Terrova Universal Transducer

[SkunkedAgain]

I know a lot of you guys run the Terrova's, do any of you have the universal transducer on your motor?  If so are you running a Humminbird fish finder on it? and if so how does that work verses using the regular Humminbird transducers? Does it still work pretty well as a 2D type fish finder?  I know it won't have the SI, DI and other newer features, (the one I got doesn't have the Mega Humminbird transducer, but the universal) but does it have temperature and work like the finder would as a stand alone unit (Helix 5 CHIRP GPS G2)?  

Just curious how to set up my system as I add the Terrova to my boat...  I'm thinking of keeping my Helix 9 set up as the console unit with the SI DI and etc, and then just using the Helix 5 in the front of the boat as a 2D type finder with GPS and mapping for guiding the motor... (Not a linked motor, just the iPilot) I'm not sure, I don't think the 5 can be set up in the one boat system, I think it has to be a 7 to be linked together, but if you know otherwise please let me know... I know I've heard of folks with 7's that don't have SI, being able to use SI on their 7's if they are linked to another finder that does have the SI... Same goes for other features like 360...  

I have a cable that was supposed to allow me to connect both an ice ducer and the 360 to the same head unit and use it as either a 360, or a 2D finder, but I haven't been able to make both work at the same time with the cable, I have to plug them in separately and use the feature I want, I can't switch back and forth without changing the transducer hooked to the unit... Would be really nice if I could figure out how to have the whole boat connected to the same system and use whatever transduce I needed without having to switch hook ups... I know it's possible, but I guess I don't know the tricks that make it work... Later Jeff

[Therapist]

The Terrova ducer is for Humminbird units. You can just hook your Unit to the motor with the existing cable. If you use Lowrance or Garmin, you need a special cable ( extra cost ) to hook to the motor. Very easy and very clean. If your Helix has built in GPS no other cables are needed. If you have an external GPS antenna, you will need to hook that cable to your unit head. If you have Down Imaging or Side Imaging on the Unit, you will need to add the appropriate transducer to the motor head. There are lots of You Tube videos that show ways to attach the transducer and cable to get max performance and ease of use w/o tangling cable !! Good luck.

PS: Learn to use the navigation feature, great for trolling back over the same path !!

[2knots]

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Well for hummingbird the splitter described here may be all you need

https://humminbird-help.johnsonoutdoors....h-MEGA-360

[SkunkedAgain]

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Well for hummingbird the splitter described here may be all you need

https://humminbird-help.johnsonoutdoors....h-MEGA-360

Thanks Alan, I'm pretty sure that's the cable that I have, but I did notice the note that said something about certain transducers won't work with the Y cable and since I don't know all my ducer numbers I guess I need to try and figure that out... Thanks for that link, I hadn't found that info when I was looking through the site.  Jeff

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The Terrova ducer is for Humminbird units.  You can just hook your Unit to the motor with the existing cable.  If you use Lowrance or Garmin, you need a special cable ( extra cost ) to hook to the motor.  Very easy and very clean.  If your Helix has built in GPS no other cables are needed.  If you have an external GPS antenna, you will need to hook that cable to your unit head.  If you have Down Imaging or Side Imaging on the Unit, you will need to add the appropriate transducer to the motor head.  There are lots of You Tube videos that show ways to attach the  transducer and cable to get max performance and ease of use w/o tangling cable !!  Good luck. 

PS:  Learn to use the navigation feature, great for  trolling back over the same path !!

Thank you for the input on this, it's very helpful... I didn't know that the ff was the GPS for the motor, so now I know for sure I need to have that second finder working in the boat... So I don't have to purchase a GPS antenna... Do you have any tips on where I can learn what all the symbols on the Terrova remote are and how to use the features?  It looks like a lot of stuff there and I know that if I can learn what they do, they will make a big difference on what I get out of the motor... Thank you very much... Jeff

[SkunkedAgain]

The Terrova ducer is for Humminbird units.  You can just hook your Unit to the motor with the existing cable.  If you use Lowrance or Garmin, you need a special cable ( extra cost ) to hook to the motor.  Very easy and very clean.  If your Helix has built in GPS no other cables are needed.  If you have an external GPS antenna, you will need to hook that cable to your unit head.  If you have Down Imaging or Side Imaging on the Unit, you will need to add the appropriate transducer to the motor head.  There are lots of You Tube videos that show ways to attach the  transducer and cable to get max performance and ease of use w/o tangling cable !!  Good luck. 

PS:  Learn to use the navigation feature, great for  trolling back over the same path !!

