Fishfinder Battery Choice - Humminbird Pirahnamax

[bomedsquad]

I launch at my friends house on the Little Magothy. When I put them on the stringer I wasn't moving, and I would use them fairly quik because the blues would eat them. The next time I go I am going to make some blue fish stinger hooks with wire.

[MilkFish]

I'm considering buying a Humminbird Piranhamax 170.

Looking around the forums, I see folks powering finders with a variety of setups -- namely:
12v 7ah sealed battery
8 AA rechargeables (in a Radio Shack case)
10 AA rechargeables (in a Radio Shack case)

I actually have a 12v 7ah laying around the house (but no charger)
I also have a few 2500 NIMH AA rechargeables w/ a charger (not enough to make an 8 pack; I'd still have to buy some + a case)

Anyone have first hand experience with powering the Piranhamax and giving me some pointers as to which option I should pursue ? I want enough power but don't want to put too much power / potentially damage the unit.

Not sure if it makes a difference but I'd be putting this in a WS Tarpon 100

Thanks

Hey EX, Did your PiranhaMAX 170 transducer have issues shooting through the hull? Mine is not working for some reason... Anyone have a clue? Is it the Transducer type? I am clueless.

[bomedsquad]

I built a foam dam to hold the goop to put the transducer in. I have the 300 cuda and mine was funky at first but now works great.

Don't be shy with the marine goop, about 1/2 and inch thick or more and work the transducer down into it to eliminate bubbles. Also sand the bottom on the inside where the transducer(just lightly) will be mounted it ensure a good seal.

[Excalibur]

Transducer Mount

Hey MilkFish -

I used the Humminbird transducer install kit from Capt Dick - and it worked great on my first outing.

I will say that not having installed a transducer before, the install kit calls for using quite a bit more "marine grease" than I had imagined --

So...the idea in the post above this about using a significant amount of goop may work out for you.

The "grease" that came w/ the kit was pretty deep before I pushed my transducer down into the frame -- enough that it oozed out around the top

[MilkFish]

Hey MilkFish -

I used the Humminbird transducer install kit from Capt Dick - and it worked great on my first outing.

I will say that not having installed a transducer before, the install kit calls for using quite a bit more "marine grease" than I had imagined --

So...the idea in the post above this about using a significant amount of goop may work out for you.

The "grease" that came w/ the kit was pretty deep before I pushed my transducer down into the frame -- enough that it oozed out around the top

Thanks... Just for clarification, you did not buy a NEW transducer right? You used the one out of the box?

The Capt's YouTube video really explains a lot. Think I'm going to get one also.
How-to-video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc4PE...e=channel_page
Product page:
http://www.captdick.net/NEW%20PRODUCTS.htm

I tried to jury-rig my transducer mount by cutting out cushion-insulation shipping foam in the shape of my transducer... DIdn't even think about securing it the hull completely. It was just sitting inside the mold that I created and was probably off the hull...STUPID!!! lol... the cushion probably absorbed all or most of my signals...LOL...

This video makes sense. Hope it works.

[MilkFish]

I built a foam dam to hold the goop to put the transducer in. I have the 300 cuda and mine was funky at first but now works great.

Don't be shy with the marine goop, about 1/2 and inch thick or more and work the transducer down into it to eliminate bubbles. Also sand the bottom on the inside where the transducer(just lightly) will be mounted it ensure a good seal.

HEy Bomedsquad,
What kind of foam did you use? I had these really soft foam and it probably absorbed a lot of the signals. I didn't use too much marine goop and it probably was full of air bubbles.... Makes sense now... I thought it was my transducer type. I thought maybe it wasnt strong enough to shoot through the plastic hull or at least not built to do that.
Thanks for the info.

[Excalibur]

Transducer

Yes - my transducer was straight out of the Piranhamax 170 box -- the humminbird kit worked like a champ.

I actually talked to that guy 'Stan' on the phone -- and he said that occasionally folks get transducers w/ the 170 that do not fit that kit...but Humminbird actually has a transducer exchange program if that happens.

If you have a humminbird transducer, it has a model # -- My humminbird transducer # is: XNT-9-20-T

If yours is the same, it should work too

[bomedsquad]

I used a hard closed cell foam for this application. There are some great how to's on Youtube.