I have a Garmin 498 GPS/Fishfinder combo that came on the boat I recently purchased. I have heard that you were not supposed to leave a fishfinder turned on out of the water. If I turn the unit on in the yard to look at the maps, is it going to mess anything up?
The thing you have to worry about is the transducer.
If you’re running it for a short period of time, there won’t be a problem, but if you’re going to be running it for an extended period of time, it’s best to turn off or disconnect the transducer. The risk is that it could overheat.
Edited to add:
Be sure to turn the power off prior to disconnecting the transducer.
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Thanks for the input. I will not be using it for a long period of time out of the water.