albernifisher
Well-Known Member
Anyone here using the airmar 260 transducer? Thinking about upgrading from my p66 to the 260 or adding a sonar hub with a tm150 chirp transducer.
airmar 1k transducer
- Thread starter albernifisher
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albernifisher
Well-Known Member
If I remember correctly, I think it was sharphooks who is running a 1k transducer. Maybe he'll chime in here
Sr SQ
Well-Known Member
I have, the 260 is a pretty narrow beam.
Its really suited best for deep water bottom discrimination.
I have since moved up to the 270W and like it much more.
Check out the link and look at the size difference in viewing area between the 2 @ 100'
http://www.airmar.com/uploads/brochures/transom_mount_products1.pdf
Its really suited best for deep water bottom discrimination.
I have since moved up to the 270W and like it much more.
Check out the link and look at the size difference in viewing area between the 2 @ 100'
http://www.airmar.com/uploads/brochures/transom_mount_products1.pdf
I'm not sure what head unit you are running but I just got back from Harbour Chandler and the kind lady behind the counter informed me that the issues they have had particularly with the Lowrance 12 Gen 2 series was that the 1KW transducer kept blowing a diode or something. Apparently a guide was running the P66 or other and a 1KW transducer, and whenever he switched to the 1KW, it would blow the unit. They figured it was the 1KW transducer doing it and unfortunately ran through a few head units. Since then, he strictly uses the less kilowatt transducer and no more issues. I guess if your head unit is no longer under warranty, I would proceed with caution.
I brought in a Lowrance 12 Gen 3 series and my sonar stopped working while prawning. I was using the Lowrance 50/200 transducer, and apparently, I blew a diode or something too. I asked if I should upgrade transducers and she said definitely not. They have had no issues with the factory transducers. Luckily, my head unit was under warranty and she gave me a new head unit. I definitely will be buying the extended warranty for the head unit.
And by the way, I wish HC was in Vancouver.
I brought in a Lowrance 12 Gen 3 series and my sonar stopped working while prawning. I was using the Lowrance 50/200 transducer, and apparently, I blew a diode or something too. I asked if I should upgrade transducers and she said definitely not. They have had no issues with the factory transducers. Luckily, my head unit was under warranty and she gave me a new head unit. I definitely will be buying the extended warranty for the head unit.
And by the way, I wish HC was in Vancouver.
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Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
I've had the M260 in three boats I've owned and sold now. It's a wonderful transducer because if you have the right hull configuration (no wood/foam in the boat bottom) you get a clear crisp picture at 30 knts down to 250 - 300 M
I just installed another M260 in my newest boat (24 foot 20 degree deadrise) and next to it, got the palms all sweaty drilling a hole for a CHIRP transducer
Next to the M260 I installed a B175 HWF Chirp transducer (high-freq, "wide")
The "wide" has a 25 degree beam which complements the M260 (which has a narrower beam)
With the M260 you get targets both shallow and deep at speed. With the B175W, you get the 25 degree beam which is excellent for tracking your gear---it will clearly show a cut-plug spinning at 50M
The small black transducer is a P79----it's an in-hull that operates in extremely shallow water (something the CHIRP transducer does not like to do, especially if the freq. is tuned too high)
I've had the Airmar SS260's (I had a pair of them in my last boat) ---it was a very expensive install---the LF was good for tracking gear but the HF was a waste of money---didn't provide much more target clarity then you would expect from a
$ 100 P66 skimmer stuck to your transom.
Instead of dumping more 1KW transducers in my newest boat, I have a P66 to complement the 1Kw big boys. That P66 is an excellent transducer---a guy who knows the settings on his 50/200 600W rig can easily glean about 80% of what you'd get from the more expensive CHIRPS.
But it's really impressive to see the clean crisp target separation on a CHIRP, something you don't necessarily always get on a 600W unit
I DO NOT mix transducers on the same head set (with a splitter or a "Y" cable or an Airmar junction box) I have a separate MFD for each transducer--that way, no screwing up with the wrong setting or the incorrect wattageoutput
I just installed another M260 in my newest boat (24 foot 20 degree deadrise) and next to it, got the palms all sweaty drilling a hole for a CHIRP transducer
Next to the M260 I installed a B175 HWF Chirp transducer (high-freq, "wide")
The "wide" has a 25 degree beam which complements the M260 (which has a narrower beam)
With the M260 you get targets both shallow and deep at speed. With the B175W, you get the 25 degree beam which is excellent for tracking your gear---it will clearly show a cut-plug spinning at 50M
The small black transducer is a P79----it's an in-hull that operates in extremely shallow water (something the CHIRP transducer does not like to do, especially if the freq. is tuned too high)
I've had the Airmar SS260's (I had a pair of them in my last boat) ---it was a very expensive install---the LF was good for tracking gear but the HF was a waste of money---didn't provide much more target clarity then you would expect from a
$ 100 P66 skimmer stuck to your transom.
Instead of dumping more 1KW transducers in my newest boat, I have a P66 to complement the 1Kw big boys. That P66 is an excellent transducer---a guy who knows the settings on his 50/200 600W rig can easily glean about 80% of what you'd get from the more expensive CHIRPS.
But it's really impressive to see the clean crisp target separation on a CHIRP, something you don't necessarily always get on a 600W unit
I DO NOT mix transducers on the same head set (with a splitter or a "Y" cable or an Airmar junction box) I have a separate MFD for each transducer--that way, no screwing up with the wrong setting or the incorrect wattageoutput
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