Sounder Issue

[Sid's Kid]

My sounder is not providing much detail while drifting but at speed the detail is very good. Is this a settings issue? I am attaching a couple of photos that show the difference



[attachment=0]Sonar Screen Shot 2.jpg[/attachment

 

[Deep Blue]

Sid's Kid,

Do you know what is the Sounder Module that is networked into your VX2 and what model transducer that may be connected..? :think

-Deep Blue

 

[Sid's Kid]

Off the top of my head, I do not. I'll have to get down to the boat and do some research. I'm relatively new to the boat, I

 

[Johnny Electron]

The second photo looks really good showing high gain and second echo but the first one looks like water turbulence to me. Deep Blue is the expert. I am sure he can point you the right direction as you work through it.

 

[Sid's Kid]

I am attaching a photo of the sounder network box and transducer. This transducer is connected to my CD30 unit, I'm not sure if there is another transducer. I know there is only one thru hull transducer but there may be a shoot thru transducer but I can't find it.

 

[Johnny Electron]

When you say CD30, do you mean RD30? The transducer you show is a NMEA 0183 smart sensor that would normally go to an RD30 or to an older MFD like the NN1 or Vx2. They don't provide graphical bottom. They only provide digital depth information for navigation. Back when these items were new it was common for someone to have smart sensor for navigational depth and then a sounder for finding fish. The fish finding sounder you have in the photo is an older ETR30N also known as the BBFF3 fish finder. On our website all the manuals are listed under the BBFF3. That is a 1,2, or 3 KW fishfinder. You would still need to find that transducer that uses and get some better sounding photos for Deep Blue to consider. From what little was posted, it seems to be working pretty well except it has some turbulence at speed.

 

[Sid's Kid]

Yes, I meant RD30. I think I found the wet box. It was placed in the center line of the bilge under an access panel. I'm going to add some fluid and see what happens when I put the boat in the water in a couple of weeks. Hopefully that will solve the issue.

 

[Johnny Electron]

Low fluid with an in-hull transducer will act just like turbulence as it bounces around. If the fluid gets too low the transducer will burn up due to lack of cooling. I bet once topped off and tested, you will see a lot better results.

 

[Sid's Kid]

Thanks for the reply. Quick question, do you recommend anti-freeze or mineral oil? If I use anti-freeze, is it necessary to use anti-freeze suitable for a radiator or is the marine/RV winterization anti-freeze OK?

 

[Sid's Kid]

I ended up using the non-toxic antifreeze. I added a good amount so this could definitely be the problem. I'll post the results when the boat goes in the water.

 

[Johnny Electron]

Yes, non-toxic marine grade anti-freeze is normally recommended but you should try to match what is inside the transducer housing already. If they used mineral oil and you mix it with anti-freeze it isn't going to be a good thing or vice versa. In some cases it might be worth pulling the transducer and cleaning the area and filling with clean anti-freeze. It also gives you a look at the face of the transducer for signs of bubbling (heat).

 

[Sid's Kid]

I finally dropped the boat in this week and was able to test out the sounder. Apparently. low fluid was the issue. The photo below was taken while the boat was drifting which was when I experienced problems . Returns are much improved.

 

[Johnny Electron]

AWESOME! :jump :jump