DOUBLE TROUBLE?

[bobkat]

Last year I picked up a new Garmin 545s Chartplotter/fishfinder combo. I like the unit very much. However, I would love to have the ability to view two large screens at once ie, the Chartplotter and the Bottom Fishfinder at the same time. I was thinking of adding my older but still great Raymarine DS500x as a second fishfinder. That way I can use the
Garmin Chartplotter on full screen mode and use the Raymarine Fishfinder at the same time. Does anyone know if this is feasible having 2 transducers in use at the same time? Someone told me that if they are the same frequencies which they are, I can't use them together. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[POGE]

I have a Ray A65 and an A60 both GPS, FF. Not sure on the Garmins, but you should be able to set one FF at 50Khz and the other at 200KHZ ( ie set each one one a different frequency) and it should be fine. Having both sounders on the sam frequency or setting can cancel out the signals. Actually you will see a very comprehensive picture of the bottom at two different frequencies on two different sounders. I did mount my sounders one each side of the motor. I had glassed in a board in the console to hold/mount the digital boxes rather than drill more holes.
On the water magazine "onthewater.com" had an article about sounders in March issue that gave good info on frequencies.

 

[TheOtherLine]

If you are going to use the Garmin as primarily a chartplotter, do you really need a sounder? Doesn't your map give you chart depths?

If you want the exact depth, then yes, you can run two different ducers, at the same time, at the same frequency and still has good reads.

I know this because I have a my Garmin hooked up to shoot thru ducer and my Furuno hooked up to a thru hull tilted element ducer.

I occasionally run them both at the same frequency to compare images.

 

[bobkat]

Thanks for the info guys. The Garmin gives me both chart plotting and fishing finding but you have to either use a split screen to have both visualized or switch back and forth for full screen of either one. I want to have the full screen of the chartplotter while looking at a full screen fishfinder. That is why I want to install the Raymarine unit. I have a in hull transducer for the Garmin and a transom mount for the Raymarine. The ducers are all installed . The Garmin is in the console and the Raymarine will be on top of the console. Altough having them in the console is neater, I find constantly looking down to be a bit distracting to my old eyes ,sorry to say. I'll know for sure if this all works out when I get back in the water in a few weeks and will keep you posted.

 

[mulliganb]

On my last boat I had the Garmin 545s and a Furuno FCV 585 sounder, for the exact reasons you are talking about. I would disconnect the transducer from the 545s and strictly use the raymarine as my sounder and the 545s as my plotter. On my new boat I use the FCV 585 for my sounder and then I have a furuno navnet2 but do not use the sounder function works great.

 

[bobkat]

Thanks for the reply MulliganB! Did you ever try running both transducers and what happened when you did? Also,you say you cansplit the ducer function out of the Garmin and still run the chartplotter. Doesnt the ducer cable have the power source coming in on the same hookup? I am going to get under the covers today to check out that wiring situation and see if I can do what you say. Thanks again. It's getting close now!