Having problems getting a good clear bottom reading on the plane. Adjusted the transducer a couple of times for no real improvement. Photos of current placement attached. Suggestions please?
The bottom of the transducer appears to sit higher than the bottom of the hull. I would have it sit just below the hull and the transducer angled so the rear of the transducer is slightly lower than the front of the transducer, it will help keep the transducer in clean(non aerated) water.
It looks too deep to me.
These long transducers used for down and sidescan need to be just skimming the surface. If set too deep, the length creates turbulence that badly affects performance. Putting the trailing edge lower like on normal skimmer style transducers can make it worse.
I would suggest running a long straightedge under the hull on the keel side and setting the transducer depth so the lower face is no more than 3-4 mm below the line of the hull. Keep the transducer straight, not titled down at the rear. Thats how I set my Lowrance totalscan and it works fine.
This video from Lowrance is a very good education and guide in how these long transdcuers should be set up.
One last comment - I have found that running the totalscan in medium chirp is far far better in water deeper than about 25m especially offshore where there is some swell and chop. Holds bottom really well in med chirp and marks bait well too.
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
I think it's actually pretty good where it is but the bottom of the hull looks like someone's hit it with a cheese grater.
Maybe it's the pic, I dunno?
Always hard to tell from a pic but the back looks higher than the front for starters - basically means it's creating it's own dirty water instead of having clean flow onto the face. It needs to be at least parallel to the hull bottom and in the case of a traditional transducer ever so slightly stern low - few degrees of angle in most cases at most. Going further than that with 3D stuff will distort images. Hull antifoul can mean transducers need to be set a bit deeper but every install is different. Change one thing at a time and look for improvement to see if you are going in the right direction.
is it possible that its closer than 300mm to the prop and getting turbulence from the prop, shouldnt it be on the starboard side, depending on your prop rotation of course.
Maybe it's my eyes but that looks like weld dags on the hull at the transom and not on the transom allowing smooth water flow, if so you will be picking up dirty water may need to go deeper.
Haven't actually measured the distance to the prop but it should be more than 300 mm. I bought and installed this little combo unit - a Garmin 54CV with CV-23M transducer because I got it cheap to get me by until I could afford a better unit - hence the installation on the port side. But I have been pretty impressed with this unit and I am coping better than I thought I would with a 5" screen combo so I may keep it for a while yet.Originally Posted by catshark
No, GRP hull, but it has been antifouled a while ago and it is coming off in places so the hull bottom is not as smooth as it could be. Might be an issue.
You could end up between a rock and a hard place - with the turbulence from the rough hull antifouling, it might need to go deeper - but then there will be excessive turbulence from the loong transducer being too far under as per that video I posted.
Is there a reason why its on the port side when the recommended side is starboard for a Rh rotation prop?? And ideally it should be a little further out away from the centreline too.
Could easily be a combo of all of those factors.
Maybe the best idea might be to place it as recommended by the mnaufacturre - starboard side, 100mm outside the prop radius (subject to strake position etc), with bottom surface of the ducer just mm bekow the line of the hull and rear not tilted down more than a mm or two. Then see where that leaves you.
The only remaining variable then would be the hull surface ahead of the new location.
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
yeah i just installed a garmin striker , pretty happy with it for the money, like stated above i had to dip the end of the transducer lower than the front a wee bit....
Make a splash guard and lower it.
A lot af guys in the states did it this way.
Attachment 118619Attachment 11862020190128_192329.jpg
jeremy i doubt your going to get a perfect readout on the plane with thatr totalscan ey.. I had the same problemo as you with my hull , motor n transducer .. Straight edge , measure etc etc and at days end got it where it will read bottom most times but not all and have to live with it .
Stuff around with it till you get it best you can and leave it at that i think will be best at days end ey..
A tip for Totalscan - At speed, on water deeper than 20m, run it in medium chirp mode. Big improvement!
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
Try angling your transducer down slightly. Had the same issue with mine and changing the angle now means I can hold picture fine at 20+ knots.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
