GARMIN Sonar issue

We recently installed a GARMIN Transducer to go with the 7610svx. There seems to be an issue as we do not mark fish even when we are catching then. Adjusting the gain does not do anything other than just change the color from blues to yellows to reds. Any ideas would be helpful!


Rhonda

Welcome aboard!

Although I see a depth, you'r screen doesn't seem to show the bottom. Is this a shoot-through-the hull installation? if so, you may be having trouble with a cored hull preventing your signal getting through.

If it's just a bad picture and you are seeing the bottom without issue, try changing the frequency - you should have a couple of options to choose from. Fish dont show up as well on some frequencies/ modes (i.e. downview).

It is a through hull, we cut a hole to install it. It is not showing bottom because we were in200 ft of water and targeting fish at the 30-50 ft range. It is set at 135 kHz. Attached is a picture showing the bottom while tied up in the marina.

Thanks for the insight!

Rhonda

You could try calling Garmin tech support.

rwidman said:

You could try calling Garmin tech support.

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I did that. I wanted to see if anyone else had any ideas. They told me interference is getting in the system and to return the unit for a new one. Easier said then done. Haul out, and try to remove. We painstakingly put it in to last.

Is it set for "Auto"? Have you tried a different frequency?

What kind of fish are you trying to catch?
The second pic looks perfectly normal.
To set the gain, change the range to at least twice the bottom depth. Manually raise the gain until a second echo starts to show at twice the bottom depth. Then set the range to whatever you want.

You will not see most of the fish you catch, as the transducer looks straight down and therefore can't show fish that are off to the side. Garmin makes a side view and forward view transducers that will work with that unit to help show fish in other directions, but the performance of those units (despite costing thousands extra for the necessary transducers) doesn't come close to the higher-end searchlight / scanning sonar units made by Wesmar, Simrad and Furuno.

The GT51M (that's what you have,right? That's what you have it set for, I see) should show better fish returns than what you're seeing. There are a couple of fish in your 2nd pic @ around 6' that ought to have more definition. Try a master reset of your unit. Also, I hate to sound like a Garmin "tech" but do you have the latest software? I've seen a software upgrade make a sonar go from almost useless to "Wow! That's a LOT better!".

High Wire said:

What kind of fish are you trying to catch?
The second pic looks perfectly normal.
To set the gain, change the range to at least twice the bottom depth. Manually raise the gain until a second echo starts to show at twice the bottom depth. Then set the range to whatever you want.

Click to expand...

We are fishing salmon in the ocean outside the Columbia River. I will try that when we go out in the next couple days.

Thank you!

boomerang said:

The GT51M (that's what you have,right? That's what you have it set for, I see) should show better fish returns than what you're seeing. There are a couple of fish in your 2nd pic @ around 6' that ought to have more definition. Try a master reset of your unit. Also, I hate to sound like a Garmin "tech" but do you have the latest software? I've seen a software upgrade make a sonar go from almost useless to "Wow! That's a LOT better!".

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Yes we have the GT51M. I will look into the upgrade. The tech did not even mention that as an option. I will try a master reset if i don't need the upgrade and some other tweaks don't work. I would like to do that as a last resort.

Make sure you export a copy of your waypoints before doing any resets!

If you are new to Garmin you should be aware that they publish software upgrades periodically and it's best to install them when they do. They are free downloads from the Garmin website.

Ok here's a stoopid question from an electronics dufus:


How do you get the software updates from Garmin's website to your MFD on your boat?

GFC said:

Ok here's a stoopid question from an electronics dufus:


How do you get the software updates from Garmin's website to your MFD on your boat?

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The instructions are on the website where you get the updates but basically, you download a program from the website to your PC, install an SD card in a slot on your PC, click on the downloaded file to run it and it will expand the update and put it on the SD card.

Then you insert the card into the MFD and follow the prompts.

I suggest printing the instructions so you'll have them to refer to.