# Help with electronics



## Weekend Woodsmen (Aug 12, 2013)

I have been considering upgrading our electronics on at least our walleye boat, and I am wondering what I should be looking for? I would like something that has a wide scan and good detail and preferably a gps built in. I don't want to go too crazy in price. I have heard people on here say they can scan for fish at 30 mph without noise from the motor, does that come with really expensive stuff of it is more a matter of where the transducer is mounted? Thanks in advance for the help!


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## JPJ488 (Apr 12, 2014)

We are running a lowarance 7 elite that we glued the transducer into the bilge compartment it works great and the transducer is dual frequency. This is the first time glueing in a transducer and it works great.


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## bpd1504 (Sep 15, 2012)

All depends what kind of boat you have (aluminum/glass) and how you Mount the ducer. Personally I don't know how to read the screen like a pro to mark fish going that fast.....I just slow down and see what I see. Most guys who can do that have a through hull ducer (less water/engine) noise for interference. If your interested I have a Hummingbird 859ci HD DI used one year that I could part with. Not sure what your looking to spend or what brand you may like but everyone will give you a different opinion. Check YouTube for demos on almost every one out there. See what you may like. Good luck. 

HILLBILLY DELUXE II


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## BRED (Jan 26, 2012)

Last summer my old unit quit working,bought the HDS 8 PAINFUL at first $$$but catch rate has went up .We can pick up fish while on plane,they show up as a little red verticle stripe so we don't waste so much time fishing where there are no fish.My boat is aluminum with transom mount ,the transducer needs to about 3/8 " below the bottom and use color palete 1. Last week we were on vacation and limited 6 out of 8 days, usually only limited once or twice at best before .It hepls to fish where there are fish but you can't make them bite . Get the biggest screen you can afford ,its easier to see in rougher water.


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## Erie Knight (Jun 27, 2011)

JPF488 I was literally in the same boat as you a couple years ago (no pun intended). After quite a bit of research, I ended up with the Lowrance Elite-7X HDI. The 7X is sonar only (no GPS) and will save you a few dollars.

Ive used the unit on both Erie and Ontario; shallow to deep (700+) and its working great. As for high-speed scanning, Ive started to mess around with the settings and can now pick up fish in the 12-15 MPH range.

Much like Hillbilly Deluxe II, it will come down to preference and research.

Best of luck,

Erie Knight


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Check prices on http://www.boemarine.com/ while your shopping. 

An HDS 5 with Insight and 83/200 transducer will do the job. I can see fish at 30mph with mine. Strongly consider a larger unit if you plan to always split the screen.


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## Dagojoe (Jul 16, 2013)

I have the Humminbird 788CI HD DI that I bought this spring. I am also having a problem with noise if I go faster than 4.6 MPH. I have an 18' Aluminum boat and I mounted the transducer between the rivets more than 15" away from the outboard motor. I called Humminbird and they suggested the transducer be 1/2 to 1 inch below the bottom. I tried playing with the height without much luck. I see a few people mentioned about playing with the settings. Which settings are you referring to?


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## Tightlines (Jun 29, 2012)

I have a 1198 hummingbird with side image. The side image transducer isnt the best at marking fish while on plane so i added a second high speed transducer. I mark fish going up to 30mph. My transducer is lined up with the bottom of the boat and i get no interference. I would go on factoryoutletstore.com and look at different models on there. My previous hummingbird was a 798 sonar/gps combo and that was a excellent unit.


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## bpd1504 (Sep 15, 2012)

Somebody should post a picture of what they consider to be marking fish at speed. This would help with compare and contrast for those who struggle with their preferred unit or loss of clarity while running. 

HILLBILLY DELUXE II


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## Dagojoe (Jul 16, 2013)

Posting a picture sounds like an excellent idea. In my case I get a lot of clutter when I go more than 4.6 MPH. I just bought the unit so I definitely don't want to look at another one. I will try and move the transducer a little higher and close to even with the boat and see if that helps.


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## Weekend Woodsmen (Aug 12, 2013)

tomb said:


> Check prices on http://www.boemarine.com/ while your shopping.
> 
> An HDS 5 with Insight and 83/200 transducer will do the job. I can see fish at 30mph with mine. Strongly consider a larger unit if you plan to always split the screen.


What does the 83/200 mean for the transducer? What should I be looking for in a transducer? I assume that most just come with whatever transducer they come with? Thanks!


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

Weekend Woodsmen said:


> What does the 83/200 mean for the transducer? What should I be looking for in a transducer? I assume that most just come with whatever transducer they come with? Thanks!


83/200 are the frequencies in megahertz that your transducer is capable of shooting thru the water. On many sonar you put them in auto so they can jump between the two depending upon the depth your in.

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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

Misdirection said:


> 83/200 are the frequencies in megahertz that your transducer is capable of shooting thru the water. On many sonar you put them in auto so they can jump between the two depending upon the depth your in.
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Ohub Campfire mobile app


Correction, the unit of measure is kHz not mHz...

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## Rodbuster (Apr 14, 2004)

Make sure you check out something with chirp
In a few years everything will be chirp


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## Shaggy (Oct 24, 2008)

http://www.bbcboards.net/

Go to this website. It has a ton of info on both Humminbird and Lowrance units as well as 100s of screen shots from both. After looking through that I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.


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## Weekend Woodsmen (Aug 12, 2013)

Shaggy said:


> http://www.bbcboards.net/
> 
> Go to this website. It has a ton of info on both Humminbird and Lowrance units as well as 100s of screen shots from both. After looking through that I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.


I have been doing a ton of research and I think the only question that I have is about transducer cone angle. I hope I can ask this in a way that makes sense...

Does the transducer itself have a set cone angle, for example 20 degrees, or is the cone angle determined entirely by the frequency? I know lower frequency is a wider coverage area, but sometimes I am seeing transducers that say they are 20degree and they are 50/200. I want to have the largest coverage area possible, so if you can get a 20 degree cone angle with 200kHz or a 30 degree cone angle at 200kHz, then I would obviously take the 30 degree. However, what I am trying to figure out is if all 200 kHz frequency transducers going to have the same cone angle? Therefore, if I see two different transducers that are 50/200 then do both of those transducers always have the exact same coverage area at each of those frequencies? Thanks!


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

A 50/200 will give a wide cone on 50hz and a narrow cone at 200 kHz. The 50 is wide enough to see dipsys and rigger balls.


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## Weekend Woodsmen (Aug 12, 2013)

tomb said:


> A 50/200 will give a wide cone on 50hz and a narrow cone at 200 kHz. The 50 is wide enough to see dipsys and rigger balls.



Thanks for the response. So will every transducer capable of 50kHz have the exact same coverage area at that setting. Or could it still vary from transducer to transducer?


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

I am unsure there. Best to check specs on models you are considering. Or maybe someone else can answer.


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