CA 50B vs TM 260 or others

[Anonymous]

I currently have an old fcv 581 (just keeps working) hooked up to a CA 50B in a pocket mount. I'm most likely going to upgrade to fcv 295 shortly. I understand that i can continue to use the ca 50B, but would like to understand any advantages of modernizing the transducer as well (vs the cost of redoing the pocket mount).

it may require a large project to fit a significantly larger transducer in a pocket mount due to location. Alternatively I could do a shoot thru (its a thick solid glass hull)but looking at dimensions would have to be mounted sideways. not sure what effect that beam pattern change would have.

boat is a 25 ft twin I/O fishing boat used for trolling open ocean and deep dropping to 1500 feet.

thank you for assisting

 

[C-Bass]

Good afternoon Kennemj,

Thank you for you inquiry.

The FCV581 sounder has an output power of 500 watts RMS, the FCV295 has configurable output power options at 1000, 2000, or 3000 watts. In order for us to safely say if the FCV295 can work with your existing 50-B transducer we need to know exactly what transducer you are using to figure out the output power it can handle. Do you happen to know what 50-B transducer it is?

I also try to recommend transducers that actually make contact with the water. I try to avoid shoot thru the hull transducers because there are so many unknowns about the material you are trying to transmit through. For example if there are imperfections in the resin or small bubbles in the resin that you cannot see that can cause issues. Also when you transmit thru fiberglass the output signal and return signal is affected as well. If the vessel has any turbulence or bubbles that run down the hull, there is nothing to divert the air bubbles around the transducer because it is inside the hull. For those reasons, if it is possible to have a "wet" transducer with a fairing you will likely achieve the best performance.

 

[Anonymous]

Ca 50 B -6G.

 

[C-Bass]

Good afternoon kennemj,

That transducer is compatible with the FCV295. It can be wired into the low frequency transducer port on the FCV295, you will want to make sure you set the tap settings to "Tap A."

C-Bass

 

[Anonymous]

thanks c bass!

I was hoping to also get an assessment of whether I would realize any significant gains on depth and detail at depth from switching to a pocket mounted 260? it looks to be close to the same dimensions.