Back in 2007 I installed a 3D sounder from Humminbird. It was a blast to use, and saved us lots of time.
3D Sounder Post
Last year I moved up to the 998CSI Side Scan Sonar Model Link to Catalog .
Our goal was to try out the Sidescan technology as another tool to help select dive spots, search larger areas of seafloor, and, well, to be honest, just have a lot of fun doing it. :lol:
Installation of the Side Imaging transducer was the most critical component. I fastened a block of starboard to the transom with 5200, then screwed the transducer mounting bracket onto the starboard, avoiding a transom/core penetration. I positioned the transducer to starboard as far away from tab-wash as I could, and slightly above the bottom edge of the transom, so stray flotsam would do less damage. This picks the transducer up out of the water at high speeds, but side scan is only effective at lower speeds anyway.
The second consideration was whether the OB would interfere with the port side sonar signal. As it turns out, I can actually get a great port-side side-scan image, as the motor is usually trimmed up enough to allow the transducer to shoot between it and the transom. I have a second 2K transducer mounted in “shoot-through” fashion in the hull for high-speed bottom tracing.
I mounted the Humminbird control panel and 9”display in the same dashboard spot as my old 3D unit, but this time I added a 19” flat panel TV LCD on the port side to repeat the video signal in larger format. It’s the same Flatscreen LCD we use for our Seaviewer UW TV camera, so it is dual-purpose. The Humminbird control head has a standard composite video-out port, and the LCD TV is a 12V unit, so there is no need for an inverter.
I used an under-cabinet LCD-TV mount which is designed to mount TVs under kitchen cabinets, allowing you to swing the TV up out of the way when not in use.
I flipped the bracket over and use it “upside down” and pull the LCD-TV up when in use, and push it down, out of the way when docking, or close-quarters maneuvering. It is tension-adjustable, so it holds the LCD securely in place, even under rough conditions.
The Humminbird 998CSI SideScan model is a combo sounder/plotter and compatible with Navionics, so I use the Navionics Gold chip.
The LCD TV is mounted mid-dash, and perfectly viewable from the cockpit, which helps when we are fine-tuning the position of the TV camera when its deployed, and allows all divers to view the bottom images of the sidescan from the cockpit as we approach a new spot. On a bright sunny day, the inside of the cabin on the dash is about the only spot aboard dark enough to view an LCD TV anyway.
I’m still learning how to tweak the settings on this unit. There are about a thousand adjustments to suit conditions and enhance the side scan images. There are controls for which frequencies to use, bottom zoom, sensitivities, contrasts, color palettes, scatter, the permutations and combinations are endless.
The unit can be tweaked to meet any water conditions and bottom types and there is a great online support community dedicated to Side Scan Sonar installation and use.
Link to Side Imaging Forum
The unit includes Down-Imaging as well as Side-Imaging views along with all the standard fish finding overlays and icons. This is strictly a bottom-machine for us, and we don’t have a fishing rod or hook of any kind onboard so I never use the fish-sensing enhancements but I can see dozens of controls for zeroing-in on fish in the water column if we ever decide to use a hook.
The bottom line (pun intended) is that this unit is another tool in our toolbox to help us become more selective with our dives. It has awesome resolution, allowing us to differentiate vegetation, rock formations and other bottom features. I’m not sure about resolution and performance of this unit in water over 200 feet. Some rainy day I’ll take it out for a deep-water test, but for now I’m having too much fun in coastal areas. More fun than a Geek should be allowed to have in salt water. :roll:
3D Sounder Post
Last year I moved up to the 998CSI Side Scan Sonar Model Link to Catalog .
Our goal was to try out the Sidescan technology as another tool to help select dive spots, search larger areas of seafloor, and, well, to be honest, just have a lot of fun doing it. :lol:
Installation of the Side Imaging transducer was the most critical component. I fastened a block of starboard to the transom with 5200, then screwed the transducer mounting bracket onto the starboard, avoiding a transom/core penetration. I positioned the transducer to starboard as far away from tab-wash as I could, and slightly above the bottom edge of the transom, so stray flotsam would do less damage. This picks the transducer up out of the water at high speeds, but side scan is only effective at lower speeds anyway.
The second consideration was whether the OB would interfere with the port side sonar signal. As it turns out, I can actually get a great port-side side-scan image, as the motor is usually trimmed up enough to allow the transducer to shoot between it and the transom. I have a second 2K transducer mounted in “shoot-through” fashion in the hull for high-speed bottom tracing.
I mounted the Humminbird control panel and 9”display in the same dashboard spot as my old 3D unit, but this time I added a 19” flat panel TV LCD on the port side to repeat the video signal in larger format. It’s the same Flatscreen LCD we use for our Seaviewer UW TV camera, so it is dual-purpose. The Humminbird control head has a standard composite video-out port, and the LCD TV is a 12V unit, so there is no need for an inverter.
I used an under-cabinet LCD-TV mount which is designed to mount TVs under kitchen cabinets, allowing you to swing the TV up out of the way when not in use.
I flipped the bracket over and use it “upside down” and pull the LCD-TV up when in use, and push it down, out of the way when docking, or close-quarters maneuvering. It is tension-adjustable, so it holds the LCD securely in place, even under rough conditions.
The Humminbird 998CSI SideScan model is a combo sounder/plotter and compatible with Navionics, so I use the Navionics Gold chip.
The LCD TV is mounted mid-dash, and perfectly viewable from the cockpit, which helps when we are fine-tuning the position of the TV camera when its deployed, and allows all divers to view the bottom images of the sidescan from the cockpit as we approach a new spot. On a bright sunny day, the inside of the cabin on the dash is about the only spot aboard dark enough to view an LCD TV anyway.
I’m still learning how to tweak the settings on this unit. There are about a thousand adjustments to suit conditions and enhance the side scan images. There are controls for which frequencies to use, bottom zoom, sensitivities, contrasts, color palettes, scatter, the permutations and combinations are endless.
The unit can be tweaked to meet any water conditions and bottom types and there is a great online support community dedicated to Side Scan Sonar installation and use.
Link to Side Imaging Forum
The unit includes Down-Imaging as well as Side-Imaging views along with all the standard fish finding overlays and icons. This is strictly a bottom-machine for us, and we don’t have a fishing rod or hook of any kind onboard so I never use the fish-sensing enhancements but I can see dozens of controls for zeroing-in on fish in the water column if we ever decide to use a hook.
The bottom line (pun intended) is that this unit is another tool in our toolbox to help us become more selective with our dives. It has awesome resolution, allowing us to differentiate vegetation, rock formations and other bottom features. I’m not sure about resolution and performance of this unit in water over 200 feet. Some rainy day I’ll take it out for a deep-water test, but for now I’m having too much fun in coastal areas. More fun than a Geek should be allowed to have in salt water. :roll:
