Have you ever bought a transducer!

[Vanselena]

I appreciate your patience with this poll thing. Please check one box from each of the three sections.

 

 

Thank you for your responses.

Edited February 14, 2008 by Vanselena

[Vanselena]

Based on that, I think you should go for it, you are obviously experienced and knowledgable enough to make it work if anyone could!

 

Good luck on your new venture!

 

One question you might want to ask in your poll is how often? I have only had to replace one transducer in the past 10 years.

[Vanselena]

I can't reply in the poll as there isn't an answer available for me. I have never bought a transducer before, was recently given a fish finder, don't know if I need a transducer to go with it as I currently know nothing about them and won't look into it more until the spring. If I do need to get one then yes I would buy an aftermarket as long as the quality was there, and does what I need it to do.

 

Maureen

[kennyman]

I say go for it. I voted that I haven't bought a transducer, but I also voted that if I needed one I would buy an aftermarket no problem. I think sometimes the transducers are so much that a guy with a fishfinder that's a few years old would just opt for a whole new unit. If you can make it cost effective to just replace the transducer you'll probably find alot will go that route and get a few more years out of their older units.

[Daplumma]

I would think that many people would want two transducers on their boat if the price was righ.One in the rear for trolling and one on the bowmount for casting or precision jigging.

Joe

[Fisherman]

It would be nice to get a transducer that doesn't have a million feet of cable attached, it can be a real PITA, I'm sure anyone that drives a tiller may need no more than 5 feet or so. Up the back of the bat and maybe another 2-3 feet, F/F sits across from the driver.

[raysfish2005]

It was cheaper to buy a new unit than replace my tranducer:

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

It would be nice to get a transducer that doesn't have a million feet of cable attached, it can be a real PITA, I'm sure anyone that drives a tiller may need no more than 5 feet or so. Up the back of the bat and maybe another 2-3 feet, F/F sits across from the driver.

 

On the other hand, some people such as myself need the extra cable length to run from the console of the pontoon boat, through the floor and run back to the back of the pontoons....could be anywhere from 9 - 14'

[Roy]

I'll play the devil's advocate for you here. This is NOT a criticism. It's something you MAY or may not have considered and could become your worse nightmare. First of all, we'll have to assume that every (most) major players will license you to use a third party accessory on their product without voiding the waranty. If that is taken care of, great. Now, we have a customer who buys a unit (any manufacturer) let's take Humminbird as an example. The customer loses the bottom at 20 clicks. The customer contacts Humminbird. Which questions will Humminbird ask the customer (for example)? They'll want to know which transducer the customer is using. Then the fun begins....is it the unit itself or the transducer that's faulty? Is the transducer properly installed? With newbies it often is not properly installed.

Does the customer really want to deal with TWO different suppliers for one item on their boat? I don't know. How have you got that covered so far?

[Guest lundboy]

Is it made in China?

[Vanselena]

It would be nice to get a transducer that doesn't have a million feet of cable attached, it can be a real PITA, I'm sure anyone that drives a tiller may need no more than 5 feet or so. Up the back of the bat and maybe another 2-3 feet, F/F sits across from the driver.

 

This is a great idea and we could do custom orders. Thanks for the great idea!

[Vanselena]

On the other hand, some people such as myself need the extra cable length to run from the console of the pontoon boat, through the floor and run back to the back of the pontoons....could be anywhere from 9 - 14'

 

This seems to be an obvious problem for many boaters including myself and definitely a selling feature we will include.

 

Thanks again

[Vanselena]

I'll play the devil's advocate for you here. This is NOT a criticism. It's something you MAY or may not have considered and could become your worse nightmare. First of all, we'll have to assume that every (most) major players will license you to use a third party accessory on their product without voiding the warranty. If that is taken care of, great. Now, we have a customer who buys a unit (any manufacturer) let's take Humminbird as an example. The customer loses the bottom at 20 clicks. The customer contacts Humminbird. Which questions will Humminbird ask the customer (for example)? They'll want to know which transducer the customer is using. Then the fun begins....is it the unit itself or the transducer that's faulty? Is the transducer properly installed? With newbies it often is not properly installed.

