Placement of xducer puck

[Splitscreen]

I finally got around to installing my fish finder the other day. I ended up placing the puck in the very center of the kayak, on top of the little dip that runs the length of the yak. Out on the water I ended up pulling the putty up and placing the puck as close to the center as I could because the FF was acting up in some weird ways. (completely inaccurate and unchanging depth readings, screen nearly impossible to read unless sunlight hit it just right ) Moving it helped a little, but I still had quite a few hiccups with it. I'm not sure if I installed the puck wrong, or if it's just because the FF is old and probably has many issues. I also noticed the puck was making some clicking noises every few seconds. I'm not sure if this is normal and it's just the puck sending the signal down, or if there is a problem with some wiring eg. exposed/frayed wires. Any input on this issue would be appreciated. I would really like to get it working so I don't have to dump more money into a new one (although that may have to happen )

The model is a Hummingbird wide 100

[M3_Monstar]

I know the "clicking" is normal, just the transducer sending the signal. I have not yet installed a FF on my yak yet, but i would imagine that you should put it in the middle of the kayak and as close to level as possible.

You mentioned you used putty. Are you using the Duct putty method? If so, i just found out that you need water in the pool you make out of the putty.

[chex]

What was the "unchanging depth reading" stuck at? I find that if there is a void under the transducer, I'll get an unchanging reading of like 1.something feet. So maybe that's the issue. You need a solid path between the transducer and the water (either epoxy/glue or some type of liquid/gel), so that the sonar pings can get transmitted.

Yes, clicking is normal. Think dolphin.

Your location seems good. If you put the transducer in front or back, you'll get saw teeth on your bottom readout from the transducer going up and down all the time.

The fact that your screen was hard to read should not have anything to do with the transducer. Either your brightness/contrast are not set properly, or there's a problem with the FF.

HTH.

[Splitscreen]

Alright. Glad the ticking is normal. I didn't want to put the puck off the center cause itwould be at a small angle and give an inaccurate reading. Before I moved the puck off center it was stuck at 6 ft or something. But its ok to set it over the dip in the yak if it is filled with something? What do you suggest?

[Splitscreen]

I'll see if I can set the puck a little better. In any case a new ff is def something I want to get in the future. Any suggestions for a good one? I'm not looking for anything over the top. I just want an accurate depth and slope reading as well as an accurate fish everything spotter obviously. All the ones I that look decent on basspro.com look like they have terible reviews

[chex]

I'd say the dip of the hull is fine as long as you can set it relatively horizontal.

As far as new FF... I just got one with color, down imaging, GPS/Map, and so far the only thing I like better over my very simple b/w is the map. The map is great. The dual beam is also good, because it can help ID fish that are under vs around.

I've yet to get good use out of the DI, probably because I don't know how to use it, but it does not look like fish are nearly as visible as on the regular sonar. It's good for identifying structure I guess, but there isn't much of that in that bay.

I'd shell out the extra $ for the map. But bear in mind that you'll need to pay an extra $200 or so for a good map chip. And you can always just get an iphone map like iNavX and a waterproof case instead of having it in the FF. Much more handy on the FF.

[nay_sayer]

You mentioned you used putty. Are you using the Duct putty method? If so, i just found out that you need water in the pool you make out of the putty.

You don't need water in a pool for the duct seal mount. I have my transducer mounted in straight duct seal. You just need to make sure there is no air between the transducer and the putty or the putty and the hull.

Knead the putty to make it soft, place it in the spot you want to mount the transducer (use alcohol pad to clean the hull surface before), push it down solid and shape it so that it's flat and about 1/2" thick (at it's thinnest point if filling a depression). Push the transducer into the putty firmly (really firmly). Push the putty that was displaced by the transducer around the transducer sides to "grip" it. Connect to ff and you are done.

This method works very well to get a flat place to mount the transducer if you have a depression for the keel where you want to mount your transducer.

Mine has been through many trips and works fine. It has also been checked against other ff's on group trips to see if the readings were the same, they always were. It also stays in place when I toss the yak around while loading/unloading/cleaning/storing.

[Splitscreen]

Oh! Ok I didn't know to place the puck on top of the putty. Do you have any tips for keeping air bubbles out? If air bubbles are present what should I look for as far as malfunction?

[nay_sayer]

Oh! Ok I didn't know to place the puck on top of the putty. Do you have any tips for keeping air bubbles out? If air bubbles are present what should I look for as far as malfunction?

Keep the duct seal soft (knead it for a while on a warm day) as you place it in the hull and put the transducer into it. This will allow the putty to form to the necessary shape easily thus helping keep out the air. I have the HB Wide 128 which I believe is similar to yours. It will have a blank screen if the water is less than 2 feet deep, I imagine it would do the same if there was an air pocket. That or give a wacky reading that you would recognize as wrong (look at the screen when you are in water you can check the depth on either visually or with your paddle, see if it matches).