Transducer Issues

[sparky1423]

Fish finder = Lowrance X-4
Age = 4 months
Trials = 4 trips out in 4 separate bodies of water
Installation = marine goop, installed at dealer before shipped....in hull

My fish finder has been reading black vertical lines on all four separate occasions. I have came to the conclusion that the transducer is not working properly and it is not water conditions. The black vertical lines are visible across the entire screen from powering up to powering down. They are about a half inch in diameter and spaced about 1/4" apart. In between the lines are the contours of the bottom and an occasional fish, these reading are very difficult to read. This lines do move across the screen consistently with the normal speed of a fish finder display. To visualize, it looks as if the depth range is constantly trying to change, but keeps resetting every half second or so.

My temperature and voltage reading are consistent and correct. My depth range numbers do convert properly when the bottom changes significantly. Although, in some situations I could be in 10ft of water and the depth gauge will 140ft...I believe this is caused by the issue of the transducer. Some possible issues I have seen with the installation is:

1. There is a minimal amount of marine goop--the goop is only visible on the bottom and not around the sides. Yesterday, Goody and GFY1979 noted
that the sides and rear of the transducer should be covered with the installation material for it to worker properly.

2. Underneath the transducer is a very small V or keel that is part of the bottom contour of the kayak. I have taken a flashlight and inspected the area.
No signs of air bubbles are present, but difficult to see under the actual transducer.

3. When stored in the garage, one harness strap is very close to the transducer area, possible stress could be present in the transducer area, causing
possible movement to the transducer??

Anyway, last night I covered the sides up duct seal and contacted the dealer. He stated, if issues are still present to remove the transducer with a small amount of heat to make the goop slightly pliable. Test the transducer itself buy physically placing it in a body of water.

Solutions I can try:

1. Test the transducer with the additional duct seal added to the sides and rear of unit

2. Remove transducer and test the transducer out in my pool, which has a depth of 5'6".

Re-installation ideas (comeonfish's video was very helpful):

1. Install completely with duct seal

2. Install a ring of duct seal and use the "wet well" technique

I would like to keep the transducer in the hull to prevent any physical harm. My scupper holes are flush with the bottom, so that type of mounting is highly discouraged. Any ideas or suggestions...I would like to get this fixed before the Jamboree.

Thanks,
Jeremy

[Rockchaser]

Sounds like they didn't use enough GOOP. I had a transducer come loose from its GOOP a few years ago and was able to remove all of the old GOOP and redo it. You can use foam and cut a center hole for the trams to sit in and fill the whole thing with GOOP. Or go with Duct seal.

[Rockchaser]

Oh and I would test the unit when you have apart just to make sure it is working. It would suck to do all the work and find out it was a bad wire or something.

[sparky1423]

Sounds like they didn't use enough GOOP. I had a transducer come loose from its GOOP a few years ago and was able to remove all of the old GOOP and redo it. You can use foam and cut a center hole for the trams to sit in and fill the whole thing with GOOP. Or go with Duct seal.

I am assuming I would cut an oversizes hole, fill it with goop and then press the transducer in the cavity?

[J.A. Veil]

I have mounted transducers on two kayaks and a small fiberglass boat using Goop. I never had a single problem. I poured out a puddle of Goop, set the transducer in the middle and rocked it gently to get it set in place. Then I placed a heavy weight on it overnight to make sure it did not move while it hardened.

When I got rid of those three boats, I needed to remove the transducer. I was amazed at how much the Goop had hardened and how tight the adhesion was. It took a lot of work to get the transducer off the floor. Then it took more work to get the residual hardened Goop off the transducer. But after I had removed all traces of the Goop, the transducer was fine and worked normally.

When I installed a transducer on my new Manta Ray 14 last fall, I used the duct seal method. Some MKF members like to create a wet well with duct seal and place the transducer in the water. I chose to make a dry installation using duct seal on the bottom and sides, with one strip coming over the top to hold the transducer in place. I get excellent sonar signals (sometimes I can actually see the jighead moving up and down on the screen when jigging - the faint line between 20 and 25 ft), but the temperature readings are not very accurate.

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[ronaultmtd]

I went a totally different direction with my new Elite 5 dsi this time- Used a Mad Frog Liberator mini setup with a scotty electronics mount to have a slick and clean, in the water transducer mounting system that is easily removed to have a clean deck- everything works as advertised- water temps, speed, totally accurate readings- no question marks whatsoever-

[sparky1423]

Thanks for all the input, just got home and launched the kayak in the pool. I kept the duct seal attached to the transducer and gave it a few extra hugs to seal everything well. Looks like it worked, I even marked a few fish....could be a possible meet and greet in the future! The horizontal readings are hard to read for me, unsure if the water is above the black area, or below. Unsually there is no space between the image of the bottom and the bottom of the screen. The images might be screwy becuase the pool is fiberglass and the water is surprisingly clear. I am thinking it's the reflection that is giving me strange readings, or just inexperience with a fish finder.

