Photoz Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 I have used a Vexilar FL8SE for a few years, which has worked flawlessly. I just trotted out and grabbed an FL20. The FL8 had an 18 degree iceducer, the FL20 has both a 9 degree & an 18 degree, and you can switch back & forth. I there ANY formula that tells just what diameter of coverage you have at certain depths? For instance, when using a 3" Rapala jig, if you were 100' down, and you were about 30' away from your flasher cone (a different hole), you could pick up the jig on your screen. I'm assuming I would cover a lot less diameter with the 9 degree than the 18, but how would I determine how far out from the cone, at different depths, I'm covering?? Or do ya just guess? It would appear to me I have a circle about 60' in diameter 100' down . . . but I have no clue as to how far out from 'ground zero' (dead center under the cone) the fish is when I start getting the weak signal. Any Vex users ever ponder this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 This might help you a bit, Steve. Good luck with the new Vex. http://www.vexilar.com/pages/support/suppo...rticle_006.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest skeeter99 Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 the 9 degree cone will give a smaller area but with more detail the 18 will be a greater area with less detail the reason they have a 9 degree ducer is that if you are fishing deeper it penetrates further for a more true signal , wider ducer are for shallower water a 18 ducer in 60 feet will give you a coverage area of roughly 20 feet around at 100 I think it is 34 feet around roughly so basically you could have a fish show up on the vex but it is really 34 feet away if u were in 100 feet of water with the 9 ducer at the same depth that fish 34 feet away would not show up until it got within roughly 22 feet of your ducer basically the 18 ducer is the best all around for seeing what is dwon there in a snapshot most coverage area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photoz Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Ah h h h . . . . FANTASTIC! Now I have almost a full clue what these things are about! (I had a half a clue before.) I thought long & hard about a Marcum . . . they're SUPPOSED to be really good too . . . but 3 full trouble-free years outta the Vex . . . had to go with it. I found a good home for the FL8 too . . . . he promised to share his bed with it so it doesn't get lonely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greencoachdog Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Too bad you don't have a Humminbird!!!! The Quadrabeam transducer gives you a 90 degree cone... or twice the depth you're fishin'! So if you were fishin' 20 fow, your cone would be 40' wide... but how wide of a cone do you need for an -hole.. er.. uh... I meant ice hole!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickOnt Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Hey Photoz!! How are Ya???? My HumminBird Manual says Bottom Coverage = 1xDepth So does that mean in 60 FOW I am looking at 60 ' of bottom??? Is that 9' Cone or 19' Cone??? Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walleyemaster Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 i just switched from a lowrance 67c ice machine to a vexilar fl-18 and i gotta tell you the vexilar wins.. when you get the fish close to your bait it turns red and that is a pretty good indication that the fish is really close almost on top or below you...not to mention the live action from your bait is very visable...my 67c showed clouds of fish close to the bottom...it did not always mark my bait and when i changed screens to flasher mode i found that the slightest interferenc from other fish finders would not allow me to use it properly... it never really showed how close fish was to bait even though i played around with noise reduction most of the time the flasher mode was still not as good as the vexilar ..i give the advantage to the vexilar even though the technology is older or simpler.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photoz Posted January 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 The FL20 Ultra Pack comes with a 9 & 19 degree 'iceducer' (what THEY call a TRANSDUCER) and you can switch back & forth for fishing different depths. Also a setting for fishing shallow or weedy water. I was pickin' up weak signals about 30' out from directly under the cone on my FL8 in about 85' of water, and its transducer was a 19 degree, and by the diagram Roy provided, it would seem to be pretty accurate. I'd like to check it out at Big Bay Point, or Bear Point when I feel the ice is thick enough! (12"+) Although I don't have a boat, apparently they can readily be hooked up in one. Unfortunately it's just too dang cold out there for me to test it today . . . . and although there's lotsa ice MOST places . . . . I still hear sporadic reports of people combining swimming & ice fishin!' Not my cup o' tea! Now . . .. I think I know where I might find some 'brown trout' to test it out on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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