Question for the Fish Finder experts

[TrollGRG]

I have a Humminbird 597 HD DI. It works great and I am happy with it most the the time. My problem is the unit is not reading the bottom at speed.

It works great and paints a beautiful bottom picture and accurate depth reading until I get to about 10 mph or so then the bottom gets broken up and the depth bounces from whatever it is say 10 feet to 30 to 200. It gets worse with greater speed.

I have tried just about every angle I can to position the the transducer but I can't seem to get it any better (sometimes a lot worse). I've also tried using different frequencies for the sonar.
:angry3:

Any ideas?

[Lund rebel]

From what I read on this is a problem with the transducer, I talked with the guys at the fishing hole about it also, said if it goes wonky most likely a problem with transducer. I will see if I can pull up that article again

[Teamprotz]

Has it done it since install or did it just start ? My guess is improper mounting location / position. If it is not level or is near something creating turbulance , it will read bubbles not bottom and start searching.

[EZM]

I will assume your transducer is not mounted to high or to low and the parting line is in line with the bottom of your hull and not behind a strake.

No issue with the DI sonar - simply stated - after about 5-8 mph the highly sensitive transducer is not able to collect enough data and "paint a picture" for you. It is NOT DESIGNED for high speed use at all.

90% of the complaints guys have with high tech stuff can be fixed with properly setting up the units. No offence to the Fishin' hole guys, but they are not experts in this area.

SI and DI setting collect, analyse and transpose 20 times the data that your standard 2d sonar to give your that "super sexy detail". It simply can't do it fast enough ......... no unit out there will either.

I have a 898c SI/DI HD unit (with all the features) and run two transducers - one dedicated for HD SI/DI (high def side imaging and down imaging) and two other units 858's to collect GPS navigation data and 2d sonar readings.

Using one unit only, and one transducer you simply can't do that.

You need to use your 2D standard def sonar (or a different frequency setting of your dual cone) for high speed readings and contours.

Having explained all that - here's your solution;

1) On your menu/setting set up one "quick view" with a 50/50 split - one on your map/gps and the other side on the highest frequency to capture accurate sonar while your are cruising the lake at high speed.

2) Set up your second "quick view" set up your 50/50 split on DI and your gps/map - you will select or use a high def low frequency on this setting - that way you get your map and still get high def down imaging for still fishing or slow trolling or low speed exploring.

3) set up the third "quick view" on a 50/50 split between 2D (high frequency sonar) and your 3D HD DI frequency to give you real time data (flasher type) on your 2D on one side and the sexy DI on the other.

Problem solved - your unit is now properly set up.

[Kokanee9]

Check the transducer placement. Eyeball the transducer placement with the bottom of the boat. Is it lined up with a row of rivets? Is it placed into the water too much or too little? How about the angle - is it pointed at the bottom relative to when the boat is in the water vs. when it is on a trailer?

If the transducer wasn't working, it wouldn't give a reading under 10 mph.

[Winch101]

Birds need to have the transducer deeper in the water than
Lowr. Skimmers.....should be a rooster tail a foot tall or more .

Flush with bottom of the boat no good ...

[EZM]

My point was - check your settings before you start moving stuff and drilling all sorts of holes. Chances are your KhZ may be set on prioritizing your DI frequency as a default giving you poor readings.

Check out the humminbird forum - you will see hundreds of guys going through this exact issue and everyone telling them to put the transducer deeper - and that's not always the solution.

I'm not saying that isn't the issue - I'm just saying take 90 seconds to check your settings first before your drill holes and move stuff around.

Trust me on this one.

[Walleyedude]

Proper setup is key, the transducers in particular, but the unit settings as well.

Transducers - this has been pretty well covered. Make sure it's deep enough and running in clean water. My best tip is that mounting the transducer level with the bottom of the boat is not necessarily correct, especially when mounting a DI/SI unit. Mark your water line on the boat where it sits in the water, that will be pretty close to the angle when on plane too. The transducer should be level with that water line. Raise or lower your tongue until that water line is level, then use a level to set the angle on your transducer. It's going to look like its angled way upward, but it will give you much clearer readings at all speeds.

I'm not familiar with the capabilities of the Humminbird units, but my Lowrance HDS DI/SI reads clearly until around 40mph or more, it's not a function of computing power or data, it's in the setup.

[TrollGRG]

Lots of great info here guys. Some of it I was aware of but a lot was new to me. I never thought of looking for specific forums :sign0161:

I will be trying severel things till I get it right

Thanks for your help

[EZM]

Proper setup is key, the transducers in particular, but the unit settings as well.

I'm not familiar with the capabilities of the Humminbird units, but my Lowrance HDS DI/SI reads clearly until around 40mph or more, it's not a function of computing power or data, it's in the setup.

100% agree - the Humminbird is more "customizable" in terms of which setting it reads in which modes, on which quick view, with the quick set up menu features, unfortunately, it will default these setting to all views IF they are not set up separately and correctly.

I had the exact same problem and fixed it in 90 seconds - now I get speed / depth readings at all speeds no problem and switch views to HD DI or SI with a quick view key to get the super clear high def pictures below 8 mph.

No unit on the market has the capability to effectively paint an accurate picture at high speeds using HD DI or SI.

[TJG]

May be I missed something but what is the boat make and model?

I have a Humminbird 597 HD DI. It works great and I am happy with it most the the time. My problem is the unit is not reading the bottom at speed.

It works great and paints a beautiful bottom picture and accurate depth reading until I get to about 10 mph or so then the bottom gets broken up and the depth bounces from whatever it is say 10 feet to 30 to 200. It gets worse with greater speed.

I have tried just about every angle I can to position the the transducer but I can't seem to get it any better (sometimes a lot worse). I've also tried using different frequencies for the sonar.
:angry3:

Any ideas?