Hey Alan after reading that more slowly, I think I may have needed to change my transducer setting.  The finder pulls up the 360 right off, so I assumed I didn't need to do anything, but I'll bet I needed to change the transducers recognized so it could find both... Thank you for pulling that up for me... Now if I can remember it the next time I try to do this (It's mainly used on ice when I need the ice ducer and 360 together)...  Thank you... Jeff

[Therapist]

There are great tutorials on the Humminbird web site and You Tube. Humminbird was touting an integratred system for your boat, linking everything in the boat together, electronics, trolling motor, etc. Check their web site out !!

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks for the tip I’ve been surfing them quite a bit. In fact probably too much, now I want Lithium batteries that I can’t afford. Going to have to watch what I listen to. Later Jeff

[EyLayo]

In my opinion the us2 ducer is convenient and better than nothing. But, if you want a ducer mounted up front, for not much more effort you'd be happier strapping your better si/di to the TM.

[MACMAN]

Jeff, This is my set up and it works pretty good. I have a mega 9” helix at the console and a 7” non mega helix on the bow. Both network units. The 9” console has the down/side transducer on the transom. There is an Ethernet network cable that runs between the console and bow units. The 7” bow unit has the trolling motor transducer ran into it. I can view a mirror image on the 7” bow unit of the mega on the console- viewing all mega screens, though the unit is non-mega, including mega SI and DI. On the 7”, I can switch the transducer in the network setting (menu-menu-scroll all the way right) and it then reads the trolling motor transducer, that only is only in 2d. When both units are reading off the mega transducer, you get some control on the settings individually, and some are over rode by the console unit. Think of control head settings are individually controlled and transducer settings are controlled by the primary unit and the secondary unit is slaved to those setting. Kinda complicated, but it’s working great. I also added the external ahs (heading sensor gps puck) to the console unit and directed both units to read that puck. It increases accuracy dramatically and give my nav screen a heading line that is very useful. That is mounted right in front of my windshield and there is a port it wires directly into. I also just added a LVS 34 Garmin Livescope. Now if I can’t catch them, I can at least see them. They can’t hide anymore. I’m not sure all that really helps my fishing success, but it gives me something to fiddle with when it’s slow. If you want to see it all in action before you drop any coin on it, we could hook up at Willard and you can see if you like that set up. I usually have room in my boat.

[SkunkedAgain]

In my opinion the us2 ducer is convenient and better than nothing. But, if you want a ducer mounted up front, for not much more effort you'd be happier strapping your better si/di to the TM.

Shawn, I'm not sure where I'm wanting my ducers mounted, in fact I really hadn't ever thought about it.. Right now I have the ducers on the transom and they work fine, but is it better to read the fish before you've already driven past them???  Might be better to have it up front, but I don't think I want to try hooking the ducer on the motor, so I'll probably stay as is and see what info I learn from the us2 ducer on the helix 5...
Maybe in the future upgrades the Mega ducer in the motor would be the way to go???  All these questions that I haven't considered, and didn't think I'd have to, but now I see maybe I should have been???? Thanks for pointing that out... Jeff

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Jeff, This is my set up and it works pretty good. I have a mega 9” helix at the console and a 7” non mega helix on the bow. Both network units. The 9” console has the down/side transducer on the transom. There is an Ethernet network cable that runs between the console and bow units. The 7” bow unit has the trolling motor transducer ran into it. I can view a mirror image on the 7” bow unit of the mega on the console- viewing all mega screens, though the unit is non-mega, including mega SI and DI. On the 7”, I can switch the transducer in the network setting (menu-menu-scroll all the way right) and it then reads the trolling motor transducer, that only is only in 2d. When both units are reading off the mega transducer, you get some control on the settings individually, and some are over rode by the console unit. Think of control head settings are individually controlled and transducer settings are controlled by the primary unit and the secondary unit is slaved to those setting. Kinda complicated, but it’s working great. I also added the external ahs (heading sensor gps puck) to the console unit and directed both units to read that puck. It increases accuracy dramatically and give my nav screen a heading line that is very useful. That is mounted right in front of my windshield and there is a port it wires directly into. I also just added a LVS 34 Garmin Livescope. Now if I can’t catch them, I can at least see them. They can’t hide anymore. I’m not sure all that really helps my fishing success, but it gives me something to fiddle with when it’s slow. If you want to see it all in action before you drop any coin on it, we could hook up at Willard and you can see if you like that set up. I usually have room in my boat.

