A Maintenace tip for transducers/ almost NF

[NANUK]

 

I was doing some research on this and Airmar makes a junction box that you can mount near the back of the boat that will do the job, I am definitely doing this on my next change. The part number is Airmar 33-035-BOX

 

http://faq.airmar.com/index.php?action=artikel&cat=1&id=45&artlang=en

That is awesome !! Thanks for the link.

l was concerned about the resistance in the wire, looks like that is not an issue, at least not with Airmar.

Basically it is a splash proof secure connection, I can make a better connection by soldering crimp sleeves and covering it with double wall heat shrink tubing.

[wkrp]

Who carries the airmar transducers in the GTA. It may be worth looking into when a replacement is necessary.

[G.mech]

Who carries the airmar transducers in the GTA. It may be worth looking into when a replacement is necessary.

 

Radioworld sells them but they are listed under your unit manufacturers name (not 'Airmar') on their site.

 

Here is the P-66 for example that works with Lowrance: http://radioworld.ca/p66-bl-p-1385.html

[G.mech]

That is awesome !! Thanks for the link.

l was concerned about the resistance in the wire, looks like that is not an issue, at least not with Airmar.

Basically it is a splash proof secure connection, I can make a better connection by soldering crimp sleeves and covering it with double wall heat shrink tubing.

 

You could do that but the junction box makes replacement a breeze....

[wkrp]

Thanks G mech.

[NANUK]

Shortwave marine in Mississauga carries Airmar,

As far as know they are duel frequency

[Terry]

i have a P-66 and i find it no better then the lowrance ducer

and if you google reviews of the airmar transducers you will find many find them a waste of money for freshwater uses

[NANUK]

i have a P-66 and i find it no better then the lowrance ducer

and if you google reviews of the airmar transducers you will find many find them a waste of money for freshwater uses

I have the opposite experience with P66,

Specially when down rigging the difference is like night & day, a crisper sonar image with lot more detail, not to mention it has already lasted twice as long as lowrance and still going strong.

[G.mech]

The Airmar P66 is a transom mounted dual frequency transducer that operates at either 50 or 200 kHz. It is intended to replace the stock Lowrance transducers sold with Elite & HDS units. The Lowrance transducers sold for shallower fresh water applications are dual frequency 83/200 kHz (such as the HST-WSBL). They will both work on your Lowrance HDS units and both have the same cone angles at 200Hz (about 20 degrees) but when used at the at the lower frequencies (50 for the Airmar and 83kHz for the Lowrance) they perform much differently (the 50kHz gives you a wider cone angle but much less detail). I personally feel the 83 is more suitable for most fresh water applications but Airmar does not make an 83/200 so you kind of have to make a choice. That said, the stock Lowrance 'ducers do seem to have a limited lifespan and supposedly the Airmars are much more stable over the long haul. Likely, both new out of the box would perform similarly but from what I gather, the Lowrance 'ducers fade over time much more than the Airmars do. Ballpark costs are 200 bones for the Airmar and about 85 bucks for the WSBL.

 

Not sure if that helps at all, but that's what I have learned with a bit of research.....I have two WSBL's mounted on my stern and one is dead so I think I'll replace it with an Airmar and do a side by side comparison. In between playing with the toys, maybe I'll find a spare moment to actually catch a fish or two...

Edited March 22, 2016 by G.mech

[Old Ironmaker]

Good to know we can cut and splice on a new transducer. I have come to learn accuracy is the accuracy of depth and not sensitivity.

[dave524]

I've never liked the really wide cone angles even on Lake Ontario. Downrigger balls or fish out near the edge of the cone may really be at 75 or 80 feet down but will show at the 100 foot depth on the finder, basic geometry.

[G.mech]

I've never liked the really wide cone angles even on Lake Ontario. Downrigger balls or fish out near the edge of the cone may really be at 75 or 80 feet down but will show at the 100 foot depth on the finder, basic geometry.

 

Exactly, but you will have a hard time convincing most people that, for the same reason, their cannon balls are not really as deep as they read on their sonar.....

Edited March 22, 2016 by G.mech

[Sinker]

A lot of people really have no idea what they are looking at on that fancy screen on the dash of their boat. Once you figure out what your looking at, a very simple greyscale graph will show you everything you need to know.

 

Too many bells and whistles these days.

 

S.