Lowrance Elite 4 HDI transducer cable

Hi all.  I have an Elite 4 HDI on my native slayer 13, and the blue sonar cable has some issues. The blue dial that locks the connector pins into the main body of the fish finder unit comes completely free from the cable, and often, when I go to plug in my sonar, it will show a flashing display of a random depth that I know to be incorrect (It once showed 60 ft of water when I was tied to a dock in about 3 ft). In troubleshooting, it appears this is from a loose/bad connection.  So far, the only remedy I have found is to just fiddle with the cable until it is just right.  This can take some considerable time though, and I would rather my finder work immediately.  Any advice on what I could do to fix this?  I have contacted Lowrance, but they simply told me to buy a new transducer, and I would rather not spend $120.  If I wanna spend triple digits, I will upgrade finders.

Thanks!

Check eBay - I saw a skimmer transducer on sale (unused) for half the price of a new one.