Transducers

[Tarpon4me]

I noticed this thread about Sonar and thought i'd jump in on the fun.

You know, i've been running boats since I was about 9 years old, and i've had sonar on every one i've opperated and owned. I don't have a tube (yet), but sonar is sonar, it doesn't matter what you mount it on.

This is a picture of a "thru hull" transducer:














Look weird? Sure it does. But it's state of the art and can be purchased for many types of sonar units. This will take the guess work out of mounting a transducer.

You obviously don't need a high powered trasducer tubing since you're not fishing in drastically deep water. If you buy a 500 dollar fish finder that links to a GPS unit and reads to 2000', that's just silly. LOL

Also, if you mount a transducer in any fashion other than how it's designed to be, the readings of the transducer will not be accurate. Think of a triangle standing up right.

[url "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Triangle.Isosceles.svg"][/url]

This is pretty darn close to how the beam is projected from the transducer. Now, using the top of the triangle as the pivot point, rotate the bottom left or right a bit. What you've done is made one side of the lower beam longer than the other. The sonar unit can't distinguise what is accurate and what isn't, and just guesses (if it has an internal computer) or uses the shortest contact point as it's register. The bottom structure reading will also be inaccurate as well as the fish or bait that shows up.

There are also custom marine light "brush guards" that would be perfect to mount over an externally mounted transducer if a thru hull isn't possible, like probably with a tube. You may have cut a bar to open up the bottom so the 'ducer has a clear line of site, but it will protect it for many, many years. But, if not, the average transducer runs right around 50 bucks.

[url "http://www.nextag.com/norob/PtitleSeller.jsp?nxtg=2bb40a1c0517-7018A7D4F8A8DE36&chnl=main&tag=38156689&ctx=YMYd92egi0%2BV1nwigFe6%2F2V1fcJZRrPU&ptitle=62691111"][/url]

You'll have to add a little personal craftsmanship to get it mounted, but it's worth the 39 bucks if your so inclined. There are many more like this of different styles and material. You could also have one custom made if you are handy with a mig welder or know a good machine shop. [] I'd make my own, as I have a welder at my disposal.

I also noticed that someone was using thier fish finder for just registering depth; there is so much more to them then that. One major feature people don't know exists is the "zoom" feature. Next time you "float" over a hump on the bottom, zoom in on it. You'd be surprised what you'll find. What may look like a small hump on the bottom might actually be a golden piece of structure, or maybe even a very large fish laying on the bottom. When you see scattered little dots on the screen, that's bait. Another key thing to look for. They give you the surface temp, thermocline, and combined with a GPS can help you find and save the little honey holes you find while floating around. Alot of times it's those little unknown, small pieces of structure that hold the fish because no one fishes them. (alot of times the ones find using the Zoom feature) Learning the advanced features of the sonar units over the years is what keeps me catching fish when no one else around me can. [cool]

There are very advanced units out by choice manufacturers that provide a 3D view of the bottom using an "array" transducer. I'm not so convinced they are worth the money.

I'll end with a tip that not many people know. When a fish shows up on a fish finder, it's not the length of the tick mark that determines the size of the fish, it's the thickness from bottom to top. The length is determined by how long the fish stays in the sonars beam.



See how someof the fish are thicker and some are skinny? The length doesn't matter.

I hope this helps guys! Good luck!
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