depth finder

[rubicon]

The depth finder on my aluminum boat works fine while I am drifting or running really slow but once I speed up it either blanks out or gives some crazy reading. When I got the boat it was mounted really close to the outboard and Iassumed it was prop turbelence causing my trouble so I moved it to the far right hand corner of the stern and this did not help. Any suggestions?

[echo]

I don't know a whole lot about depth/fish finders, but I do cardiac ultrasound for a living so know a little bit about ultrasound physics. If your transducer is mounted anywhere where some air can flow around it, it will not work. The ultrasound used (at least what we use in medical imaging) is so high frequency that it cannot get through air-that's why the "gel" is used for ultrasound tests, to act as a couplant between the transducer and the patients skin. I would guess that if your unit works at rest/moving slowly and then stops working when moving faster, air is getting around the transducer somehow and you need to reposition it. Let me know, I'm interested if that's the case.

[Allen]

rubicon,

What echo said is dead on the money. The way the transducer is mounted on the back of the boat is very important. For it to work at speed the transducer needs to be mounted to one side or the other of the motor. It also it must be mounted with about half of the body of the transducer below the bottom of the boat. This will keep the transducer in "clean" water at all times. Check on the web site of the maker of the depth finder and see if they have instructions for mounting and operation of the unit you have.

Hope that helps

Allen

[blacktail]

yup
no need to add anything else:D