so i wanted to add a 1kW transducer in order to get better sonar defintion on suspended fish. discussions here and elsewhere suggested that the Airmar SS264W in 200khz was going to be a good choice. so i attended the Seattle boat show to try and figure out the rest of the puzzle. i spoke with Furuno, Garmin and Raymarine folks, watched their demos on clarity of sonar signals and picked up the cut sheets to read a bit more.
questions arose so i sent emails to the Furuno tech support folks, 3 weeks later a response of questionable enlightenment returned. Garmin usually took 1-2 days for their tech support to respond, most offen with incorrect information. Airmar usually took a day and always had the spot on correct information along with some practical tips. Raymarine has a loggon tech site staffed by folks as apparently their full time job. 1-2 hours with detailed 'this is how you do it' complete with wiring diagrams and part numbers.
but knowing that ripping out a rock solid system and drilling a 4" hole in the bottom of my boat would undoubtely lead to issues, i kicked back and waited for the Miami boat show where new stuff is typically made public. and true to form, Ray announced a stand alone GPS/sonar unit that includes a 200khz transducer and on top of that supports chirp. unlike the previous chirp solutions which tout 6,000' accuracy, this one seems aimed at the fisherman and is focused on up to 600'.
this leaves my current network in place, adds a redundant GPS and adds chirp which i didn't think would be in the cards.
if you embark on this journey, plan on wasting a good deal of time and energy. the boat yard who will do this work related similar experiences with Furuno and Garmin so be prepared.
questions arose so i sent emails to the Furuno tech support folks, 3 weeks later a response of questionable enlightenment returned. Garmin usually took 1-2 days for their tech support to respond, most offen with incorrect information. Airmar usually took a day and always had the spot on correct information along with some practical tips. Raymarine has a loggon tech site staffed by folks as apparently their full time job. 1-2 hours with detailed 'this is how you do it' complete with wiring diagrams and part numbers.
but knowing that ripping out a rock solid system and drilling a 4" hole in the bottom of my boat would undoubtely lead to issues, i kicked back and waited for the Miami boat show where new stuff is typically made public. and true to form, Ray announced a stand alone GPS/sonar unit that includes a 200khz transducer and on top of that supports chirp. unlike the previous chirp solutions which tout 6,000' accuracy, this one seems aimed at the fisherman and is focused on up to 600'.
this leaves my current network in place, adds a redundant GPS and adds chirp which i didn't think would be in the cards.
if you embark on this journey, plan on wasting a good deal of time and energy. the boat yard who will do this work related similar experiences with Furuno and Garmin so be prepared.