Topic: Transducers...location,how many?

[FlatsFokker]

Hey guys
 New here and I have a few questions regarding transducers. I'm going to order an 898 in the next few days and would like to know the optimum transducer set up. Thru-Hull(epoxied)or transom mount.
With the side scan I would think the motor would get in the way with a transom mount.
 Is it possible to do a thru-hull for the downward view and two side view transducers,one on each side of the motor?
And what is the price for a water temp pick up?
 And last but not least.....is there a compatible unit  I could attach to the front of the boat and wire up to the 898 so i'm not running back and forth from the bow to the console?
 Thanks

[Jolly Roger]

Howdy FlatsFokker and welcome to the forum!

If you cannot mount the transducer on the transom, you can go for a breakthrough transducer set up with this one:

http://store.humminbird.com/products/314032/XPTH_9_HDSI_180_T

Advantage: Only ONE transducer to be mounted.
Disadvantage: You have to find the right spot to mount it at the first time.

If you want to go for a multiple transducer it is possible to mount one SI transducer on the left side of your motor and one on the right side of the motor. Then you have to buy and mount a splitter cable

http://store.humminbird.com/search?q=SILR&x=6&y=5&t=products

to get the left SI channel from the left transducer and the right SI channel from the right transducer. The regular 2D scan will be done by one of the two and the water temperature will also be delivered.


If you need to get an extra transducer for highsspeed, i.e. the transom mounted ones will get out of the water when on plane, you can either go for a break through or a shoot through transducer (only for fiberglass boats under certain circumstances). There you have to in cooperate the "in hull" transducer via another splitter cable into the feed.

http://store.humminbird.com/products/322954/AS_SIDB_Y

In my opinion that would be quite costly and complicated to install and should be the last choice.

For the second unit on the bow: Any 700, 800, 900 or 1100 SI unit and an Interlink box with the necessary cable and you're good to go  .

My 2 cents

Regards / Harry

[FlatsFokker]

Thanks Jolly
 As much as I hate to punch a hole in the bottom of my boat,it sounds like that would be my best option.
It would solve the water temp problem also.
Do you know if it comes in bronze? With all the shell reefs around my neck of the woods i'm afraid they might make short work of a plastic pick-up. And I would assume the bronze pick-up would also have the temp pick-up?

[Roddy]

Flatz; Ref: thru hull xducer. Keep it well to the side out of prop line. Roddy

[FlatsFokker]

The only prob I can see with using a thru hull type transducer is keeping it parallel with the water line due to the angle of the hull.
If it works anything like the transom mount I would think that it's important to do so.
After looking at the manual online I might still be able to use the transom mount,I guess it'll be a wait and see kinda thing.
 As far as the second screen in the bow goes....it sure would be nice if HB came up with a screen without all the extra crap. All I want is a reproduction of whats on the 898. If they made a simple screen without a bunch of stuff I wont be using due to it being redundant,you could have a 7in. screen for the same money.

[Jolly Roger]

Not sure about the 898, but I think it has a video out socket on the rear, so it would be possible to use a small 12V screen on the bow and get the displayed screen of the 898 up front. The trick there is to find a daylight visible screen for small money.

Concerning the bronze transducer: Nope, no SI transducers in bronze available  . The sonar waves wouldn't go through the bronze. You can try and mount some kind of a "bumper" in front of the transducer.

Roddy is right about the transducer in line with the propeller. If it's too low and in the way of the prop, it might ventilate the propeller and cause cavitation at higher speeds.

Keep us posted!

Harry

[FlatsFokker]

Will do Roger. Man I cant wait to try this thing out. I hope to pick up the boat on Sat. And spend the rest of the wkend hooking up the power pole and the HB.

[Rüdiger]

Not sure about the 898, but I think it has a video out socket on the rear, so it would be possible to use a small 12V screen on the bow and get the displayed screen of the 898 up front. The trick there is to find a daylight visible screen for small money.

Harry

Hey Harry

Yes, the 898 has a video out socket, and my idea was also to use the laptopdisplay, but i am disappointed. Not god contrast and the edge flicker.

mvh
Rüdiger

[Humminbird_Greg]

Sunlight viewable and waterproof are two things that will run up the cost of a monitor for your boat – or at least that is what I have been seeing.  It might just be as cheap to buy a second 898c Si unit and use the Ethernet cable to connect them.  The 898 up front could use the sonar from the 898 on the back.

One, two or three transducers?  That would be dependant on your boat and how it rides through or over the water.  It may be possible to mount the HDSi transducer on the transom and trim your motor up to get good Si sonar readings from both sides, than install an XP-9-20 inside-the-hull DualBeam transducer and an AS-Si-DB-Y cable for high-speed depth readings.  This is what a lot of other fishermen are doing.  As for the Thru-Hull transducer; also consider that if you trailer your boat that it cannot be installed in a location that will hit the bunks or rollers while loading and unloading.  You did not mention what size boat you have or if you trailer it at all but I wanted to mention it.  That transducer has a steel tube inside the shaft to toughen it up, but if you go banging against shell reefs you could actually damage the elements inside of it while the outside just gets scarred up a little.

[FlatsFokker]

Hey Greg
Here are some picks of the boat it's going on. Dont know if the transom pic is good enough to judge the best set up in this case,but it's all I have until I pick it up.
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2007-Key-West-186-Bay-Reef-97020150
I'll wait and see what you have to say before I ask anymore questions.

[Roddy]

Flatz; some pix of the aft end p/s sides with motor all the way down. Enjoy Roddy

[FlatsFokker]

Like I said,I'll have to wait until I pick up the boat to get some pics.....it's new to me.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Measure the open area between the transom and the lower unit of the motor as well FlatsFokker.  For the 898’s HDSi transducer to work without blockage you really need seven inches of clearance.  We’ll await the pics!

[FlatsFokker]

Hey Greg
 It'll be a week or so until I can pick it up. I'm having them mount an 8ft power pole pro on it so I can roll it into my payments.
This winter (dont want to waste prime fishing time)i'll be shipping the lower unit to Bobs machine for a low water pick and have him send back a jack plate with the lower unit.  I would think a 4in. set back on the jack plate combined with the space already there would provide that 7inchs I need. True?
If thats the case,i'll go ahead with the transom mount and just trim up the motor until I get the jack plate on.
Sound reasoning?