I think your set up, to a point before the livescope, is pretty close to what mine could become with the ethernet cable... One question I have about the puck, if I have two separate fish finders and a motor with GPS on the boat already, can't they work together and share that positioning data so you don't need a puck too?  I mean I guess if I ever set up a 360 for the ice, I'll need the puck anyway, but seems like there is no end to the extra doo dad's you have to keep buying... But I have realized that without a reference direction on the 360, it's not near as useful as it is when you know the direction that everything is at...  Anyway I'd love to take a ride with you guys sometime when you're at Willard, it would really help to know what my target is with out trying to find it from brail.... Next time I head down I'll check and see if you're going to be out that day...  I'd like to try the wiper again before the farming kicks in, it will be a busy farm season since everything has been delayed, also lost all my fall wheat so I'll have extra fields to get in that I  wasn't planning on, and if my hay doesn't wake up soon I might be replanting that too... So I expect once it starts my fishing will be over for a while anyway... But it's snowing again this morning so who knows when I'll get on the fields... Later Jeff

[PACKFAN]

In my opinion the us2 ducer is convenient and better than nothing. But, if you want a ducer mounted up front, for not much more effort you'd be happier strapping your better si/di to the TM.

Shawn, I'm not sure where I'm wanting my ducers mounted, in fact I really hadn't ever thought about it.. Right now I have the ducers on the transom and they work fine, but is it better to read the fish before you've already driven past them???  Might be better to have it up front, but I don't think I want to try hooking the ducer on the motor, so I'll probably stay as is and see what info I learn from the us2 ducer on the helix 5...
Maybe in the future upgrades the Mega ducer in the motor would be the way to go???  All these questions that I haven't considered, and didn't think I'd have to, but now I see maybe I should have been???? Thanks for pointing that out... Jeff

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Jeff, This is my set up and it works pretty good. I have a mega 9” helix at the console and a 7” non mega helix on the bow. Both network units. The 9” console has the down/side transducer on the transom. There is an Ethernet network cable that runs between the console and bow units. The 7” bow unit has the trolling motor transducer ran into it. I can view a mirror image on the 7” bow unit of the mega on the console- viewing all mega screens, though the unit is non-mega, including mega SI and DI. On the 7”, I can switch the transducer in the network setting (menu-menu-scroll all the way right) and it then reads the trolling motor transducer, that only is only in 2d. When both units are reading off the mega transducer, you get some control on the settings individually, and some are over rode by the console unit. Think of control head settings are individually controlled and transducer settings are controlled by the primary unit and the secondary unit is slaved to those setting. Kinda complicated, but it’s working great. I also added the external ahs (heading sensor gps puck) to the console unit and directed both units to read that puck. It increases accuracy dramatically and give my nav screen a heading line that is very useful. That is mounted right in front of my windshield and there is a port it wires directly into. I also just added a LVS 34 Garmin Livescope. Now if I can’t catch them, I can at least see them. They can’t hide anymore. I’m not sure all that really helps my fishing success, but it gives me something to fiddle with when it’s slow. If you want to see it all in action before you drop any coin on it, we could hook up at Willard and you can see if you like that set up. I usually have room in my boat.

I think your set up, to a point before the livescope, is pretty close to what mine could become with the ethernet cable... One question I have about the puck, if I have two separate fish finders and a motor with GPS on the boat already, can't they work together and share that positioning data so you don't need a puck too?  I mean I guess if I ever set up a 360 for the ice, I'll need the puck anyway, but seems like there is no end to the extra doo dad's you have to keep buying... But I have realized that without a reference direction on the 360, it's not near as useful as it is when you know the direction that everything is at...  Anyway I'd love to take a ride with you guys sometime when you're at Willard, it would really help to know what my target is with out trying to find it from brail.... Next time I head down I'll check and see if you're going to be out that day...  I'd like to try the wiper again before the farming kicks in, it will be a busy farm season since everything has been delayed, also lost all my fall wheat so I'll have extra fields to get in that I  wasn't planning on, and if my hay doesn't wake up soon I might be replanting that too... So I expect once it starts my fishing will be over for a while anyway... But it's snowing again this morning so who knows when I'll get on the fields... Later Jeff

[MACMAN]

Sounds good. I’ll let you know when we go. Much respect to you farmers. That’s an honest living for sure. The puck for the trolling motor is different than the heading sensor. I believe it is for the jog feature. The external gps puck I have can be networked to both your control heads without a Ethernet hub. Your key is making sure you have network units. A helix 5 is not. I don’t have 360, so I’m not sure on anything on that- other than if you connect that too, you’ll need a 5 port Ethernet hub…another $350. Yes there’s no end to it.

[SkunkedAgain]

Sounds good. I’ll let you know when we go. Much respect to you farmers.  That’s an honest living for sure. The puck for the trolling motor is different than the heading sensor. I believe it is for the jog feature. The external gps puck I have can be networked to both your control heads without a Ethernet hub. Your key is making sure you have network units. A helix 5 is not.  I don’t have 360, so I’m not sure on anything on that- other than if you connect that too, you’ll need a 5 port Ethernet hub…another $350. Yes there’s no end to it.

Thank you....   J