Is this Transducer set up ok?

[Greg001]

Hi all, I have been informed that this set up is wrong, it was all put on by someone who said they knew what they were doing.
When travelling at any speed it won't read the bottom and when drifting it doesn't seem to pick up structure ( maybe there's nothing down there).
The bigger one is for a HDS 7 and the smaller to a little B/W unit.
Can anyone enlighten me as to what I need to do to get the units reading better?
SAM_1030.jpg

Greg

[lucee81]

put them on straight. not on the angle.

[solemandownunder]

and they also seem to be a bit high...out of the water....

We have our brackets right on the bottom edge of the transom....and both sounders work fine.

Cheers, R & K.

[bobbyb]

also check you ping speed on the hds, if to high it wont read very well at speed....good luck

[BGG]

Agree. They look too high and should be vertical. The pic doesn't show the rest of the transom but if you have a planing strake further to the right, then that's probably the best place to mount a transducer.

[Moonlighter]

I must say that the person who installed them definitely did not know what they were doing, nor did they apparently read the installation instructions! With them set up like they are now, its hardly surprising that you dont get a decent picture at any speed.

God idea to go to the Lowrance website and download yourself a copy of the 83/200 and 50/200 transducer installation instructions. That will be a good place to start.

As others have said, the 2 skimmer transducers must be installed so they are pointing directly downwards, not set on the angle of the hull as they currently are. Then, the rear end should be set a couple of mm lower that the end nearest the transom.

You will see on both of these transducers that there is a mould line halfway down the bulb - this should be lined up with the bottom of the hull - in other words, the bottom half of the bulb part should be below the hull line. Use a ruler or straight edge to line it up.

Thats a good starting point. You may then have to adjust down or up a touch to get a good picture at speed, without throwing too much spray around. It can be a trial and error thing, but persist and you will get there.

The small paddle wheel one should be kept a sensible distance away from the others so that it cannt disturb the water flow near them. Say 75 - 100mm away. It should be set in line with the hull as it currently is.

[Greg001]

OK Thanks Everyone I used to have my old set horizontal ( paper sounder) but when the Transom was replaced they told this is the way to go. Obviously not.

I'll get that info and adjust them accordingly and hope it improves. Thank you again to all

Greg

[Chimo]

Don't forget to fill the old holes properly or you will be replacing the transom again!

Cheers
Chimo

[tunaticer]

the beam shoots down square to the bottom face of the tranny....you currently are shooting about 15-18 degrees off plumb, your readings will be false for both depth and what lays beneath you. Rotate them to plumb.

[solemandownunder]

the beam shoots down square to the bottom face of the tranny....you currently are shooting about 15-18 degrees off plumb, your readings will be false for both depth and what lays beneath you. Rotate them to plumb.

Another valid point TT

Whoever hooked these up does NOT know what he is doing....but may learn a few thing from this thread

Cheers, Ray.

[Greg001]

Thanks everyone, I have repositioned them out further away from the paddle wheel and at the correct hieght and angle ( I hope). Just gotta wait for time off now to test it.
I should be able to put a semi decent report up then.
Thanks again,
Greg

[indy]

Ha Ha what was he thinking, some very good points above, also you can get a sliding transducer bracket so you only have to drill the holes once and that way you can adjust it up and down until you get a good picture. The deeper you go the better the picture usually but in turn you will get more spray coming up, to fix this you can buy spray covers from marine shops.

Definatly move that speed wheel away from the transducers, air bubbles or a big problem with getting a clear picture at speed, also not 100% sure but i dont think its good to have to transducers so close together with interference issues plus more chance of more air bubbles