TZT2 Shallow Water Performance

[C-Bass]

Good morning Capt. David,

Great looking screen shots of tarpon! I noticed on page 1 of the post the HF and LF Bottom Level detection is set to -20. You could try to decrease those settings to -30 or -40 on both frequencies to see if that allows you to get a reading in shallower water. The lower the setting the smaller the threshold is needed to develop a digital bottom depth. If you have not tried to decrease those values it might be worth trying? Let us know how it goes.

 

[haneyrm]

Well, after years of frustration with this machine not reading shallow, I finally broke down and bought an simple transom mount transducer as a sacrificial lamb just to see if this machine could be saved.

I bought a 525t-pwd and installed it last weekend. First trip out, machine read 2 feet without issue. I guess i must have a bad thru hull transducer or the wrong transducer for my boat.

Few questions.

1. The new P66 does not have rezboost or bottom discrimination. Can you confirm this?

2. My boat originally came with a B117 and Garmin 740. It read 1.5’ without problem. The transducer is mounted where the bottom is 15 degrees. Because of this, I bought the B60/12 for the new TZT2. Did I buy the wrong transducer? Should I go back to a B117 with Furuno plug?

3. Does the Furuno B117 offer rezboost and bottom discrimination?

I like the new P66 but it will not hold bottom on my boat over fast idle due to stepped bottom. I’ll prob just keep it installed as a back-up but it’s not useable beyond idle speed.

Thanks.

 

[Snips]

Haneyrm,
The P-66 does support both the AF and BD modes.
The B60/12 (525T-LTD12) should have worked depending on its location.
The B-117 (520-BLD) does not support AF or the BD modes.

Snips

 

[haneyrm]

Hmmm. I purchased the Furuno 525t-pwd and do not see any of the settings or info for rezboost or bottom discrimination. Where would I find these settings?

I also noticed that I cannot turn off the a-scope. No matter the setting, in split screen mode, I get the a-scope.

How can I confirm that rezboost and bottom discrimination are working correctly?

The B60 just flat will not read shallow water. I’ve spent years trying to get it to do what I need. I’ve checked the installation a dozen or so times and it’s on a 15 degree part of the hull pointing at the keel. The manufacturer (Contender) installed the B117 when the boat was being built and it performed perfectly until I switched from Garmin to Furuno. That’s when the years of frustration started.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Snips]

Haneyrm,
Scroll down in the menu to see the Rezboost, A-Scope, ACCU-FISH and Bottom Discrimination functions.

Snips

 

[haneyrm]

Found it. Thanks.

If I need a new thru-hull to replace the B60, what options do I have that include rezboost and bottom discrimination? The B60 would never read bottom in shallow water but the B117 read down to 1.5'. Even though I measured 15 degrees at the point where the transducer is installed, for some reason, the B117 works much better.

The boat is a Contender 25 Bay and has a stepped hull. Otherwise, I would just keep the P66. It stops reading bottom at just above idle.

Thanks.

 

[Snips]

Haneyrm,
The P-66, B-117 and B-60 all use the same transducer element with the difference being the housing they are encased in. The B-117 is a 520-BLD (bronze housing) which is technically not BD approved where as the 520-PLD (plastic housing) and has the same internal make up is. Since you are having better performance with your existing B-117 I would try setting it for a 520-PLD to see how it works.

Snips

 

[haneyrm]

Not sure I'm following you. If the 3 transducers all share the same element, why is RB and BD not supported with the B117?

The B117 I have on the boat is a Garmin transducer and cannot be modded to work with the 10 pin Furuno setup. I went down that road with Airmar last year. My choices are the P66 which will not read above idle or the B60 which will not read below 5'. Not good choices at the moment.

 

[Snips]

Haneyrm,
Sorry if I misunderstood you about the B-117, I thought you were able to connect it to the TZT2.

Snips