Lowrance Question plus a problem

[quigley595]

Hi there folks......

I have a Lowrance 337DFc sounder/GPS combo.

I have two little things which I hope you can give me your thoughts on....
First a general question....

I know the 200 freq should be used in shallow water, and the 50 in deep water... Say I am at 10metres... the 200 freq will give me a bottom area of about 2 mtrs diameter, whereas the 50 freq will give me about 6 metres. Why wouldn't it be better to use this 50 frequency at this depth?

Now for the problem. I have a little intermittent issue where the display sort of greys out, that is, I lose resolution. All the info is still there, but it is, well... sort of transparent, or maybe much dimmer would be a better way to explain it. This does not happen very often, and I am not really concerned about it at this stage, but have any of you guys had anything similar?

Cheers folks
Mike

[John Martin]

quigley595, as for the screen washing out, why not ask your overseas supplier or did you buy two for the price of one so you have a spare in the shed

200kHz has a narrow beam angle but since the frequency is much higher you get a more defined (detailed) sonar image. However this is not the case in deeper water as the high frequency is quickly attenuated by the depth. Low frequency is better for penetrating deep water (lower freq). The best is to use split screen dual mode. This will allow you to see the 50 and 200Khz side by side so you get the best of both worlds. The if one is working better fot that particular depth, bottom then flick over to that fequency for full page view.

cheers
John

[quigley595]

John,
OK.... let me be REALLY serious here for a moment. I just love your sense of humour. I am not pissing in your pocket, I am really genuine and sincere in this. You remind me of myself!

I say again, and again and again... I am genuinely sincere... you're my kind of man. I live on the Sunny Coast, so if you are ever up this way, I will buy you a beer (I do good home brew in a kegging setup, so the percentage profit margin isn't relevant here!!! LOL ).

But on to your reply.
First off.. thanks for the reply.
Now..... as for the screen wash out... I am not really concerned about it at all. It is not a new model, and it does not happen anywhere near enough to worry me (as I said in my post). I just thought I would ask the question, since I am on the internet because of all this wind and rain (not to mention having a bit of fun with your post!) LOL

I know about the technical aspects of the 200 vs 50 kHz, I just thought I would throw the question about to see what others thought. Sticking to 200 is probably the way to go, and the split screen mode is for sure.
Your reply was excellent...

And now for the fun part.......

as for the screen washing out, why not ask your overseas supplier
Well.... I would have... BUT... you know what those yanks are like..... bloody know-alls..... I prefer the Aussie for sensible advice.... but when it comes to handing over the lucre... well... thats another story!

so you have a spare in the shed
I was keeping that one to sell on Ebay..... maybe make a small profit!!!

LOL LOL

Back to being serious again..... you're a champion.... love your sense of humour. If you do live up this way, or you're in the area, that beer is still on offer. And again.... that's genuine and sincere

Mike

[lippa]

i bought mine in oz!!!!!!
had some similar dramas, just lack of experince with the unit, they are not as user friendly as they seem, but saying that, simply awesome. i was given a copy of that ric huckstep guuide to lowrance sounders. whilst still having to wade through a heap a crap. it was very informitive. i still suck with sounders, only a "guru" on board can get ya any better. grab a copy. it helped me.!!!

cheers

lippa

[John Martin]

quigley595, is that imported or local brew you're offering?

These webforums are very useful and I hate it (horrible word that) when they turn in to a slagging match about mines better than yours. So all's good mate, I appreciate and value your comments on the imported versus local and I am pleased that we can share knowledge on what's best to use for what application.

So, just to make sure that I practice what I preach I'll add some more of my thoughts to the 50kHz and 200kHz question and keep this thread on topic

IMO, 50kHz is also better for determining seabed structure (rock, sand etc) so I use this frequency even when targeting bottom dwellers. In split screen I watch the bottom for structure, hardness etc whilst keeping an eye on the 200khz for determining targets. Normally these targets are close to the bottom and the 50khz does not give enough definition to seperate the targets from the seabed but the 200 does this job well.

I have also been know to drag the off lure behind the boat and once again 50khz with the wide beam angle is useful for searching a wider are hopiong to stumble across a school of bait fish. The 200khz will tell me if there are any bigger fish hanging around the bait school..........this of course is just a theory

[marco]

quigley ,
the 337 had a issue with keyboard faults , a very big issue in fact so your greying out could be from that . maybe john was right even though he was tounge in cheek . check with your overseas supplier whilst it is in warranty .

mark

[baldyhead]

Mike, Is your Lowrance in direct sunlight when it is graying out?
I have had a Lowrance sounder replaced 4 times after sending them back to Sydney for testing / replacement.
Lowrance reckon that they could find nothing wrong with it. Got a new one back each time (secretly marked each one before sending away) & the new one grayed out after about 2 hours of use each time.
One day the Dealer who sold it to me rung me & advised that the 'Lowrance Man' was in town & that I should take him fishing & show HIM the problem.
'Lowrance Man' was horrified when, when the sounder grayed out I just got a bucket of water from over the side & slowly poured it over the sounder.
'It's a bloody miracle the sounder screen is visible again' he said. He reckoned that my actions were a bit over the top with the salt water though.
He suggested that I manufacture a sun proof cover & fit to the sounder to keep it out of the sun.
This is not practical for me so I just place a wet towel over it which does the job.
If I go to the CONTRAST I only get 3 times of bringing the screen back to visible before it won't come back at all.
I still have & use the sounder and wouldn't be out without it & a wet towel.
cheers baldy

[quigley595]

Mike, Is your Lowrance in direct sunlight when it is graying out?
............................................

Baldy,
thanks for your reply.... No, the sounder isn't in direct sunlight at all.

This only happens to me intermittently, and its really not such a big problem (at the moment!!!), so I can live with it. Just hope it doesn't start happening too much.

cheers,
Mike

[tunaticer]

I am wondering if it is fading out when extra draw is placed on the powersupply from something like starting a motor or switching on a light or fridge or whatever?

It could be something as simple as power draw down and your sounder is showing signs of that.

Jack.