Does the customer really want to deal with TWO different suppliers for one item on their boat? I don't know. How have you got that covered so far?

 

These are great questions and I certainly appreciate them. I'll answer them in order.

 

Transducers operate at certain frequencies and this information is not patentable nor is it exclusive. We would simply state which plug will work with which units and of course the proper frequency, most companies use generic connectors available to everyone and there is no need to license. It’s just like when you go and buy aftermarket brakes for your car, or oil for that fact. One thing worth noting is our manufacturer has at one time or another been the transducer supplier for every sonar company.

 

Our target market is generally past the warranty period.

 

As I had mentioned 99% of sonar issues that have to do with losing signal occur due to transducer issues. We would have a warranty period and I will check into the length of that period. Thanks for mentioning this.

 

Installation is a big issue and I agree that most people do not install their transducer properly. As a case in point, the first thing you should do is add an extra piece of marine grade plywood to the transducer area and this is due to wanting to change the position of the transducer without adding more holes to your boat because mistakes happen. I look at a lot of transoms and rarely see this done. There are other things that should be done to ensure proper placement so your transducer performs properly at high speed without losing signal, you should be able to go 50mph and still see bottom and yet this is one of the highest complaint area from most boat owners. For certain we will put proper instructions with photographic pictures to make installation idiot proof.

 

We wouldn’t want the customer to deal with two different suppliers but we would teach our customers how to recognize transducer problems by how your screen is reacting. These reactions are exactly the same no matter what make or model.

 

Thank you for the thorough questions they are much appreciated.

 

Vanselena

[Vanselena]

Is it made in China?

 

They will be made in the USA.

[OhioFisherman]

I bought one years ago, got the cable caught in the hinge of the bow mount trailering the boat home from a trip and cut the cable in half. A fix didn`t seem to work well so I replaced it. Older model transducers may be hard to find, even if it is a good sonar unit.

 

The price of factory replacements seems high, but something I want quality with.

[Greencoachdog]

I'm actually lookin' at getting another transduce for my new Humminbird. It came with the dual beam, but i want to get the Quadrabeam as well. Not sure if I wanna put it on the transom or trolling motor. I'll also be purchasing the "splitter" that lets you run 2 transducers on one unit ( not simultaneously) so I can switch back and forth... yes! I'm playing with it!!!

 

A Quadrabeam transducer is about $80 USD and so is the splitter.

[Rizzo]

only time i bought one was when my cousin borrowed it, and cut it off with his prop

[lew]

Guess I've always been lucky and have never had to replace a transducer, either front or back, but if the time ever came that I needed to purchase one and a company like your looking at was able to offer a compatible unit at a good price, I'm sure I would give some serious thought.

 

Good luck on your endeavor if you decide to give it a go.

[Vanselena]

only time i bought one was when my cousin borrowed it, and cut it off with his prop

 

The past 2 years a guy from the US has had me repair his transducer. Apparently when he stores the boat the rodents like to eat the cable.

[Dabluz]

Over the years, I have somehow gathered up a number of sonars and sonar accessories. Some of them....the screen does not work well while others....the transducer is missing. I have 2 Humminbird 3-D units (Vista 3-D and a View 3-D) but only one transducer....and I don't even know if that transducer works yet or even with which unit I can use this transducer. I have 2 Lowrance flasher units and only 1 transducer that can be used with either flasher unit.

 

It sure would be nice to at least have a place where I could find out which transducer can be used with which display unit. I know that the transducer for a Humminbird Matrix X-47 is the same as the one for a Vista 3-D or a View 3-D but does a transducer from an Eagle Z-6000 can also be used for an Eagle Z-9000?

 

It would also be nice to be able to buy connectors to put on the ends of transducer cables and power cables.

 

Anyway, I would like to repair my old used sonars and then be able to give them or sell them real cheap to people who don't already own a sonar.

