Fish Finder Frequently Asked Questions Volume 3

Questions about fish finders? Send an email to webmaster@notjustfishing.com

Question:
Can a transducer cable be spliced? Mine was cut by a boat service company.
Kurt K

Answer:
If it is just a nick you can get away with electrical tape. If the outer and inner cable make contact it can sometimes be repaired by a qualified technician, but no guaranty. If this is the case, my advice, replace it, for nothing but the piece of mind you get. If it dies when you need it the most, was the attempt worth it.

Question:
Hi I have an X55 not working, new transducer, powers up OK, screen and menu buttons OK, just no bottom reading in auto or manual. Is there a way to getinto the firmware for self test, so as to confirm the serviceability of the unit. Thanks
Tony

Answer:
A lot of things can be causing your problem, but unless I was there it would be hard to solve your problem. So the next best thing,

1. the Lowrance X55a uses a HS-WSBK transducer
2. transducer is mounted a foot away from engine's lower unit
3. routing of wiring is away from all electrical apparatus ( bilge and aerators)
4. transducer face is clean
5. if hull mounted shooting thru one layer of fiberglass
6. water is deeper than the sonar's ability to find it (if in auto digital will flash continuously), go to
   manual and change range to greater lever 0 to 100 and increase sensitivity and move into shallower water
7. check battery voltage, as voltage drops transmitter power drops, must be at least 11 volts at the head (if not wiring is defective)
8. if this is occuring at high speeds the transducer is in cavitation
9. transducer must be parallel to hull
10. try turning ASP off and attempt to find the bottom manually
11. increase the sensitivity level till you hear a tone
12. sand, gravel, clay will give you a wide signal for a bottom a narrow signal is mud
13. refer to your manual on adjusting the range in manual mode
14. X55 has a 20 degree cone good for shallow or medium depths
15. make sure the Digital Sonar is turned ON and if you see no self testing of the unit and if all this fails, then there is probably a problem with the unit and you will have to contact Lowrance and have the unit tested. Ask about costs and decide whether it would be better to spend the money toward a new unit. They will probably indicate the problem is in the transducer but they will need both to diagnose the problem.

Question:
I have a humminbird Matrix that is "hard mounted" into my dash and it has a dual transducer 83Khz & 200 Khz. I recently purchased a lowrance 111C with a 200 Khz transducer and am wondering if the transducers will interfere with each other ? Will it cause me to get erratic readings on each fish finder? Is there any way to avoid this?
Thomas

Answer:
My experience has been that you will definitely have a problem. So, I contacted both Humminbird and Lowrance and Lowrance's reply: There is a strong possibility that it will occur. Not knowing more about the specifications of the transducer, we cannot be definitive if it will occur.

I was just wondering what problem you were trying to solve by purchasing the second fish finder?

Follow Up Note:
I do a lot of downrigger trolling and need to constantly monitor my depth so I don't hang up the downrigger weights. With the finder in the dash I can't see it from the downrigger station, so I want to mount the lowrance in the back of the boat. I guess the only way to avoid the interference would be to turn the one I'm not using off.
Thomas

Question:
I want to buy my first fishfinder, I like the PiranhaMax 20 and the Fisheasy 245 DS. They are about the same, but the Fisheasy is 4 time more energivore (176ma against 40ma) so I think I will buy the Piranhamax 20. Do you see some reasons I would be better with the Fisheasy?
Jean-Pierre L

Answer:
Your right JP, they are very similiar, except your FishEasy has 200 Watts RMS compared to PiranhaMax 20's 100Watts RMS. I also did a check at Humminbird and they seem to have removed almost all information from the site, sometimes indicating a ending of a product line.

Just remember a fish finder doesn't catch fish, it just saves a lot of wasted time by letting you know if your in the area, gives you some protection from damaging your boat and tells you what kind of structure your fishing. So keep this in mind when you make your purchase. The other thing to think about is IF you have a problem and you have to send it in for repairs.
How long before you get it back?

Follow Up Note:
Thank you very much, the new model is the PiranhaMax 220 which is 200 Watts RMS. It will be on the market in Jan. 2007. It suppose to be in the same price range and the power draw.

Question:
I bass fish with a 1648 grizzly boat and would like to purchase a really good fishfinder for shallow fresh water lakes like High Rock in North Carolina. Bass Pro recommends a Humminbird 565 with a 60 degree dual transducer. What is the best choice for $300 or less?
Steve D

Answer:
Generally speaking for your application your looking at a single frequency transducer or ones with multiple beams (side imaging). Now more power (RMS) gives you more imaging but also gives you a higher price.

You can also go dual frequency if your under 200 feet and are not using downriggers.

Here is a quick list of fish finders you can look at and if you look around for a sale which being Christmas time and you do a little searching online you can probably find one in your budget range.

Eagle FishMark 480 [] Eagle Seafinder 480 DF [] Eagle FishEasy 320c (color) [] Humminbird 141C [] Humminbird 343C [] Lowrance X67 (color) [] Lowrance X125

Hope this helps and good fishing.

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