New Chirp Depth Transducer
- Thread starter Pgitug
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what_barnacles
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it all depends on the fishfinder and the transducer itself.
the FF I bought from academy has both down and side looking chirp but it has never come close to the propaganda pics...
The absolute best FF I have had was 12" FF from lowrance but it was coupled to a $2500 transducer that was so sensitive we could record the bait and sinker dropping to 90 feet.
I will soon move to raymarines down/side chirp transducer but no idea how well it will do. Its an odd shaped unit so who knows maybe it will actually paint that submerged bridge. LOL
One thing is for sure, there is a ton of information on how to get the most from chirp that wasnt out there when I bought the one from academy.
the FF I bought from academy has both down and side looking chirp but it has never come close to the propaganda pics...
The absolute best FF I have had was 12" FF from lowrance but it was coupled to a $2500 transducer that was so sensitive we could record the bait and sinker dropping to 90 feet.
I will soon move to raymarines down/side chirp transducer but no idea how well it will do. Its an odd shaped unit so who knows maybe it will actually paint that submerged bridge. LOL
One thing is for sure, there is a ton of information on how to get the most from chirp that wasnt out there when I bought the one from academy.
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tpbrady
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PgiTug
I have a Raymarine through hull downvision transducer that provides pretty good bottom resolution. You can see the bigger things that might cause a problem anchoring (logging debris). On occasion I can see large cables (2 inch) sticking above the bottom but can't see ground lines from crab and shrimp pots on the bottom. i managed to hook an abandoned one this fall that I had to cut to retrieve the anchor. When bottom fishing I can see jigs going down and coming up if they are in the sonar cone. The downvision doesn't do as good a job on fish as the the 200 khz sonar but running them in split screen gives you a better picture of the bottom structure where you see fish. I was really impressed with the bottom lock on the downvision as it will stay in contact with the bottom down to 600 feet. My first generation Lowrance lost the bottom around 80 feet.
Tom
I have a Raymarine through hull downvision transducer that provides pretty good bottom resolution. You can see the bigger things that might cause a problem anchoring (logging debris). On occasion I can see large cables (2 inch) sticking above the bottom but can't see ground lines from crab and shrimp pots on the bottom. i managed to hook an abandoned one this fall that I had to cut to retrieve the anchor. When bottom fishing I can see jigs going down and coming up if they are in the sonar cone. The downvision doesn't do as good a job on fish as the the 200 khz sonar but running them in split screen gives you a better picture of the bottom structure where you see fish. I was really impressed with the bottom lock on the downvision as it will stay in contact with the bottom down to 600 feet. My first generation Lowrance lost the bottom around 80 feet.
Tom
diver dave
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NOt really a better bottom picture. It provides more pulse power "ON" time, and combines with a swept frequency so it has the capability of better target resolution and discrimination. So, better as a structure and fishfinder. The actual bottom you don't need CHIRP to see well. If you want to find a minnow near a branch, then it makes that possible, sometimes.
Many finders now have side view/forward view, etc too, which is not exactly related to chirp.
Airstream345
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As we're evaluating new electronics this is a timely discussion. It seems most "packaged" systems are intended for fishing from smaller boats w/ outboards so you can add a transducer to the transom. For trawlers the price goes up considerably for a through hull version with a fairing block.
I'm not a big fishing person (yet?), but I like the idea of seeing things below the boat and updating my current 30+ year old depth sounders.
Do many people run both chirp and side scan or do they come in the same transducer?
I'm not a big fishing person (yet?), but I like the idea of seeing things below the boat and updating my current 30+ year old depth sounders.
Do many people run both chirp and side scan or do they come in the same transducer?
I have a Garmin 5" on my Whalers and I'm pleased with the definition you see on the bottom. Here's a photo taken while cruising at 17mph in 26' of water. The slower you go the more definition you get. At idle speeds you can see just about every twig, stick, tree trunk, etc on the bottom down to about 100' depth.
tpbrady
Guru
AirStream,
On my last trawler I actually used a transom mount and ran the cable into the area under the aft cabin bed where you accessed the rudder. I had an easy run from there to the helm. I don't have that easy of access in the Nordic to do the same thing but if I was going to do side view, I think I would opt to try it.
Tom
On my last trawler I actually used a transom mount and ran the cable into the area under the aft cabin bed where you accessed the rudder. I had an easy run from there to the helm. I don't have that easy of access in the Nordic to do the same thing but if I was going to do side view, I think I would opt to try it.
Tom
diver dave
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It is an almost dizzying number of options now. I run a 4 or 5 combined element system on an outboard boat. My side view is high frequency for good close resolution. SV is fixed freq, not chirp. I have both chirp and conventional bottom elements. SV works ok in shallow water. More a toy in deeper water. SV of course is best done with a towable fish to get the geometry to work.
There are split transducer options
There are split transducer options
diver dave
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For a port side looking and a stb side and down looking. More $. I suppose on a displacement trawler you could consider a front mounted transducer pair but i have no direct experience with that. Would be nice to see bottom sooner than later!
