FCV 800 transducer recommendations

[Bradleycloud]

Upgraded boats and missing my furuno. Had a fcv628 and loved it. Bottom discrimination and accu-fish were just awesome.

Looking hard at adding an FCV&800.

I mainly fish inside of 200 ft chasing bottom fish. Occasionally venture to 600 ft or so. Also troll for wahoo/mahi/tuna.

Question is what transducer(s) are recommended for above use with a FCV 800.
I have a bracket so a transom mounted options are a challenge. Prefer the slim in hull (B) type transducer.

Looks like 500 watt options for the traditional and 1kw for chirp.?

I assume the FCV800 with 2 transducers is worth the premium over an FCV600 with one transducer?

Thanks for any responses.

 

[Titanic II]

If you want single frequency consider a Medium frequency transducer (best overall usage)
If you want dual consider LM or LHW.

For thru-hull pick one that starts with B.

Chirp Frequencies use and max depth.:
HIGH frequency (H) - High detail of bottom structure. (600W-500ft) (1kW-700ft.)
High wide (HW)- Fish on or close to the bottom. (1kW-500ft)
Medium (M) - Entire water column equally (600W-700ft.) (1kW - 1,000ft)
Low (L) - Lower column in deep water. (1kW-2,500ft.)

Chirp transducer options for the FCV800 see the attached pics.

 

[Bradleycloud]

Thanks for the info.

If I understand it correctly, these units need traditional (not chirp) transducers for bottom discrimination.
If I’m running a traditional transducer am I missing out on the capabilities of these units?

 

[Deep Blue]

Bradleycloud,

If you want to utilize the features of Bottom Discrimination and ACCU-Fish, then you'll need to select one of the approved "CW" transducers (50/200kHz) for your FCV800 that will support those features. Please keep in mind that Bottom Discrimination has a maximum depth of 328 ft, and with a top speed at 10 knots. I always recommend selecting a thru-hole transducer that utilizes a fairing block that ensures good waterflow and will prevent any potential turbulence issues.

- Deep Blue

 

[Bradleycloud]

Part of what I’m trying to figure out is how much target separation I will get with a 600 w CW in 200 ft or less. Is a chirp transducer superior for that?

Thanks for continuing to answer.

 

[Quitsa]

Keep in mind that a CHIRP capable transducer such as the B175H can be operated in fixed frequency mode with the FCV800, as well as in custom frequency ranges in CHIRP mode. In water less than 100 feet, I have found that operating a B175H at fixed 200 or 210Hz provides better target resolution for bottom fishing that setting it in CHIRP mode. Maybe that is some sort of heresy but I have done a lot of switching back and forth and concluded I prefer the CW (fixed) frequency mode.

You can't just look at the input power rating or whether a transducer is a broadband CHIRP capable design. It's a little nerdy, but if you go to the Airmar website and compare the acoustic data of different models, some major differences emerge. One of the key variables in performance is "Q", which is a measure of the amount of ringing associated with each pulse. Transducers with lower Q will provide better target discrimination as a general rule. For example, a B175H has a Q factor of 2.5. The high frequency element of a B260 has a Q factor of 9. This will translate into the B175H providing better target discrimination when both are operated at a fixed 200Hz frequency.

The less expensive 600W B75H has a Q of 2 and all things being equal will outperform the higher Q traditional fixed frequency transducers like a B60, which has a Q of 21.

We are all happy to spend other people's money of course. But I think the conclusion is that the more costly CHIRP transducer will give you the best performance regardless of whether you use them in CHIRP spread spectrum mode or at a single. fixed frequency. The question becomes whether a less expensive transducer will be "good enough" for how you fish. People have been successful bottom fishing at your depths with traditional 200Hz for decades using sounders that don't perform as well as the best available today.

I hope the Furuno guys will correct anything I said that is not right!

 

[Bradleycloud]

I have switched some buddies chirps to fix frequency to get better bottom readings as I think fixed picks up small structure much better than chirp, so above makes good sense.

Question now is will

526TID-LTD/20 transducer provide bottom discrimination?​

Thanks.

 

[Deep Blue]

Bradleycloud,

The 526TID-LTD/20 which is a 1kW 50/200kHz Low Profile Bronze Thru-Hull Transducer with Temp, is not rated for Bottom Discrimination.

However, the 525T-LTD/20 that is 600 Watt 50/200kHz Low Profile Bronze Thru-Hull with Temp, or the Stainless Steel version the SS60-SLTD/20 are both rated for Bottom Discrimination capability.

- Deep Blue

 

[Bradleycloud]

Thanks deep blue.

This is Probably my last set of questions on the topic.

As I understand it, for bottom discrimination to work, need to be be able selectively send power to 50 or 200 hz crystals and that’s what puts the 526TID-LT20 out (BD transducers need separate power wires to each crystal).

Does look like the 526TID-HDD (fairing block) transducer will work with bottom discrimination.
If that’s correct, is that 526 HDD worth the big premium (almost $1000 more) over the 525? 1 KW vs 600 W?

Want to buy once, cry once.

Thanks.

 

[Deep Blue]

Bradleycloud,

As my great Jedi Master teacher "Snips" once taught me, selecting the right transducer is the heart and soul of any fish finder system, and choosing the right one for your specific fishery is so very crucial. I'm a big believer in using fairing blocks (whenever possible..) to get the transducer away from vessel's hull and from any potential turbulence by having a good waterflow over the face of the transducer.

The 526TID-HDD is 1kW transducer that is Bottom Discrimination/ACCU-Fish rated, along with having with a Temp Sensor and Fairing Block so those items are a plus. But the real question comes down to how deep do you want to fish..?

A 600 Watt rated transducer like the 525T-LTD/20 will provide you about 750' ft. depth for the high frequency side, and about 1200' ft. depth for the low frequency side. However, the 1kW rated transducer like the 526TID-HDD will provide you with around 1200' ft. depth for the high frequency side, and for the low frequency side about 3000' ft of depth.

- Deep Blue

 

[Bradleycloud]

Thanks again deep blue.
Mainly fishing inside 200 ft.
possibly venture to 600-800 ft a few times a year.

Priorities are reading bottom types, finding small relief, identifying big fish vs bait schools. We troll in 100-200 ft and find bottom to fish whiling trolling.
That’s part of the bottom discrimination benefit, super easy bottom reading while trolling.

So if more power is more depth but not more clarity, 600w is fine. If more power is more clarity, then I consider the 1 kw.

 

[jp498]

In a digital sounder (like most are now), more power (within reason) means more clarify. Higher signal-noise-ratios mean more information from the signal. If someone is going 600-800 feet of water and a 600w will do it, 1kw is a much better match. Roughly speaking for easy numbers 1kw is twice the power, and the transducer would have twice the elements, so you'll have almost 3 db better return because more power from the sounder, and 3db better in each direction through the transducer from from more transducer gain (more elements and narrower center of radiating pattern).

You can learn more about the bottom with 200khz than with a chirp. Bottom looks different at different frequencies, and transducer patterns are different at different frequencies, so if a transducer is chirping, it's coverage pattern is changing and the bottom is looking different as well, so that all reduces detail of the bottom. But a simple higher freq like 200 will have a unchanging coverage pattern and respond predictably to different bottom shapes/composition.

If you lack bottom discrimination because of transducer choice, you can also manually set the depth range to be deep enough to see the 2nd echo, which will be twice as deep as the main echo, and that will change with the bottom hardness more than the main echo.