Scotty hp counter issue

[advTHXance]

Hello folks,

Having an issue with an hp downrigger counter. Something in the way the counter interacts with the dr itself isnt working. Ive swapped the counter+lid to another hp rigger and it works fine there, so its obv not the counter itself. Ive taken the dr apart and all the components seem to be there as far as i can tell.

The issue is the counter sits on 0ft and never budges. I assume these counters function on magnetism but im not actually sure. The dr im having issues with is spooled with steel cable (gross), and the other dr was as well before i respooled with braid (much better). Even before respooling both lids worked on the functional dr. This leads me to believe a component is missing to trigger the magnetic field. Anybody have any ideas?

To complicate things further, im at a very remote location essentially by myself (gf has 0 downrigger knowledge) so taking it in for servicing isnt an option rn. I do have access to a downrigger boneyard of sorts, so theres a chance i can find a replacement part if i can pinpoint the problem.

Typing this from my phone so my apologies if there are any bad words, typing downrigger with fat fingers is always a risky proposition.

Thanks in advance,
-advthxance

 

[mikep]

The spool is the issue. Need to replace. Your not at the outpost are you?

Mike

 

[advTHXance]

Anything in particular about the spool? So i know what to check for before replacing?

 

[advTHXance]

Swapped out the spool and seems ok now spinning it by hand. Thanks Mike!

 

[wildthing]

they have a magnet inside of the spool ... on the HP
which trips the reed switch in the digital counter ......
if you have an older spool or it may have split and warped if its grating when rotating ...

 

[Augie]

Having the same issues. I assumed it was the counter itself. I’ll definitely have a look at the spool. Thanks for posting this

 

[wildthing]

the spool is two part and there is a recess inside which keeps the magnet in place ...
dont know why but sometimes the spools do split or blow even on the older ones and grate when dropping /coming up

 

[Augie]

So I took apart the downrigger today and cleaned out the magnets. Placed everything back again and it seems to be working for me. I was amazing about how much dirt and moisture was down there.

 

[Prfisher]

the spool is two part and there is a recess inside which keeps the magnet in place ...
dont know why but sometimes the spools do split or blow even on the older ones and grate when dropping /coming up

I have a theory as to why the spools fail... I got new HP riggers last year & (apart from a counter failure) I really liked them. At the end of the season, I jammed the stop into the pulley while fighting a nice fish that was trying to tangle itself into the cannonball. It came up hard & fast while I pushed the green button down & had a very sudden stop.
After that the spool would chatter & slow down on the drop. Had the spool replaced last week & it seems to be cured. Will find out for sure tomorrow.
I’ll be a lot more careful in future.

 

[MiddlepointBight]

There was a run of HP counters that were defective and still in circulation. Not sure if it is the same issue, but contacting Scotty is always a good option - hands down some of the best customer service and helpful folks around!

 

[BarryA]

yes, make sure the magnet is a) still in the circular slot and b) clean. The digital counter does not work without the magnet. Also, if you need to replace a warped or cracked spool then you can save a ton of $ and simply replace the bottom (thin) half of the spool. $13 USD instead of $80 USD for the whole spool where I live.

 

[wildthing]

also tip i got from two pro staff is the spools/plastic do not like WD-40
and don't overload either braid or straight wire 400' max

 

[BarryA]

I load with 400’ braid and it will still split the spool after a couple seasons. My boat is wet slipped and the riggers never come off so the braid will expand more often with the increased moisture exposure. I just live with it and pay the $13

 

[Jnailorus]

yes, make sure the magnet is a) still in the circular slot and b) clean. The digital counter does not work without the magnet. Also, if you need to replace a warped or cracked spool then you can save a ton of $ and simply replace the bottom (thin) half of the spool. $13 USD instead of $80 USD for the whole spool where I live.

My magnet is apparently missing, does anyone have a picture of what it looks like or where it goes?

