FCV-585 Performance with B164

T

tiderace

Guest
I switched from a B-258 transducer with high speed fairing block to a flush-mount, 12 degree B-164. I now have a lot of interference from the surface down to ~80 at all times (with or without engine running, with or without other electronics turned on). The image taken at depth 196' is with the B-258. The image taken at depth 183' is with the B-164. Is there an update for the 585 or a setting adjustment I can make to resolve this issue?

Also, the screen is bubbling at the edges and the temperature function quit. Is it worth the time and expense to resolve the compatibility and malfunction issues with this unit or would it be more cost effective to upgrade to a new fish finder that is compatible with the B-164?

I fish for bluefin tuna along the US northeast coast in an average depth range of 100'-300'. I am primarily concerned with fish detection and discrimination.

My boat is a 31' Maine lobster-style hull with a single diesel main and a hull draft of 1.5' and a keel draft of 3.5'. The transducer is mounted amidships where the hull draft 1.5' and the keel draft is 3'. It is positioned approximately 4' outboard of the keel center-line.
Thanks
 
Tiderace,
Thanks for the screen shots.
The bubbling is definitely with the 585 but the temp and lack of performance are more related to the 164. I am curious why you decided to switch from the four element 258 to a three element 164 and from a fairing block to flush mount?

Snips
 
Thanks for the reply.
The temp quit when I had the B-258. I removed the B-258 in an attempt to reduce drag and improve hull efficiency.
 
Snips,

If you are referring to the hull efficiency, I don't think so. But I'd settle for plodding along behind the sea turtles with a fish finder that had a clear picture. Can I fix the 585? Should I buy a different model? Thanks
 
Tiderace,
A good sounder setup all starts with the transducer. You have seen first hand how much a the transducer can effect a sounders performance. We can fix the bubble issue and can test the 585's temperature function, but the 585 can't over come a less efficient transducer setup. If you still have the B-258 I would look maybe reinstalling it.

Snips
 
Snips,

Thanks for the input. Putting the 258 with the 1.25" stem back in the hole made for the 164, which is now 3.75", isn't going to happen and I'd rather not drill yet another hole at this point. The 164 works, as suggested by the list of transducer options for the 585, just not very well (missed that part). I'll live with it until I can figure out what fish finder may work better with the new 164 or until I can find a system in which all the components play nice with each other. A bonus would be that it would have a transducer that will fit in the 3.75" hole.
 
Tiderace,
From past experience with the B-164 we have noticed how it mounted is very critical to it's overall performance. When we first heard of a performance issue using a DFF1. We tried another sounder module but saw no change. We then hung another B-164 over the side of the vessel and the noise went away. Easy fix bad transducer we thought until the new transducer was installed and we saw the noise issue return. Below is a picture with a 585, the left side is the hull mounted and the right side is the transducer over the side. After a lot of head scratching we found that we could duplicate what we were seeing on the vessel on the work bench. We also found that it didn't matter what sounder we had connected i.e. Furuno, Garmin or Raymarine to the transducer. It turns out that the shape of the transducer housing has different resonate points depending on the location of the back locking nut. As you can see below the performance difference with and without the nut. Now the installation instructions have changed over the years but you may be lucky enough that changing the position of the locking nut may be enough to help with the noise.

Snips
 

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Snips,

Thank you for sharing your experience with the B-164. The information is greatly appreciated. I contacted Airmar tech support, related the issue as well as your experience and asked for suggestions to resolve it. I received a prompt reply. They indicated the condition was very rare and suggested that vibration was occurring for some reason within the housing. Although they did not have any new installation instructions to relate, they suggested the same strategy - try adjusting the position of the backing nut and locking screws. I'll do just that in the spring when things thaw out.

tiderace
 
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