OP
OP
Pgitug
Guru
I did get a Chirp Sending unit installed where the old ST60 series depth transducer was. 20 degree hull unit wired to my Raymarine A98. Picture is great and the Raymarine Chirp Transducer was less than $190 from Defender.
North Baltic sea
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i like look foward future deep. Litle bit my echopilot FLS https://vimeo.com/241873955
NBs
NBs
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Codger2
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My Raymarine eS128 has chirp but all it shows is the bottom contour, no structure, etc. I have been told by the dealer that sold the unit to me that Chirp is not good in salt water but is excellent in fresh water. I'm having a hard time believing this as it was not mentioned at the time of purchase.
As was previously mentioned, the picture doesn't even come close to the published ads.
As was previously mentioned, the picture doesn't even come close to the published ads.
Airstream345
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I'm planning to add one of these shortly so I can decommission the current Raytheon depth sounder. No holes in the hull and I can install it without hauling (which is good as my Raytheon is dying)
Then at the next haul-out I'll add a second one then remove and fiberglass over the two old transducer thru-hull holes.
It's under $200, saw it on Amazon recently for $170
https://buy.garmin.com/en-SG/digital/p/530269
Then at the next haul-out I'll add a second one then remove and fiberglass over the two old transducer thru-hull holes.
It's under $200, saw it on Amazon recently for $170
https://buy.garmin.com/en-SG/digital/p/530269
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Comodave
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My Raymarine eS128 has chirp but all it shows is the bottom contour, no structure, etc. I have been told by the dealer that sold the unit to me that Chirp is not good in salt water but is excellent in fresh water. I'm having a hard time believing this as it was not mentioned at the time of purchase.
As was previously mentioned, the picture doesn't even come close to the published ads.
What does Raymarine say? I would not trust the dealer. If in fact it isn’t good for salt water, why did he sell it to you?
Conrad
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On Blue Sky we don't have a CHIRP system, but we do have a Simrad Structurescan and a Furuno 588 fish finder (the model has a letter or two ahead of the number but I'm not aboard so not sure).
The Structurescan is great to about 300'; we can look at wrecks, rocks (Ripple Rock is a fav) etc.
The Furuno is reliable to about 1000'; on occasion it has read to 1400'.
The Structurescan is a great tool for exploring and entertainment while the Furuno is a great fish finding and navigation tool.
The Structurescan is great to about 300'; we can look at wrecks, rocks (Ripple Rock is a fav) etc.
The Furuno is reliable to about 1000'; on occasion it has read to 1400'.
The Structurescan is a great tool for exploring and entertainment while the Furuno is a great fish finding and navigation tool.
Comodave
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On Raymarine’s website it says the Chirp has a 200kHz for inshor fishing and a 50kHz for offshore fishing, now that kinda sounds like salt water to me. I think that your dealer has something wrong, either the installation or his thought process.
diver dave
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He has salt water confused with deep water. Maybe confused with side view also.
what_barnacles
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MYTraveler
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Chirp sounds good in theory, but in practice I would say that Garmin's latest and greatest is a disappointment, especially for bottom fishing in a couple hundred feet.
A couple weeks ago, I went rock cod fishing with a buddy on his boat, with the latest Chirp from Garmin. We went to all of our favorite spots, but couldn't "see" any bottom fish, and only caught a few. It was as if all of the fish had disappeared, but rock cod don't normally behave that way, and the party boats reported normal counts. I think I know why the Chirp let us down:
Chirp units,by design, have less power at any given frequency than comparable conventional technology FFs, but more total power because they transmit through a band of frequencies. The problem is that the signals attenuate much faster at higher frequencies, so a Chirp looses all benefit of transmitting at the higher frequencies and performs as the functional equivalent of a low power conventional FF.
If my theory is right, it would explain the comment above about Chirp not being good for salt. I don't think it is the salt per se, but instead the relatively deeper water that is often fished.
By contrast, my FF puts out 3000 watts and returns a crystal clear picture of bottom structure and every fish hiding down there. But, it is a sizeable investment.
A couple weeks ago, I went rock cod fishing with a buddy on his boat, with the latest Chirp from Garmin. We went to all of our favorite spots, but couldn't "see" any bottom fish, and only caught a few. It was as if all of the fish had disappeared, but rock cod don't normally behave that way, and the party boats reported normal counts. I think I know why the Chirp let us down:
Chirp units,by design, have less power at any given frequency than comparable conventional technology FFs, but more total power because they transmit through a band of frequencies. The problem is that the signals attenuate much faster at higher frequencies, so a Chirp looses all benefit of transmitting at the higher frequencies and performs as the functional equivalent of a low power conventional FF.
If my theory is right, it would explain the comment above about Chirp not being good for salt. I don't think it is the salt per se, but instead the relatively deeper water that is often fished.
By contrast, my FF puts out 3000 watts and returns a crystal clear picture of bottom structure and every fish hiding down there. But, it is a sizeable investment.
Airstream345
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Installed my Garmin in hull and sea trialed it yesterday. Very easy to install and I’m super happy with the results.
