# Old Flasher Help



## Fishmonger (Mar 4, 2009)

I picked up this old flasher at a garage sale for $5. It's a Ray Jefferson Bumblebee 70. No power cables or transducer. The original box was there but it was tattered and mildewy and the owners manual stuck to the bottom. I did what I could to salvage the manual.

Transducer
Type: Barium Titanate crystal, one piece, (.... the rest is missing.... i think it says transom mount)
Cable: 20 feet (two conducter shielded......the rest is missing....)
Beam Width approx 15 degree
Mounting: Mounting bracket supplied

Tested the unit with a 12v battey. Powers up perfectly and an amber flash on 0 or close to it. The transducer connector on the back is round about diamater of a penny and has two male poles and a raised female socket. (on right .. see bottom pic)

The center of the manual has a schematic of the unit... perhaps someoe who knows how to read it can tell what the requirements are for the transducer. (Khz)

Question.? Am I waisting my time looking for a compatible transducer? Would it work for ice fishing??? 
I called Vexilar and Humminbirds tech support and they never heard of the unit, and don't know what to connect.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

You might be able to wire in a different transducer and it might work.
There's usually just two wires. 
It would be easier if you had the plug, but you could probably hard wire to the inside.
Wish I saw this post a few weeks ago- I just threw out some old transducers & parts.


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## Fishmonger (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. Will any transducer work? Doesnt the voltage or frequency need to be matched to the unit. I cant find any spec on the Khz in the owners manual.

I have a PiranaMax 150 portable w/ the suction cup mount transducer. This has 3 pins, 1 I guess is for the thermometer. (Ive floated this on water before with a small styro-foam block). I can try to rig it up but dont know which pins to jump.


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## WishinIWuzFishin (Jun 17, 2009)

I'm not sure if my info will help you or not but I thought I'd let you know my opinion. I've owned several older Humminbird flashers through the years and still use one now. That flasher of yours looks so much like the old Humminbirds that I wonder if it wasn't made by Humminbird and they just put Ray Jeffs name on them. Seems to me the old Ray Jeff VHF radios were also made by someone else, if I remember correctly. The front is the same as the older Birds except for the logos and the 70 ft dial. I've never seen a 70 ft dial on a Bird, but other than that they are twins. The plugs on the back are definetly different. As far as transducers, yes I believe the transducer frequency (khz) must match what the unit itself is set up for. I don't think you would hurt the unit by hooking up a wrong khz transducer but that's just my guess. If you could find an older Bird transducer to try it might work but I don't think the Bird plug would match. You might find the right plug at Radio Shack. I looked in my manual and at the transducer I have now for my Humminbird 60 flasher and couldn't find what khz it is. I'd let you try my transducer if we were close enough but my plug is definetly different. The plug for my transducer is or is similar to an "RCA" type plug.


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## Fishmonger (Mar 4, 2009)

Thanks for the reply Wishin.. I thought these would be interchangable, especially on older equipment.

I was planning on making my own fittings with old computer stuff, etc.

RCA is generic.. there are audio RCA like for A/V cables (left) and RCA microphone connectors (right). 
The finder looks like the mic connectors but not exactly lined up. and the inverse bottom pin. When I tested the contacts with a voltmeter the bottom contact seemed dead anyway, and there just to ensure polarity.


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## WishinIWuzFishin (Jun 17, 2009)

I know the "RCA connector" can be used on different equipment and stuff other than the RCA brand, but I thought the "RCA connecter" is a specific male/female connecter. I just thought they patented it or something, thats why they call it that. Anyways, isn't the cable for a transducer just co-ax cable? Thas what I always thought. I just saw a tutorial somewhere on the net on how to put an end on a transducer cable. Didn't really look at it thoroughly but I thought it was just co-ax cable. Didn't pay any attention to what type of connector they were putting on. My point is if you could find the connector to fit the back of your unit (or wire around it somehow) you could possibly use a jumper cable made with the end you need to connect to a transducer you find and the other end to attach to your unit. Like I said you're welcome to try mine with a jumper cable if you want to drive to Mosquito lake to try it. Also for some reason I'm thinking I read somewhere the old Bird ducers were 192 khz. I think it might have been in the same how to I was talking about. I love my BIRD flasher and think if you can rig yours up cheaply it is well worth it. But I wouldn't spend too much. You can still find a whole Bird package cheap on e-Bay if you wait long enough. And I believe your right about the third pin. I'm sure on my plug there are only 2 conductors


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

It all sounds like good advice. I'd go with the RCA plugs. I used them to rewire a transducer on an old Lowrance flasher. It is just a type of coax cable - I just soldered the connectors on. I wouldn't cut up a good transducer, there's gotta be plenty of old ones out there.


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## Eriesteamer (Mar 9, 2007)

I use to fix these.not just this brand but all brands.to the RCA plugs they work but best I knew all these flashers used 3 way wire.you can find 3 RCA plugs that are a unit but lot messing around but what else can you do.To the 3 wires there this way on most I know of.
1 wire pick up
2 is the sender wire
3 the main ground for both pick ups.
Yes I can read the shematic and find out what you got.how set it up.but need use reading glasses today.to rest as MHz thats another story.and if any other work on it is a hit and miss thing.but likely work but maybe a bit off calibration.you just have try to see if it works.last I knew Ray Jefferson was a real company but they made cheap stuff.well low price stuff any ways but it works fine never had a bad say on there preformance.I use lot there stuff.last I knew they was still around.But like most they most likely threw out the flasher stuff to keep modern.dought they can get you another transducer.The last known address I had to get parts from them was as follows
Ray Jefferson
4200 Mitchell St.
Philadephia,Pa 19128
phone (215) 487-2800


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## Wannabitawerm (Apr 13, 2004)

Check you out Eriesteamer. Your posts may ramble a bit but there seems to be a ton of obscure info packed in your head. My hats off to you for sharing that info. Sometimes we forget all about what got it started. 

I hope you get it working. It should work just fine for ice fishin and other than a single color it should work like a champ.


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## Eriesteamer (Mar 9, 2007)

Out all the fish locaters I ever used the flasher was my best.I had lot them.Why I say this is that I was fishing with a guy who drank his share booze and when I was fishing I see some thing on flasher that started up top water then went down to bottom.Thought it was a fish coming up see who was there.or worst thumb his fin at me.but after seeing this happen a few times I told the guy drinking about it.he laugh and told me it was his beer cars he was flooding and sending them to jones locker.LOL man that was a funny one on me.I never seen such sensitive one as this.from top to botten it got results.so why I fix these was for that reason.I have a few these in a storage bin.was thinking put post get more them.but all my wanted post go to the dogs and I never get nothing out them but a kick in my pants.but I do see some these at flea markets but there as this guys got not all there.every time I see one the transducer is still on the boat or beats me but not with the flasher.thus never buy it as where I get the transducer.


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