BT 175 TXW Depth Finder Doesn't Work at Speed

[John M2]

Hello,



I bought a 2010 Bass Tracker 175 TXW about 9 months ago and the depth finder doesn't work if I go above 5-10mph. Is this normal or should the depth/fish finder work at all speeds? BPS told me that it will not work above 'trolling' speeds, but I wanted to ask you all this too as this just doesn't seem right to me.



Thanks!



-John

 

[John M2]

I searched the forum and I found a post where some where moving the transducer to the pad area is recommended. Is this something that BPS should do? I wonder if this would void the warranty.



Does anybody who has done this and was able to make it work have pictures? I would hate to have to drill a million holes in the boat just find the 'right' location.



Thanks!

 

[ND Bass]

I extended mine downward by making my own bracket extension. My boat is in storage but there is an older thread from last summer that should show some pics.

 

[John M2]

Hey, Thanks NDBass! I'll see if I can find that thread.

 

[ND Bass]

Try this John



Search on "Transducer pt185", Match All Words and search All Posts...you'll find some threads there...here's a pic I found...

 

[John M2]

Thanks again, NDBass! I couldn't find the thread but the pic of that bracket looks to be a great fix. I'll find some stainless hanger iron and see if I can work something out like in the pic.



Thanks!

 

[Ken Sabin]

Ive have experience with 4 different boats. All have had transducers at the rear on the transom. None have worked above trolling speed. Have used both Humminbird and Lowrance units.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Do you get a lil' rooster tail off the back sticking down that far?

 

[ND Bass]

Tee, yes but open to other alternatives.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I agree that the best place would be at the bottom of the stepped transom but, I'd have it knocked off the first time I'd go to my stump field:wacko:

I angled mine foward and I don't lose bottom til' about 30 MPH...I can't catch fish going that fast anyway:lol:

 

[Scott Allen]

Mine works up to top speed on my BT 165 (about 25 mph on a good day). It's mounted right where it was installed at the factory.



Scott

 

[joe currier]

before you condem the transducer location try this.

go into the menue of you depth finder and increase the ping speed and scroll speed.

and see if this solves your problems before any drastic modifacations.

 

[Humminbird Greg]

Hey guys, regardless of brand all sonar and transducers work about the same. If you want high-speed depth readings you have to get the transducer mounted in an area where it has a constant flow of air bubble free water as sonar does not have the power to read through air very well. Typically this is as low and to the center of the hull as you can get it as this is the lowest point of the boat and is less likely to have air mixed in with the water. Problems arise though if you mount the transducer in front of the lower unit as we have had reports of cavitation that prevented cooling water intake to the motor and of propellers spinning/blowing out. You also need to be concerned that with the transducer mounted below the level of the hull; that it could be damaged by debris or stumps, trees and rocks like TEE

 

[John M2]

Wow, thanks for all of the replies.



First, I'll try Joe's suggestion of playing with the ping and scroll settings to see if that fixes it. I hope that works as it sounds like the easiest fix. Thanks, Joe.



Then I'll try NDBass's method of extending the bracket and see if that works for me. That would be a good fix b/c I wouldn't have to drill holes.



Tee, if I could get mine to work at 30mph that would be great because that's my top speed. I've never caught a fish at 30mph either...heck, I have a hard enough time time at 0mph!



Thanks, Greg for the information. I really wish that someone would figure out a way to make an inside-the-hull transducer work with aluminum. That would be the very best solution and would make that person/company rich!



I think I'll shy away from putting any additional holes in the boat, regardless. While it is annoying to lose the bottom at speed, it is something that I can live with if I have to.



Thanks again for your replies!

 

[Humminbird Greg]

John,

We actually did some experimenting with inside-the-hull transducers for aluminum boat hulls many years back. What we found was that we could make one work for a particular boat but it would not work well for another boat of the same make and model. The reason for this is that there are variances in the aluminum alloy as well as differences in the thickness of the aluminum itself.



I know of several guys who have installed transducers inside-the-hull of an aluminum boat and it work well for them. Unfortunately this is a hit and miss deal. If you want to try this I would recommend a non-permanent method such as setting up a make shift transducer bath by using a piece of PVC set vertically in your hull. Seal it to the hull with silicone (so that it is removable) and fill with water. Place the transducer inside of the PVC and weight it down with something so it doesn

 

[Mini]

http://www.airmartechnology.com



These folks make a shoot thru hull transducer for aluminum boats.

 

[Humminbird Greg]

Mini,

Can you post a link to their shoot thru transducer for an aluminium boat please?



Greg Walters at Humminbird

 

[John M2]

Greg,



That's interesting about the variances in aluminum between boats of a particular model. It does make sense but I had never considered that. Thanks for the information. I'm guessing that a through-hull type transducer would probably be unwise on an aluminum boat. I just don't know that I could ever bring myself to cut a hole in the hull anyway.



Mini,



Thanks for the link, but I was also unable to figure out which transducer is the one for aluminum.



Thanks for the replies guys!



I haven't yet had time to try any of the recommended solutions yet, but I hope to this weekend. I'll report back my findings when I do.