Topic: Left image on 998c hd si is black past 40'

[cdroke72]

Hi guys,
New to the forum. Just purchased my first side imager. I have watched tons of videos on operations and settings so I have a pretty good feel for the unit. The problem is at idle 2.9mph and below the images are great! When I bump it up to 3.0 mph I lose the left side image at the 40' range line. I have the unit set to 100' both sides, right is fine. I believe this to be a water flow issue. I have my transducer on the right side of the boat (Nitro 170dc) transom (looking from standing behind boat) and it is 18" from the center of the motor. I tried trimming up the motor to make sure it was not blocking and that made no difference. I have contacted customer support, they requested pics of the transducer install. I sent those pics but now they want a screen shot. Not sure when I will be on the water to send that and I am not the most technological guy around. Any thoughts?

[Rotus623]

Can you post a picture of the transducer setup from a few angles? It would totally help to get a screenshot so bummer you cant get one of those for us. Do you have a jackplate?

[Humminbird_Greg]

It does sound like the problem is being caused by the aerated turbulent water flowing off the left side of your boat’s hull is causing this.  Some possible options are to move the transducer farther down in the water to get it below the level of the turbulent water, moving the transducer closer to the centerline of your boat or installing a second HDSi transducer on the left side of your transom and connecting both to the 998 unit with the AS-Si-LR-Y cable.  No guarantees that ant of these will work though.

Screen Snapshots are easy.  Install an SD or SDHC memory card.  Got to the Accessories menu tab (last one on the right) and set the Screen Snapshot menu to “On”.  All you have to do when you want to save a picture of what is on the display of the unit is to use the MARK button (it will also create a Waypoint at the boats location too).

[cdroke72]

No jack plate on the boat. I can post some pics but it a process. My phone email is not working anymore and that's where the pics are that I sent to customer service. I will try to post pics tonight when I get to my personal computer. I have sense removed the transducer from the location in the pics. I plan on using double sided tape and going 3' closer to motor to see what happens. It will be Sunday before I get a chance to test the results of this move. Thanks for the info on the screen shot, I do have that option turned on just have not had a chance to research how to do it. Thanks again.

[Rotus623]

Ill shoot you my cell # if you want to text them to me. Double sided tape is a good way to test, but you should also get a transducer mounting board so you can make minor adjustments without drilling into the hull more than necessary.

[cdroke72]

Here are the pics of the transducer install.

[Rotus623]

Hmmmmmm.... Those stepped hulls can always be a bit tricky. It is nice and protected up there, and I guess you have a shoot thru hull for 2d? I think that the lower step there in the center of the hull is creating a swirl effect. It is possible that you will have to mount the ducer on the lower step. If you did that, you could still keep the transducer just a hair higher than the bottom of the transom to protect it. You said you were going to try double sided tape? Id try keeping it up on the top step, and moving it to the left 6-8". My next attempt would be to move it to the lower step.

[slabbacks]

x2 with Rotus.  Also if you do mount it down there I would go with a Transducer Shield & Saver Spring Back Bracket.  Better to be safe than sorry.

[Humminbird_Greg]

I think that I would start by testing the transducer as close to the center on that same step as I could without getting in the way of the motor.  Double-sided tape is good for testing but follow the manufacturer’s install instructions and only go slow in the boat or you may end up buying a new transducer and propeller.

Can you post a picture of the overall transom area (at the same height as the transducer is shown above)?

[cdroke72]

I can post a pic of the entire transom but like last time it will be tonight before I can make it happen.

[Humminbird_Greg]

No problem, I was more curious than anything else.

[cdroke72]

Here is a pic of the transom area of my Nitro 170DC. The transducer has been moved 5" toward the motor and is mounted with double sided tape for test purposes. Hoping to get on the water Sunday and see if that helped. Thanks for all the input from everyone.