Help! I’ve stumbled down the TZT3 transducer rabbit hole!

[ThreeAmigas]

Not sure if this should go into this or the sounder forum.

I’ve got a new TZT12f on the way and have gone deep down the transducer rabbit hole, to the point that my head is spinning.

I have a 29’ Tiara Open w/twin diesels. Very limited hull access. Currently has a furuno FCV-585 with a b744v that stopped reading temp and bottom over a year ago. I don’t have room at the helm for the TZT3 and the Furuno. I suppose I could mount the 585 elsewhere if there is any benefit in keeping it.

Most of my time on the water is spent diving, inshore fishing, and trolling. Occasional bottom fishing up to 400 feet in the Long Beach CA, Catalina Island area.

I was originally looking at transducers that would match/fit the faring block of the b744V with a 2 inch hole. Gil @ semperfifishing (very helpful and responsive) Recommended a B785 to take advantage of chirp of the new unit rather than sticking with the 50/200.

I wonder if I’m not limiting myself too much with this approach. I don’t have room for any of the larger faring blocks, but could look at flush mounts such as a B-175.

Can I can hook up more than one transducer to the TZT3 internal sounder without adding one of the external sounders?

So, can I connect to more than one transducer?
If so, would a b175HW and traditional 50/200 make sense?
If not, which single transducer makes sense?


Thanks,
Confused Ben

 

[Johnny Electron]

Can I can hook up more than one transducer to the TZT3 internal sounder without adding one of the external sounders?

Not all TZT3 units are the same so the question really isn't valid. In case of the TZT9F, you generally can not connect up two transducers unless it were a 50 and a 200 via a matching box. (When running 50/200 CW) If you are talking about running CHIRP, then the TZT9F is a single freq CHIRP so you can only have one of these connected.

If not, which single transducer makes sense?

It would mostly depend on the depth you fish. The transducer that Gil recommended is an excellent CHIRP option. If depth was part of your discussion; I would tend to agree with Gil. He has proven his knowledge on this forum and others.

 

[ThreeAmigas]

Johnny-
Appreciate the reply. The unit in question is the TZT12f

Ben

 

[Johnny Electron]

The TZT12F with V2 software can support many transducers including many dual freq transducer models. It can also support two single freq paired transducers with a Y cable. Please see the attached list of support transducers from 50/200, CHIRP, CHIRP pairs and dual freq CHIRP. https://www.furunousa.com/-/media/sites ... ducers.pdf

There are lots of choices depending on mounting and budget requirements. You could look at the B175s (1KW) like you said or even the B75M (600W like the B785M) which is compatible with the TZT3 and could be paired with another freq later if wished (like B75L). I wouldn't recommend the B785M for the TZT3 because it isn't one of the established transducers. The B785M when used for Furuno is normally used on the GP1871F/GP1971F.

Regards
Johnny

 

[DFS]

I'm curious about this statement "I wouldn't recommend the B785M for the TZT3 because it isn't one of the established transducers.". I have a TZT316 and the B785M transducer. It's all pretty new to me. The transducer did seem to be recognized by the TZT316 but now I'm concerned that maybe I'm not getting the performance that I should? Is there a way to tell. I'm marking bottom but so far the fish marks don't seem any better than my old B744 / 627 combo...... I also seem to get a lot of noise in the auto modes - have to be on manual gain to get a clear view, with gain settings pretty low even in water depths over 200ft. Comments?

 

[DeepSouthTX]

DFS, I am running a TZT3 unit with both a b275LHW and a dff3d. Regarding your comment on the gain settings. I was fishing in 100ft of water today and gain setting in manual was 5. And I do agree somewhat that at least on my boat the auto cruising gain could be a little lower by default as any turbulence at speed introduces quite a bit of noise. Dialing it down in manual fixes that as you stated. At lower speeds, say below 8 knots the auto modes seems to work fine on my boat with little to no noise. I believe there is a gain offset setting that allows you to raise or lower the default auto or manual gain by frequency. At least thats how I understood it. But I have not played with that particular setting.

 

[Johnny Electron]

If the transducer is no listed in the TZT3 software it hasn't been tested and recommended for it's internal sounder. It is listed for the GP1971F and recommended. I can't comment on the combination of using it with the TZT3 because it isn't one of the ones we list and I don't have any experience on how it works with the TZT3 sounder. You said the sounder recognized it. What does it show for the transducer selection? If it is recognized and working then I wouldn't be too concerned. The direct comparison between a dual freq tone based transducer and a single freq CHIRP transducer isn't really a similar comparison.

 

[DFS]

The TZT3 found the transducer with proper name, ID, etc. I also found it listed in the support docs for TZT3 transducers on the Furuno USA web page... I agree that comparing a medium chirp to the 50/200 is not straightforward. I'll continue to play with the settings. It seems to hold bottom perfectly even running 30kts offshore so I think its working fine and I just need to get used to it. Thanks.

 

[Johnny Electron]

If you found it listed, I must have overlooked it. It should be perfectly fine then. I would love to see screen shots when you go out fishing.

 

[maxima]

John: can I Check if a in-hull M135c or M285HW will work with furuno tzt3? I’m not happy with the current transom mount transducer and having lots of issue with it. I’ve good result with Raymarine and M285HW in my other boats and would like go that path.