50 or 200KHZ tranducer????

[Deep C]

The ol amberscope df on the Deep is heading for the happy hunting grounds. Looking at a garmin combo unit to replace it. I'm pretty well settled on a model but now comes a bunch of transudcer options for me to look at. I couldn't give a hoot about speed. Temp really isn't important here excep breaks and I have a back up unit for that. Now there are transom mount units that are cheap and easy. But its my understanding they don't work worth a poop on a deep v inboard. Now that brings us to the other inboard thru hull options.
They have 50 or 200 or combo 50/200 ones. 50 is very reasonable price. 200 is a bit more. The combo is starting to hurt. I seldom look at bottom past 600' which unit do I want to be looking at????

[Capt Joe Haase]

The ol amberscope df on the Deep is heading for the happy hunting grounds. Looking at a garmin combo unit to replace it. I'm pretty well settled on a model but now comes a bunch of transudcer options for me to look at. I couldn't give a hoot about speed. Temp really isn't important here excep breaks and I have a back up unit for that. Now there are transom mount units that are cheap and easy. But its my understanding they don't work worth a poop on a deep v inboard. Now that brings us to the other inboard thru hull options.
They have 50 or 200 or combo 50/200 ones. 50 is very reasonable price. 200 is a bit more. The combo is starting to hurt. I seldom look at bottom past 600' which unit do I want to be looking at????

Well, stay away from Garmin to start with, unless you like fish wish smiley faces on the screen!! But besides that, the obious advantage of 50 khz over 200 is the depth range. You can punch the water deeper, but you loose target resolution. The beam angle on a 50khz is a cone about 38 degrees, but on 200khz it's about 18 degrees. The smaller cone is good for finding fish, and the high frequency gives you good target resolution. Up here we use 38khz for finding mackrel, wich hover a few feet off the ground, and have small swim bladders, that higher machines won't see. You find the food, you find the fish!!

Go with the combo ducer. I wouldn't understand why anyone would sell a single frequency transducer, except for commercial applications.

Take a look at the A65 from raymarine. It's a great sounder/plotter combo, and you can get it with everything you need to run right out of the box.

[Deep C]

I already run this unit on a couple other boats. Its a quick reference thing and does just what I want it to... Again money is an issue... The damn transducers are as much if not more than the unit...

[Flukealot]

You been a charter Capt for how long and you don't know the diff between 50 & 200khz

[Deep C]

30 years... I do know the difference but am no expert at it. Some days I'm running 50 and others I run at 200. Both worked... I was looking for some input on a quick fix.. I could get by with 200 alone but wanted to see other peoples reads on it. The difference was $70 for a 50 $120 for a 200 and $275 for a 50/200... Actually trying to justify being cheap in my own head... It only had to go for this season as I'm doing new electroics when I get back from the islands in May.
It was the first transducer that puked on me in all those years. I don't use a sounder much billfishing. I don't bottom fish so that not what it was there for. I use depth as a quick reference when trolling or live baiting for sails. Out marlin fishing I'm running ranges and gps numbers. I've had boats under me for 30 years that I either owned or captained for others. .
As it wound up there was no quick easy fix. The existing units are a much larger cut through than todays units use. I re routed wiring from a second trandsducer 50/200 temp speed one, that was for my back up in the tower and made it my primary. I then went with an airmar p79 50/ 200 in hull as a back up.
I'll be going to new multi sensor versions with High speed faring blocks during the retro fit.
So tell me Mr. Fluke Guy how long have you been chartering... Can you pass me some billfish tips?

[flatbottom]

go for the 50/200. with little fishes swimming on the screen. Parlay the cost until the SJ Shark Tournament. Then buy a whole new dash board full of electronics....used ones of course, hooked to a 40+. I know how sensitive you are with pesos. We all have our nitch, sucks that yours is bill fish

[Deep C]

In typical Deep Cheap fashion. I circled, sniffed, cried, kicked and screamed. Then did my usual overboard thing and got four transducers with all the whistles and bells... The p79 will feed the new garmin I have comming for up top for now. I moved the Furuno 603 unit out and mounted a 667. Thats the one on the back up right now. I have a spare 525c transducer through this whole thing that I may use to feed the old 603 that I'll move to a new position.
The other fancy transducers I got will be mounted in the spring for a 1650 Furuno I just got and and to go promary for the Garmin up top

[effishinsea]

I,ve been running the Garmin 2006 for 2 yrs and it's been good to me and it does have arches instead of little fishes for targets as far as the transducers I beleive the the extra money for the combi unit is worth it as you can split screen to show both at the same time. I guess with an inboard you would get alot of turbulance at the transom to have a transom mount you need to have the transducer infront of the runnning gear to prevent false signals. Good luck with your new unit!

[2005DreamboatWinner]

go for the 50/200. with little fishes swimming on the screen. Parlay the cost until the SJ Shark Tournament. Then buy a whole new dash board full of electronics....used ones of course, hooked to a 40+. I know how sensitive you are with pesos. We all have our nitch, sucks that yours is bill fish

i 2nd that