Mucking Around with Depth Sounders

[Brad Elbein]

I've had a depth meter on my boat for a couple years, but until I moved to my current lake, have never had to worry about it. Well, now I have to worry, and worried I am. Yesterday I was out for a sail, trying to figure out if the depth meter worked, and it reads what appears to be gibberish: 387, 194, 25, --, and then 265 or whatever. This in water that the chart says is no more than 42 feet. What's up with this? Do all depth sounders do this--is it normal?--do I just figure that the lowest number is right, or average them and take the square root?--or is mine on the fritz? Are there adjustments that I can make to it to have it read properly (I notice there are buttons and switches on the back...)?

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners]

Transducer

Hi Brad,It could be a number of things. Have you checked the connections between the display and the transducer? Is the transducer mounted inside the boat or is it a thru-hull type? It's possible that the transducer itself is bad and you'll have to replace it. If you end up replacing the whole thing, look into buying a good fishfinder. They're about the same price as a decent depthsounder plus they give you the contour of the bottom. Very cool!LaDonna

 

[Rob Rich]

I second LaDonna

Have a Lowrance model and it's fantastic. It allows you to see a graphic readout of the floor as you go over it. I think Texoma is dammed, like Travis, so that capability comes in real handy when you pass over a submerged hill.If you only need to replace the transducer, there is currently a post on the Catalina Owners site that discusses how to do it - very easy.Best of Luck and let us know what you find out!Rob