When I graduate to the higher level, I might invest in something better..sounds like you have the mothership aboard Ron. I do like Yakfish's set up also. I am happy (finally) with my $80 fish finder...I plan to get a few runs in before I hit the flats to be sure.

[LoudounFisher]

You unit is a lot like mine but without GPS. Same actual manufacturers.

Above the black is the water. The solid black indicates a solid bottom. You can adjust the grayline settings to accurately differentiate the composition of the bottom. A soft bottom isn't so defined.

I think it may have to do with your settings. What size is your depth display set to? What's the minimum depth increment it will display? Also check the depth range setting.



Here are some examples of how mine adjusts for depth. Bottom composition seems to be a factor too when in auto mode. I pretty sure mine uses the full screen even for really shallow water.

[sparky1423]

My minimum depth increment is 10ft. Basically I have everything set to auto. I know the sensitivity is set to 100%. I haven't touch the settings, too busy trying to catch fish. Also, It was read haywire until today. Honestly, I could use some advice on adjustments, my manual is very vague. I tried investing on some fishing forums, but it's usually a p#ssing match who has the better set up.

I figured the black line was the bottom, but I saw some black shapes under the line that confused me. Hopefully that was caused by the bottom of my pool being extremely glossy. Also marking fish in the pool really confused me! Being $80, I don't expect a whole lot.

[LoudounFisher]

I just checked my settings.

Sensitivity= 82%
Grayline= 74%
Auto Depth Range=X

Sonar features:
Water Clarity= high
Noise rejection= high

Chart Manual Mode= X

Sonar Chart Mode= Grayscale
other options are Reversed Grayscale, Bottom Black and Fish Reveal.


I also have the Fish ID turned off. Mostly false hits with it on.

[sparky1423]

I just checked my settings.

Sensitivity= 82%
Grayline= 74%
Auto Depth Range=X

Sonar features:
Water Clarity= high
Noise rejection= high

Chart Manual Mode= X

Sonar Chart Mode= Grayscale
other options are Reversed Grayscale, Bottom Black and Fish Reveal.


I also have the Fish ID turned off. Mostly false hits with it on.

I appreciate your time Loudoun, I am going to plug these numbers in tonight. Hopefully I can get on the water soon for a test run. Fish ID turned off, huh...Its encouraging see though big goldfish crackers under my kayak!

[Yak Fish]

Thanks for all the input, just got home and launched the kayak in the pool. I kept the duct seal attached to the transducer and gave it a few extra hugs to seal everything well. Looks like it worked, I even marked a few fish....could be a possible meet and greet in the future! The horizontal readings are hard to read for me, unsure if the water is above the black area, or below. Unsually there is no space between the image of the bottom and the bottom of the screen. The images might be screwy becuase the pool is fiberglass and the water is surprisingly clear. I am thinking it's the reflection that is giving me strange readings, or just inexperience with a fish finder.

When I graduate to the higher level, I might invest in something better..sounds like you have the mothership aboard Ron. I do like Yakfish's set up also. I am happy (finally) with my $80 fish finder...I plan to get a few runs in before I hit the flats to be sure.

Pool!? That's a pretty convenient test bed. Before you know it, we'll be up there testing lures with snorkeling gear.
I had similar issues as you are saying. Everyone says the goop works great, but I couldn't get it to work. That's how I ended up with the setup that I have. I formerly hung the transducer off the rudder, wiring through the hull.

[sparky1423]

I have actually tuned my crankbaits in there. Thinking about perfecting my BA retrieval before the jamboree. Notice I did not call it a swimming pool.

Pool!? That's a pretty convenient test bed. Before you know it, we'll be up there testing lures with snorkeling gear.
I had similar issues as you are saying. Everyone says the goop works great, but I couldn't get it to work. That's how I ended up with the setup that I have. I formerly hung the transducer off the rudder, wiring through the hull.

[jet]

^ha, funny!

i definitely need to dial in my FF settings, as i'm getting some interesting water column readings, although depth i believe it to be right on

[sparky1423]

Well, took the kayak out on Centennial Lake today. The transducer worked flawlessly UNTIL I would reach the depth of 13.6ft. From 13.7 ft to 25ft it worked perfect, from 13.6ft and shallower the fish finder went wacky. I would get the black lines again, but they were noticeably more skinny. That would continue until about 6ft, that's when the screen would be completely blank except for depth, temp, and voltage. Once I reached the magical depth of 13.6ft....back to normal.

I adjusted all the setting manually from min to max, even mimicked Loudoun's settings. Seems like the depth range from 0-10ft is fubar.

Looks like I am just going to completely remove the transducer and the goop. Reinstall with 100% duct seal and go from there.