etc. After 5 days I have still had no response and have now sent a follow up email to them. From what I have seen on various forums I am not holding my breath on a good outcome.

 

When you buy Lowrance you are basically playing Russian roulette with your money and time. Their products have lots of bling, but they don't hold up frequently and their customer support barely speaks English, consistently try to blame the customer with silly statements for their awful products. Good luck - you will need it.