 

I had an old Humminbird LCR 3004. The display never did work 100% but I toughed it out. I finally sent it for a repair estimate about 2 years ago. I got a note back a few weeks later telling me that I owed them 100 dollars for the repair. I told them to go to hell.....I only wanted an estimate. They kept the display and I now have a power cable, transducer, cover and support for a Humminbird LCR3004. I wonder if the power cable and transducer can be used on an other Humminbird display so that I can upgrade from the LCR3004 that I did have? I know that the LCR4-ID uses the same transducer. Are there any other display units that use the same transducer?

 

Another thing I would like to know is which transducer or accessory can I buy to turn my transom mount transducer into a trolling motor transducer?

 

There is simply not one place where a person can get the info he needs. Especially for discontinued sonar units. Those discontinued units are still very handy....especially in shallow water where they work better than the newer more powerful units whose powerful signals spook the fish.

 

It would be wonderful to be able to visit just one place on the internet and be able to buy a transducer, power cable, after market connector or an accessory at a more reasonable price. There are lots of used sonars on Ebay and flea markets that are missing cables and can be bought real cheap. A place where a person could choose a transducer with a different cone angle for his old sonar.

 

I know that the manufacturers try to keep a lot of the info away from public eyes and therefore be able to sell new sonars to customers. However, an after market company with generic parts would be a godsend.

[Vanselena]

Over the years, I have somehow gathered up a number of sonars and sonar accessories. Some of them....the screen does not work well while others....the transducer is missing. I have 2 Humminbird 3-D units (Vista 3-D and a View 3-D) but only one transducer....and I don't even know if that transducer works yet or even with which unit I can use this transducer. I have 2 Lowrance flasher units and only 1 transducer that can be used with either flasher unit.

 

It sure would be nice to at least have a place where I could find out which transducer can be used with which display unit. I know that the transducer for a Humminbird Matrix X-47 is the same as the one for a Vista 3-D or a View 3-D but does a transducer from an Eagle Z-6000 can also be used for an Eagle Z-9000?

 

It would also be nice to be able to buy connectors to put on the ends of transducer cables and power cables.

 

Anyway, I would like to repair my old used sonars and then be able to give them or sell them real cheap to people who don't already own a sonar.

 

I had an old Humminbird LCR 3004. The display never did work 100% but I toughed it out. I finally sent it for a repair estimate about 2 years ago. I got a note back a few weeks later telling me that I owed them 100 dollars for the repair. I told them to go to hell.....I only wanted an estimate. They kept the display and I now have a power cable, transducer, cover and support for a Humminbird LCR3004. I wonder if the power cable and transducer can be used on an other Humminbird display so that I can upgrade from the LCR3004 that I did have? I know that the LCR4-ID uses the same transducer. Are there any other display units that use the same transducer?

 

Another thing I would like to know is which transducer or accessory can I buy to turn my transom mount transducer into a trolling motor transducer?

 

There is simply not one place where a person can get the info he needs. Especially for discontinued sonar units. Those discontinued units are still very handy....especially in shallow water where they work better than the newer more powerful units whose powerful signals spook the fish.

 

It would be wonderful to be able to visit just one place on the internet and be able to buy a transducer, power cable, after market connector or an accessory at a more reasonable price. There are lots of used sonars on Ebay and flea markets that are missing cables and can be bought real cheap. A place where a person could choose a transducer with a different cone angle for his old sonar.

 

I know that the manufacturers try to keep a lot of the info away from public eyes and therefore be able to sell new sonars to customers. However, an after market company with generic parts would be a godsend.

 

Thank you for such a well thought out post. I will keep this in my back pocket for now but will definitely expand into these areas.

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

I would like to see rubber "boots" at both ends of the cable..this would eliminate the actual stress on the cable itself at the entrance to the transducer and connector....I have 2 transducers from my Lowrance X40 and both have had the outer jacket of the cable and conducting shield seperate right at the base of the transducer and one at the connector itself .....the maddening part of this is that there is no way to splice the cables because the damage area is flush at the transducer and at the connector...

[Vanselena]

I had the same thing happen to my first Lowrance unit, the X 60. The rubber boot is a great idea and is used on many of the higher end units like Furuno, Raymarine and Si-Tex.