Humminbird side imaging Transducer questions

201Pro · Post by **201Pro** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 8:43 pm

For those who own one of these units. I'm curious if you have your transducer mounted inside the hull or outside on the transum!

The Transum mount transducer is $233 on the Humminbird website ... I've knocked a few of in my time and hate to do that with such an expensive transducer. But I was wondering if mounting the transducer inside the hull would affect the side imaging aspect of the sonar! Curious minds want to know. Thanks for your help in advance!

RichThiel · Post by **RichThiel** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:30 pm

Triton Mike · Post by **Triton Mike** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:24 am

201pro, YOu have ZERO choice you HAVE to mount any side imagining sonar outside the bilge. The SI won't penetrate the bilge area like a sonar will. I also WOULD NOT reccomend you put it on the trolling motor.

Several things need to be constant when dealing with side imaging.

1. You need to be going 3 to 6mph for you to get a clear picture Any slower it will be distored. That is why I would not reccomend it on a trolling motor.

2. The ducer needs to be stationary like on your hull. If you put it on your trolling motor and spin your trolling motor to steer the image will be a blur. It's like a camera it needs to be stationary to take a useful picture/data.

Yes the Side Imaging ducer is fairly expensive. I mounted mine high on the transom for this reason. I also don't trust myself hitting something. There is a setup where you can buy a 2nd ducer called a high speed ducer that you can mount in the bilge area. It is strictly sonar and it is activated by a toggle switch. This will allow you to mount your SI ducer high on the transom and when running you can flip the switch and get higher speed sonar readings.

Here is how I have mine mounted on my boat. Note to self don't put it in the way of a tie down strap like I did duh!!

Gary Dobyns · Post by **Gary Dobyns** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:22 am

They have two transducers. I mount one inside the hull as always. The other has to be on the outside as TMike says. There is a switch to use either ducer you want. At high speeds use the one inside of the hull as the other one is out of the water. TMike has a great photo. Also, I never loose bottom contact. My 997 gives me a bottom reading at WOT and in deep water. Great unit. Not cheap, but what is anymore. Gasoline being the worst.

Jeff C. · Post by **Jeff C.** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:39 am

The others are right that you can't mount the side-imaging transducer inside the boat. I have mine mounted on my jackplate.

Also, the old view was that the technology wasn't any good on a trolling motor because you need to be going about 3 mph to get a good image. However, I've heard a lot of people now saying that they mounted the ducer up front and it works. I have the 997 on my console and am now considering getting one for the trolling motor. Check out the Yahoo side imaging forum for lots of discussion on this very issue:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sideimaging/messages

You'll have to register to view the forum but it's clearly the best source for side-imaging info that I've found.

Good luck, Jeff

chadbass · Post by **chadbass** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 11:35 am

You can mount the transducer on the jack-plate and get great results. As far as you needing to move at 3 to 6 miles per hour that is incorrect, maybe for the GPS. You can use the side imaging sitting still and see everything you need to see and then some. As far as mounting the side imaging unit to your trolling motor, you can do that also. It gives you a great opportunity to move the ducer the way you want it to look. You do not just need it shooting out to the left or right. It is the greatest tool that I have ever used as far as searching. Contact me through Mossdale Boats if you have any questions and we will get you handled. Thanks.
Chad Martin

Triton Mike · Post by **Triton Mike** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:02 am

No offense to Chadbass, but this excerpt is copy/pasted right out of the Humminbird manual download found at http://www.humminbird.com/support/FAQ.aspx?faqid=72

scroll to page 31 bottom right hand corner of that manual

Imaging Tips
Boat speed: Side imaging is best performed at boat speeds between 2 to 6 mph. If the boat is stationary, the same information is displayed over and over. If the boat is moving very quickly, there will be gaps between the strips of information. The best boat speed to use will depend on the side range selected. Slower speeds are good for longer ranges, while faster speeds can
be used at shorter ranges.

I can attest if your boat is stationary or not between 2 and 6mph roughly your picture ain't gonna be very useful.

You can use the 2 transducer method that Gary mentions. I have a flasher that I use for high speed readings myself. Just depends on your want's and needs. If I didn't have the flasher I would get the high speed transducer.

Mike