mounting 2 transducers

[Tips Up]

So I have a Garmin Fish Finder installed already. I now want to mount a Lowrance GPS/Fish finder that I just purchased as well. (Thanks Islanderguy)
I will mostly use the Lowrance as a GPS and the Garmin as my sounder.

Will the 2 transducers interfere with each other?
Do they need to be certain distance apart?
Anything else to know?

Thanks,
Tips

 

[Charlie]

If the 2 run on the same freq... they "might" interfere? If you get that just change the freq on one. I run twins. The one was all ready mounted, and I mounted the other even with it, on the otherside of center-line, approximately 1 foot or so apart.

 

[Reel Knotty]

Though this isn't an answer to your question, I thought I'd throw it out..
Before my boat went bye bye, I was experimenting with a second sounder mounted at the stern of the boat. As it had a 20 foot transducer cord, I attached the transducer to a styrofoam mini boat I made and towed it 20 feet behind the boat and directly over my running gear. (tension on a tow rope, not the cord!!!! Learned that one just in time )
I found it great for when you are weaving the rockpiles and near shoreline to see if you might hang up as the boat and gear are often not cruising the same "bottoms". Also as the gear constantly was on screen, it was easy to see how much dip or rise your gear got on cornering.

 

[profisher]

You can turn the Lowrance onto simulator mode for the sonar..it will disable the pulse to the transducer and eliminate any interference. I have to do the same. Just go into the menu for sonar and follow to where you can run the simulator..it doesn't effect the gps/plotter. The only thing is if you have a digital depth readout up on the display it won't be accurate while in this mode...you have to get used to ignoring it.

 

[Tips Up]

How about 4" apart?
Boats only 17 1/2' and I don't want to put it on the kicker side. I would like to hook up the sonar so that I have the split screen option if I want it.

Thanks
Tips

 

[ratherbefishing]

2x200khz ducers will interfere with one another no matter how far apart you place them on the boat. Remember, the sound travels down and spreads out as it goes deeper so the beams will cross paths and the return signals will often be mis-interpreted by the wrong ducer. You often see this as 'noise'...dashed vertical lines are most common and I've seen this lots on my Lowrance when fishing in a crowd. It doesn't totally distort the picture but is more of an annoyance. Big boats get away with this as they can change the pulse rates and firing time of the ducer (off-set them) so they do not cause any interference.

If you run one on 50 and the other on 200 then you are good to go - I would run the 50 on the unit I was using as the plotter and use the other as the dedicated 200 which I find is typically better for fishing anyway.

 

[Tips Up]

Thanks
So sounds like I can hook up the GPS right now and put the sonar on demo. Then add the transducer when I want to beside the other transducer if I put them on different frequencies.
Correct?

I may end up putting the transducer on the opposite side but it would be right behind the kicker and may pick up the wash from it?

I like to ask twice and drill once when it comes to boats.

Tips

 

[profisher]

You can have them as close to each other as you want so long as they are different frequencies...if they are the same frequency and both sending pulses to their transducers your boat isn't wide enough to eliminate interference noise. Both my units are dual frequency and I use them in split screen mode, 50 on one side and 200 on the other side of the monitor. When its foggy I turn on the Lowrance gps/plotter and put it on sonar simulator so my Furuno isn't effected. If the Furuno ever goes down I have the Lowrance for backup.

 

[Charlie]

You know they do make thru-hull and in-hull transduces? If you use an in-hull - no drilling required!

http://airmartechnology.com/airmar2005/ex20/RMProducts/ElectCat.asp?ProdID=53&Man=All&PageNo=101

 

[Tips Up]

Thanks for the help.
All hooked up. GPS works, sonar I can't test till I hit the water but I mounted the transducers side by each and will run them on different frequencies.

Tips

 

[madhooshah]

Really good work you are doing, thanks for the informative suggestion. Finally I have a question. How many Kilometer it covered?