sounder bottom coverage
Hi all
i'm new to this site so this is a big hello and a bit of a question regarding sounders.
i've just got hold of my new boat (6m HH) and it's been set up with a furuno 585 with an airmar transducer. i did have a lowrance unit on my previous boat and was very pleased with its performance.
i fish out of hillarys a lot , and can usually be found off the back of 3 mile.
With the old lowrance unit , in 15 meters of water , it was great to see fish showing on the sounder and watch your bait drop down to them as they came up too meet it.
with the new furuno gear though , i couldn't see my baits drop down in the same depths.
this irked me a bit as the transducer is a lot more powerful.
i went to the airmar website and checked the details. it seems that running my unit in 200Hz . thebottom coverage at 10 meters is 2foot by 3 foot in old money.
not much at all really.
200Hz is supposed to be for shallow water but you could drive by a decent lump right next to your boat and never know it was there.
have taken to using 50Hz in shallow water down to around 30 meters , then can change back to 200 till i get to 120 odd meters , and its back to 50Hz and i'm pinging ground the size of half a footy field.
is anybody else experiencing this and using 50Hz in the shallows?
are you loosing much definition?
cheers for any replies
graham
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
kane
Posts: 1752
Date Joined: 07/12/08
Good post
Ive just learnt a bit by reading it, unfortunately - well to be honest you know more than me on the subject so i ohnestly cant help you.
Gooooone Fishin!
Blank Cheque
Posts: 221
Date Joined: 28/03/09
Welcome grazeee
Dont be disheartened due to no responce. Someone will pick up on it soon with the knowlage. I googled Furuno and there is a site there setting up your Furuno for best results by Steve Beard. I have also done the change from Lowrance to Furuno they are a little diffrent.
As an option why not run split screen 50/200 same as you could on the lowrance.
Garry
Its a little late to head home early
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
hey guys that is def an
hey guys
that is def an option running 50 / 200
and cheers for the link to furuno setting. will be checking that out.
i had read ryans article on sounders and he seems to prefer the use of bottom lock on the split screen. I didn't realise till after i bought the unit and had a play, that the bottom lock is so usefull.
It doesn't seem to matter what the ocean state is or how rough the bottom is . on b/l function , it draws the bottom perfectly level , and so makes it easy to see anything of slighty diff composition right on bottom that you prob would have missed without the function turned on. (whiting? flathead <????) . did miss this on rough days with the previous unit.
its pretty neat.
just got to get out and play some more , if i can get my fiance/deckie up . she does like a lie in bless her.
graham
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
just dhu it
Posts: 1081
Date Joined: 14/05/09
sounder
dont forget to checked the angle and setup of your transducer, on 200 hz you should see the line going down etc but this will depend on what angle the transducer is compared to the hull forward and rear but also the sideways mounting , is it looking directly down or slightly to one side, run a steel rule or long piece of metal edge alomg the bottom of your hull and check the downward poistion and mounting of the transducer unit
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
yeah. i've actually just had
yeah. i've actually just had it re mounted as the origional set up was wrong being too close to motor and i was loosing bottom at 10 knots. i'm confident the mounting is right now , i'm getting a good return at over 20 knots now , although only in 200 Hz. when in 50Hz the screen fills up with noise pretty much as soon as on the plane. mystery to me.
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
damo6230
Posts: 2029
Date Joined: 07/06/08
there's a whole range of other features you may need to consider
is the unit in manual or auto mode etc.
manual is the prefered and learn to use settings such as sensitivity, chartspeed, ranges and colours (whiteline).
read your manual or (download one) and spend time on the water.
sonar is pretty much the same all over just different units and features etc.
generally high frequency for best definition and resolution but small cone while low frequency achieves greater depth with less resolution but wider cone.
if you have both use both or simply switch when you find good ground.
welcome to the site and good luck
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
always run in manual with
always run in manual with gain up as high as poss
i went by the furuno tuning guide by shane beardmore
it's not how to use it , i was just wondering if anyone else finds it strange that 200Hz is narrow cone for shallow water and 50Hz is wide angle for the deeps. seems like it should be the other way around.
garry might be on to something with the split screen 200/50 for locating good ground and seeing it in detail at same time.If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
Ryan Thipthorp (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
khz Guide!
200khz is a narrow beam so it can maximize that signal return for "detail". Trying to use that detailed small cone in deepwater would take ages to sound and would weaken out also.
50khz will cover more area but more area means less detail in that signal. Especially in 600w & 1kw transducers!
I recomend 50khz for deep & 200 for shallow and use bottom lock all the time!
Dual is good when you're working out what is the better khz for what i call shallow meeting deep, ie 120-180m I'll go Dual to "just" to see whats giving me the best picture/resolution/detail then stay on that one with B/lock!
Guide for me;
5-110m --- 200khz
120-180m --- 200khz or 50khz or "Dual to find out whats better"
200-600m --- 50khz
Works for me!
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
cheers for the insight
cheers for the insight guys
out tomorrow so will have a play.
just re checked the bottom coverage at 10 meters depth where i'll be fishing for bait. it's at this very shallow depth that concerns me.
200Hz is a 2' x 3' cone
50Hz is a 8' x 11' cone
i know you're a pro with this Ryan , so i'll stick with the bottom lock.
thanks again
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.