Internal or External Antenna on Unit

[Bill Hamilton]

I am a lucky person since my wife bought me a Lowrance 522C Sonar / GPS unit for Christmas. It has the internal antenna and I just wanted your opinions on the internal versus the external antenna. Pros and Cons please. What about installation. My real concern is locating and installing the Skimmer transducer. How difficult? Should I just attempt to remove the old transducer in the bilge and use the same location or put it in a different location? Thoughts please!



Thanks and Merry Christmas!

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Do you have a lowrance in the bilge now Bill?



We can have an install party if you want to!!!

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Depending on the make and model, you might be able to use the existing. If not I would mount it right next to that one instead of going through the headache of removing it.

BF

 

[Aroldo Hernandez]

Congrat's Bill on your new toy. I bought one myself one about 3 months back. I defenetly engoy it alot. You cant go wrong with a internatal antena. Just wait and see who else will do this. As far as the transducer you have to go inside the hull. Leave the old one there in case that you should sell your boat. Then you would just install the old fish finder back in there. I installed my transducer inside the hull and left the old one there. Don't even try pulling the old one off without doing any damage. My fish finder goes inside the dash board. I just had to cut open the dash a little beat not much. The old one feats perfect back in it's place. If she didn't get you the temp reader. You will have to buy it seperate. I had to do that. And be ready to install the transducer. you will have to take out your batteries and lot's off stuff. Well it all depends where is the old one is at. On my baot you can't see the transducer's without you have to take out all of the batteries and the panel where the batteries seat. It looks hard but one you start working on it. It will get alot easier than it looks. I did mine by myself. I want to buy me another one for my trolling motor and read of the old Garmin 250.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Bill,

Congrats on the new combo unit. Great sonar / gps. You asked for Pro's and Con's.



My preference on internal / external is the external antenna, simply because I like to flush mount mine in the dash. The internal units can have some problems receiving the GPS signal if you install them in the dash, depending on the boat. Some boats have thin material in the dash, allowing the signal to still make it through. Some have thicker material, making it almost impossible for the antenna to ever receive the signal. If you are mounting it in external mounts, rather than in dash, you should have no problems with signal reception at all.



For the transducer - it depends on what you currently have. If you are replacing a Lowrance unit that had blue connectors, you can still use the previous transducer. If not, I would mount the new transducer close to the same position as the old one, but do not remove the old one if possible. I've seen people create more problems than good by removing old ones to put new ones in their place. Follow the prep instructions to the letter, ensuring your don't have any bubbles in the epoxy, and that the surface is prepped correctly.



If you need help, I'd be happy to come down and install it, as well as go fishing on Anna immediately afterwards. . I've got a "little" bit of experience with these things. :lol:



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Mini]

The grey connector transducer should work with that unit too. It did for me on my x28cHD.

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Glenn (and others) Thanks for the helpful tips. I do NOT plan on installing it in the dash so I think I will be OK with the internal antenna. I do no currently have Lowrance on the boat so I am afraid I am going to have to bite the bullet and pull all the batteries and trays and assorted and sundry "stuff" from the bilge area to install the Skimmer transducer. Instructions said to use epoxy from LEI. Any thoughts as I am to understand that just any old epoxy is not right and ANY bubbles will lead to a less than great install.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Bill,

The transducer should have come with a little thin flat package of 2 part epoxy. It is probably with the paperwork, as it is flat, not a tube or anything. If you need some, don't buy it. I've got several packages of it in my garage (somewhere! :lol: ). The thought from Lowrance probably is - provide the customer with the correct epoxy with the rest of the package, to keep them from using something that may not work as well or at all. I've known people to use other epoxy's - particularly the 5 minute stuff. Mixed results - some good, some terrible. I think most of it comes down to proper prep work in the bilge, prior to putting the epoxy down. I put any epoxy I'm working with - Lowrance supplied, rod wrapping finish, etc... in a little metal container (steel measuring scooop), and heat it up slightly underneath with a lighter. That seems to get all the bubbles out of ANY epoxy mix. I also use a metal stir stick - wood stir sticks just create more bubbles.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Glenn - Negative on the flat epoxy. Not in the box. If you can find it in the garage I will send you my address and if you wouldn't mind mailing it I would appreciate it. Or even better still, bring it with you when you come fish the hot side this Friday or Saturday. We are kinda having a mini-not-so-memorial. LOL

 

[Jon Strong]

I used silicone adhesive to install my puck in the bilge after a local shop suggested the tip. Works just fine. Over 1yrs use and still working good.



JS

 

[TritonGlenn]

Bill,

I'm dropping the epoxy in the mail tomorrow. Took a bit of searching, but came across it in fairly short order.



Sorry jstrong98 - not trying to offend or anything, so please do not take it that way, but I do not recommend the silicone adhesive at all. It may work for some, but it's not the right thing to use, and is nowhere near as strong as epoxy for holding it there. The only adhesive type that I would consider for marine use is 5200 for permanant, 4200 for semi-permanant, and those are too thick and non-transparent to ensure all bubbles are completely out for this type of use. Some types of silicone have corrosive properties that are not friendly to electronics gear or exposed metal either, so any temp sensor on that puck would be subjected to that. I avoid regular silicone in marine type applications all-together. If it doesn't say 3M on the tube, it probably won't be used to seal / adhere anything on any of my rigs, or anything I work on. Again - not trying to be rude or arguementitive - just trying to help out with an understanding of what some of those non-marine adhesives will do in a boating environment.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Jon Strong]

No offense taken, I guess when I install my extra bilge pump I should go ahead and epoxy mine in as well.



JS

 

[TritonGlenn]

JS - Whoa! Bilge pumps are a different lot. Sorry for the confusion if I caused any. I wouldn't epoxy a bilge pump in - I'd go with the aforementioned 3M 4200 sealant. It's made for just such a project. If you epoxied in a bilge pump, it would be a fairly permanant part of your boat from that point on. You probably couldn't remove it without destroying it. The 4200 will hold it in place properly, but allow you to remove it later if need be (for replacement, etc...).



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Jon Strong]

LOL, I just meant that I would be moving the batteries and all to get to the bilge !!



JS