 

[Brett83]

These are great riggers. But why don't they just make the hp rigger with the fail proof analog counter. I'm on first season on a brand new set of hp riggers and I've replaced a counter and a spool.

 

[John s]

I had another one start acting up last weekend it was reading, but it was way out, it registered 15 ft. But it was around 70 ft. Close to the bottom we hooked a under size ling

 

[lemmy]

These are great riggers. But why don't they just make the hp rigger with the fail proof analog counter. I'm on first season on a brand new set of hp riggers and I've replaced a counter and a spool.

I mounted some analogs in mine as back up. Just gotta use with lids off. I zapstrap my emerg crank handles so that they dont get knocked off....
Im going to cut a window in the cover now and glue down a reading glass lens over them so I can read those tiny numbers!! Haha. Fed up with replacing those stupid digital every couple of years!

 

[Tugcapitan]

I mounted some analogs in mine as back up. Just gotta use with lids off. I zapstrap my emerg crank handles so that they dont get knocked off....
Im going to cut a window in the cover now and glue down a reading glass lens over them so I can read those tiny numbers!! Haha. Fed up with replacing those stupid digital every couple of years!

Good idea.
@bonchovy charter boat has small hole-saw cuts on his HP covers to see the analog counters he has mounted underneath. The digital counters were still functional, and interestingly enough the deeper we went the more the digital and analog were out of sync. I was surprised he didn’t have a glass or clear plastic cover over the hole, but he said it hasn’t been an issue with water getting in there. We fished really deep that day with all kinds of blowback touching the bottom now and then so who knows which counter was reading true, but I have the feeling he was trusting the analog more than the digital.

 

[Rockfish]

Good idea.
@bonchovy charter boat has small hole-saw cuts on his HP covers to see the analog counters he has mounted underneath. The digital counters were still functional, and interestingly enough the deeper we went the more the digital and analog were out of sync. I was surprised he didn’t have a glass or clear plastic cover over the hole, but he said it hasn’t been an issue with water getting in there. We fished really deep that day with all kinds of blowback touching the bottom now and then so who knows which counter was reading true, but I have the feeling he was trusting the analog more than the digital.

The biggest factor I have found in the accuracy of the counters compared to actual depth is the type and amount of the cable or braid on the rigger, as it changes the diameter of the material coming off the rigger spool. I believe the counters and spool diameters were originally designed and calibrated for 300 feet of steel braid on the spool. If you move away from that, counter accuracy will decrease. Easy to test counter accuracy against your depth sounder while stopped in flat current and wind in 100 feet of water column with a heavy ball. To be most accurate, reset the counters to 0 with the ball right at the water surface and take into consideration how far under the water surface the transducer is mounted. Drop the ball till it just touches the bottom straight down and compare the counters and the depth sounder. When I have had 500 feet of cable on the rigger I was able to determine the diameter variance and take it into consideration when fishing. It can vary with depth, but at least you have an accurate spool diameter variance baseline at 100 feet to work with.

That you found the mechanical counter and the digital counter varied on the same rigger is interesting. The above test would tell you which one was more accurate with that particular set up.

I have wondered if the reason Scotty moved to digital on the high speed riggers is that they concluded that the mechanicals would wear out faster with the higher speed and perhaps be less accurate, but without testing, who knows.

 

[pennel]

I talked to Scotty about the difference in readings and asked which one was the most accurate.
The reply was ‘probably’ the digital one but he pointed out it is not a measuring tape.
I found out that my digital one over read by 5’ in 55’ of water according to the depth sounder,while the analog under read by about the same amount.
The difference between them increased to about 15’ at 200’.
Another way I use to get an idea of accuracy is by looking at the cannonball trace on the fish finder and comparing both gauges.
I tend to just take the average of the two - it’s not that far out.
I would say having a plastic window is ,for me,the way to go.
Scotty sent me a template as to where to drill the hole along with the drill size.