Topic: Can someone explain what is TRUE ARCH TECHNOLOGY because I only see pixel dots

[Beaulieu80]

Having an older unit is great to compare the evolution of newer once, especially a "stronger" one.

I still have a 565 dual beam unit (year-2009) and had great moments with it. I was able to see nice arch, trees, grass and fish icons nicely to all my favorite spots.

I just don't understand why with my 798 on the 2d view I have such a hard time to view my fish and everything else beneath I use to see. Okay, I have Down Imagine yes but should my 2d view be as good as it was back with my 565 unit or even better ? Especially with a higher resolution and colors?!?

My 800$ cash spend for this one say, “You should have better experience, not less”.

Can someone explain what is TRUE ARCH TECHNOLOGY because I only see pixel dots instead of arch…

[ITGEEK]

Beaulieu80:
It sounds like you are very frustrated with your new sonar unit.

The official definition is: "Humminbird’s True Arch Technology uses parallel processing of sonar data to get rid of unnecessary obstruction and sound and expose unaffected sonar echoes, hence results in accurate arches of fish targets. This is helpful for anglers to quickly determine the size and depth of fish targets."

You have to realize, that even though the new unit has better technology, it still has to be physically installed.  You may also have to update the software, because of known system bugs.  The attitude (front to back, side to side) of the transducer is critical to get good readings.  Also, the depth of the installed transducer is important.

There are also more settings on the newer units than the older units.

It takes more time to dial in a new unit to get the best performance possible, because there are more features than older units.

I would read your user manual, double check your installation, upgrade the software if applicable, and spend as much time on the water with your new unit as possible.  Learn all of the settings on your unit.

It's possible that your unit is malfunctioning.  If you've gone through everything, and can't figure it out, call the Humminbird customer service folks and ask for suggestions.  They may even ask you to send in your unit to be checked.

Good Luck

[Gimp]

I'm with Beaulieu on this one. I cut my teeth on a Fish Lo-k-tor. I controlled the gain and the suppression. I then had an old X series Lowrance and then an Eagle for nearly two decades.

With my present head unit I control... how it is all displayed on the screen. What I don't control is ping gain and much of any noise suppression (sure you get to filter a little, but it ain't like tuning the old fashioned way). It gets frustrating in the small waters I fish that can go from 5ft. gravel flats to 50ft mud flats in yards, if not feet. I get false depth readings (checked with the oldest and most reliable depth finder known to man, a weight on the end of a string). My Bird tells me that the silt lake basin is a harder bottom than a sandy point and nearly as hard as a rocky hump. WTH?

That old Lo-K-Tor was so easy to set up for looking for structure and bottom changes.

Step 1: Over a silt or very soft bottom turn down the gain so the bottom just flickers.

Step 2: Turn up the suppression until you just start to see flickers of noise, then back off slightly.

Step 3: get under power and watch the magic happen.

It was great. Now software is supposed to figure it all out and we can change how it is displayed on the screen. But if the software has the gain set too high (or too low) I'm stuck with it. I know how I'd fix it with the older units I had. Slight gain adjustments and I'm back in business. No gain control now, tho. Just a 'sensitivity' control which controls how the ping return looks. You ca only do so much with a crappy signal. I really hate to say it, but it's like putting lipstick on a pig.

Granted, I like some of the new bells and whistles. GPS is nice (Well except for the stupid read outs on the side of the screen. COG... really?). Making maps is a plus. The SI is neat for finding cribs and radical structure. But 2D seems to be fading into the past, and I am finding it more valuable than ever. My next purchase for a depthfinder will be with an eye for good quality 2D.

[Beaulieu80]

nice to see im not alone,

2D is very important as much as other SI or DI goodies. its just that i dont understand why we go backward to some views and now I need a diploma to undersdant it have same great view as before

[ITGEEK]

I don't go fishing that much, but when I do, 2-D is all I use.
I do not like side-imaging, and down-imaging just doesn't look that clear to me.
I have used side-imaging to record the lake bottom, and look at it later, but
it's just too busy (for me anyway), while out on the water.

IMHO, the Humminbird 2-D is absolutely fantastic.
Yes, you must adjust it for the water you are in.
All the pros say to not use Fish ID, but I say screw that, I love Fish-ID.
It still shows the arches under the fish symbols.

Set your water type correctly.
Set your max depth reading to be 10 feet deeper than any water you will encounter.
Adjust your sensitivity for the depth of water you are in.
Also, adjust your surface clutter, and switchfire settings.
I use Switchfire clear mode.
Switchfire Max mode just shows too much stuff in there (for me).

Make sure your transducer offset is set correctly.  This will always be a positive value, because you are telling the unit that the actual depth of the water is deeper than where your transducer is sitting in the water column (with the boat in the water and fully loaded).

The new units are very powerful.  The sensitivity should be set WAY, WAY down for shallow water.  That's probably why you are getting false depth readings.

These units do have great quality 2-D.  You just need to work at it to get the very best out of your unit.  Time on the water is the best way to dial them in.

[Beaulieu80]

I start playing more and more this weekend and with the new version 7.1. I must say I enjoy it more this time.

I think the Fish ID is not working because I was seeing fish "arch" but no icon when it was activated.

[mike fish]

Beaulieu80, Your not alone. I really believe it's a software issue and I've been waiting 3 yrs. now for the fix. It really hits home when you do what HB says, try someone else's head unit for comparison and you see more arches. Or you toss your Vexilar transducer over side of boat and it's lit up with fish. According to HB unit works fine.
Also had similar expirence this spring that Gimp referred to. Bought a used Lowrance 350 for the inlaws boat because I'm still waiting for HB to fix 2D, guess what the old 350 works like a champ. 
 HB will get issue resolved sometime until then I'll keep my money in my pocket. I will buy another someday because the Lakemaster chip works great for area where I fish and ease of use of the unit.
 

[Humminbird_Greg]

Beaulieu80,
Can you post a few screen snapshots of what you are seeing on your 798 unit?  Some may be able to suggest some menu changes that will help you see arches.  Remember though that seeing an arch depends on the fish and its orientation to the transducer and how it passes through the transducer beam as much as it does the sonar unit being used.
Also let us know what 2D sonar related menu settings you are using.