Humminbird Side Imaging Forums
Other Humminbird Products => Matrix Series Fishing Systems => Topic started by: fwells on September 12, 2012, 07:41:17 PM
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Can I use a Humminbird Wide Eye DHS-W transducer (it is already epoxyed in my boat) with a Humminbird Matrix 17? The dealer said it would work. The Matrix 17 came with a XHS-9-20-T transducer and it is installed in another boat.
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You can but…
The DHS-W was built with two elements inside of it. The Matrix 17 when connected will only be able to use one of these: the 200kHz element. This is good because the Matrix 17 uses the 200kHz for determining the lake bottom and wil be able to show sonar readings from it. This 200kHz sonar beam is a 16 degree beam versus the standard 20 degree (200kHz) that it was designed for. So it will work but you will get slightly less coverage with the 200kHz beam. You may also be able to read a little deeper water with this transducer with the flip-side being that it will not as well in very shallow water.
The standard XHS/XNT-9-20 is built with a single sonar element inside of it. It is able to produce both the 20 degree 200kHz and 60 degree 83kHz sonar signals from this one element, plus it also has a built-in temperature sensor (more on this later). The Matrix 17 was designed to connect to the XHS-9-20 transducer and so only has electrical connections for it. The DHS-W transducer was made with two elements inside of it and has separate connections for each (they share a ground though). The element inside the DHS-W transducer that will be connected to the Matrix 17 unit was not designed to produce the 83kHz sonar signal and so it may not work at all or work poorly at best. So while the 200kHz sonar on the Matrix 17 may work well, the wider 83kHz sonar will not.
That temperature sensor in the standard XHS-9-20 transducer performs two duties: first it allows the unit to display the surface water temperature. Secondly though it allows the unit to detect that a transducer is connected to it. Without the temperature sensor connection in the DHS-W transducer, the Matrix 17 may not be able to detect that a transducer is connected and try to power up in the Simulator mode. You can force the unit into the Normal operating mode if this happens:
- Power the unit on as usual, but while it is still showing the Title or Start-Up screen (it should show something like “Humminbird Matrix 17”); press the MENU button.
- Allow the unit to continue until it shows you three or four menu options. Use the Arrow buttons to select “Normal” and use the Right Arrow to activate this mode.
The unit should now be operating in the normal operating mode.