mounting new transducer

[shoot-straight]

i know this SHOULD be on the boat board, but i figured i would get more responses here:

i have a lowrance lc-15 currently on my 25 maycraft. the unit wont take the new chips, and the FF has been kinda a PITA. it works 95% of the time for some reason. So when the 540 garmin went on sale, i bought one. it has a FF and plotter together. here's my issue:

id like to keep both units on the boat. that means two transducers on the stern, on the same side. how far apart will i have to place them from one another to keep them working ok? i want to get it far enough away the first time.... drilling multilple holes in the transom is something i hate to do!

also, will the frequency of one mess with the other?

thanks!

[Seahunter]

i know this SHOULD be on the boat board, but i figured i would get more responses here:

i have a lowrance lc-15 currently on my 25 maycraft. the unit wont take the new chips, and the FF has been kinda a PITA. it works 95% of the time for some reason. So when the 540 garmin went on sale, i bought one. it has a FF and plotter together. here's my issue:

id like to keep both units on the boat. that means two transducers on the stern, on the same side. how far apart will i have to place them from one another to keep them working ok? i want to get it far enough away the first time.... drilling multilple holes in the transom is something i hate to do!

also, will the frequency of one mess with the other?

thanks!

Yes they will interfere with one another unless you keep them "out of the field of view" from each other and both on the stern isn't going to do that. One on the bow and one on the stern should work.

[Gerald]

If the frequency's are the same they'll mess with eachother. Ya might comsider mounting a piece of 3/4 startboard to your sterm for something to mount transducer's or whatever without having to drill the transom everytime.

[bigmouth]

hoi for my nice jon boat I didnt want to drill holes in a brand new aliminum boat with no leaks .I know what your sayin g drilling multiple holes . the best thing that worked for me was a transducer mounting bracket from baspro . two screws and this fiberglass bracket is mounted .is like 2-3feetlong and 5"high now you can mount whatever you want to the bracket not hthe hull.

[Tom Hughes]

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shoot-straight: They will interfere with each other.

_________________
Tight Lines,

Capt. Tom Hughes
Now Booking Susquehanna Flats Trip
Additional 4% Discount on Twin Vee Cats

[smellslikefish]

Can someone explain the interference that they have ? When I purchased my LCX20HD this year, I left the old Hummingbird Wide One on the boat and just mounted the Lowrance transducer on the other side of the outdrive....no problems with interference whatsoever.....I've also seen charter captains in the past running more than one depth finder. Maybe different frequencies dont interfere.

[ragnad]

Different frequencies won't interfere with one another, but two transudcers working in the same frequency range certainly will. The transducer works in a similar fashion to a radio transmitter/receiver. It transmits a signal at a certain frequency, and receives signals at that frequency (or within a range near that frequency). Any obstacles (bottom, fish, etc.) it encounters cause the signal to "bounce" back to the transducer. The timing between when the signal is sent and when it is received indicates the distance the signal has traveled, based on a calculation of the roughly constant speed of the signal through water. So, if two transudcers are sending similar signals that are being received by both transducers, they can get confused on the timing - hence the interference.

It's also important to note that your transducer should be mounted in such a way that it is as close to parallel to the bottom as possible. Sometimes, the manufacturer will supply a wedge for instances where the transom isn't plumb. If it is not parallel to the bottom, the signal will bounce away from the transducer in a vector and won't be received by the transducer on the reflection from the bottom. In many cases, this is why the depth finder loses bottom when the boat is moving (and the bow rises).

[codenurse]

I am having a new Raymarine GPS/Chartplotter installed. I have a Humminbird DS with a broken transducer. I asked about getting a new transducer and having that unit as a backup. It could be done easily when the new unit is installed. I was encouraged to just stick with one unit. I don't know why but I'm still considering it. I'll probably opt for the safe choice.