FCV 295 Transducer Options

[Anonymous]

Gday Guys

I am looking at putting a Furuno FCV 295 in my 24ft Fibreglass trailer boat. A guy here suggested a CA50BL-12HR telling me he can see fish in 500m of water but i was looking at this website and there are two 28khz which should be better for deep water fishing. My question what is the difference between the two CA28BL-6HR and CA28F-18 other than price i dont really no much of the technical side and which one would be best suited the the deeper water. I am still looking at mounting options aswell either wetbox or flush mount " wet faced " so advice would be great on that as well.

Thanks Andrew

 

[Snips]

Pizzaman,
Thanks for your question. Even though we still carry both 2kw 28khz transducers the BLT series is the latest generation, and actually is available in 28, 38 and 50khz. BLT is short for Bolt-Clamped Langevin Transducer. These transducers have a wider bandwidth +/- 10% than the previous models, so when connected to the FCV-295 you will be able to slew the frequency over a greater range without losing performance. They offer improved pulse response that is more suitable for smaller fish detection and have enhanced electrical-to-acoustic power conversion efficiency. This translates into 20-30% equivalance of increase in output power.

Mounting either the transducers you mentioned may be a challenge on your vessel as these ducers were designed to be tank mounted. I strongly recommend a wet faced transducer installation over a wet box. In both cases the face on the transducer will be flush with the hull and therefore subject to bubbles, so expect the FCV-295's performance to be affected at higher speeds.

Snips

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that Snips I am hoping for good reads at slow speed 6 to 8 knots while sounding for fish. Have been reading alot of different forums and wet face in trailer boats like mine seem to be the way most will do these days as they seem to get excellent results but with that said those making a wet box and using them as a in hull setup and shoot thru the glass bottom say they have excellent results sounding but loose a bit at cruise speed can still read the bottom but can break up. I am not sure what Tank mounted is so i will see what i can to read up on it i just dont want a fairing block sticking out the bottom of the boat as most say on smaller boats they work like a trim tab. I could go the standard thru hull 50 200 r199 but really want the 28khz for better deep water readings

Thanks for the info i will try find so info and pictures of a tank mount setup

Andrew

 

[Anonymous]

Just found a few pics on Tank mount just like a big fairing block so thats not a option Will keep reading a few posts on the wetbox and wet face options but wet face looks best. Your comment about being flush with the hull causing bubbles and interference is interesting most say the flush mounting avoids this as long as it not in line with keel and hull strakes so i guess a bit more reading to do. Do you think either option will be fine for reading fish in 500m at speeds of 6 to 8 knots not fussed if i loose the ability to see fish or even loosing the bottom cruising at 35 knots i am normally coming home and just read the gps anyway.

Thanks Again
Andrew

 

[Anonymous]

between these three probes what is the best way to see the fish to over 500m?

CA50BL-12HR
CA28BL-6HR
CA28F-18

 

[Anonymous]

between these three probes what is the best way to see the fish to over 500m?

CA50BL-12HR
CA28BL-6HR
CA28F-18

From what i have read the CA28BL-6HR is the choice of the three for deep water fishing and by Snips post above the Tank mount is the best followed by wetface and less favorable wet box. Will be good to get Snips opinion just to see if i am finally getting this right.

Andrew

 

[Snips]

Pizzaman,
Let me clarify my earlier post about the transducers mounting. Flush mounted transducers should not cause bubbles but can be affected by them and turbulent water. Its a fact of life that 28Khz is more affected than 200Khz. Another rule is the further the transducer is away from the hull and the surface of the water the quieter its working enviroment. Tanks and fairing blocks were designed to do this. I ran into a case recently where just hanging a transducer over the side improved the sounder performance drastically. The vertical lines are the baits.

As for the other question, a general rule is lower frequencies will see deeper than higher, also lower frequencies have a wider beamwidth. The BW of the 28BL-6HR is 22 x 32 and the 50BL-12HR is 14 x 18.

Snips

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Snips

I do get the cleaner the water the better the read just on smaller trailer boats fairing blocks would act like a trim tab big boat not much of a problem.

Would it be correct in saying when i read about wet facing the transducer needs to be flush with the hull is not quite true even if it was 1/2" below the hull it would be better or does it need to be lower to have any effect ???

Thanks Again for the help

Andrew

 

[Snips]

Pizzaman,
In my humble opinion, a wet faced transducer will out perform one in a box. Both have the same issue with trying to see through bubbles and boundary layers. Having the face of the ducer 1/2" lower than the hull may actually create turbulence depending on how it is faired. From past experience, smaller vessels like yours have had a difficult time mounting these bigger higher performance transducers.

Snips

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the info Snips just to let you know i purchased a Airmar R299 transducer for the boat was at a price to good to say no to and it avoids cutting holes in the boat if it works out. I hope the bit extra power makes up for having to punch through the hull but only time will tell. I hope to install it in the next couple of weeks so reading the 295 manuals to work out how to set if for the transducer.

Thanks Again

Andrew