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I sent my Lowrance X-17m back to Lowrance for service because it was not reading the bottom/giving the proper depth reading. They tested the unit and came to the conclusion that I have a faulty transducer. They sent me the unit back with a new skimmer transducer no charge because it was still under warrenty. My question is, can I epoxy the skimmer transducer to the floor in the bilge area or do I need to send it back and exchange it for a pod transducer? Is there a noticible difference between a skimmer and pod transducer when mounted on the floor? Also where do I fish the wire from to get from the bilge to the console in a 2006 Puma. Last question, does my flasher ( LCF 1440 ) share the same transducer as the X-17 mounted in the dash ?Thanks,Tony
I prefer the “puck” style. But I have helped people epoxy skimmers and they work. The difficult part is to get it exactly perpendicular to the bottom of the boat. Since it is rounded on the bottom, it can tilt to either side and that screws up the accuracy since you are now measuring the distance to the bottom but off to the left or right of the centerline. Pucks make that nearly impossible to screw up.Also, pucks end up with less epoxy or resin (whichever you use) between them and the hull, which minimizes the tiny air bubbles that reduce signal strength. Done right, there is very little epoxy/resin between the puck and the bottom, potentially giving a bit better signal/noise ratio for better detail. Done right, a skimmer will give that same accuracy. But it is easier to do it wrong.Just my $.02, others may disagree…2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
I disagree, but its no big deal. Neither one are going to be perfect because the boat is never horizontal in the water. There will be a tilt left or right to a degree depending on which side of the boat has the most weight on that side and in addition, the boat is a tad higher in the front than in the back. The pod is easier to install.
We have ground the bottoms of a skimmer flat for using them in the past. Though since you are dealing with Warranty on this, we would try to get a puck style.BCB
Thanks for the info. I will try to exchange it for a puck style. Anyone have any comments about the Humminbird 900 series ? Im thinking about upgrading next season and am on the fence about purchasing another Lowrance or switching at least the console unit to a Humminbird. Any comments would be appreciated.Tony
Our only comment is that is plenty of $$$ unless you intend on keeping your boat. The unit lacks on GPS, though the side scan feature is very neat.It would depend on what type of fishing you do?BCB
Beats anything I have ever seen for detail, but it doesnt work at speed.But you will learn more about the bottom topography with one of those things than you could from a good photo taken from an airplane before the lake was impounded. The detail is amazing. Operation takes a good bit of practice as well, and my little experience with it had me wanting to throw up trying to use one with the ducer mounted on the TM. The person I fished with had one mounted on the jack plate, and one up front on the trolling motor. every wiggle of my foot lost the image.Only down side is that if you are not careful, you will be spending more time looking at all the crap on the bottom, than you spend actually throwing a bait. We found ourselves in an argument about “is that a fish hanging under the edge of that big rock? Yes. No. Moron, it is a fish. Idiot, it is a limb.” I finally said lets throw at it and either catch the fish or snag the limb. Boat owner threw a brickbat of a lure right on top of it and the “limb” promptly disappeared… 2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
The 900s is expensive but a less expensive option is the 797c by hummingbird which has the side imaging. I LOVE IT! I am very frustrated with Lowrance right now. I bought my New 2007 Puma in June of this year and ALL THREE Lowrance units that the boat came with are down. Waiting on Lowrance to repair and send back. I Do like the LMS-332 when it comes to the GPS modes more than the Hummingbird. But hey I am just one man!
I just swapped out my X-102C for a used 987C SI I bought on ebay for well less than half the cost of a 997. I love to play with this stuff but just dont have the funds to shuck out $2K for a “toy”. Ive got some neat spots like the submerged pyramids at Mont Ne already lined up to experiment with the side imaging as soon as I can get out with it. But I have always used a Garmin 232 as my console GPS and will have to see a lot better come along than even the new Lowrance big screens before Ill consider switching. I still have a networked LMS-332 up front though because Lowrances vertical sonar is still the best.Deke[font="]Deke[/font]
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