Airmar DST800 Damage?

[Jon magowan]

Here is a rather obscure question, but one I’m interested to get an answer to please !

I have a Airmar DST800V triducer which is not installed in its housing at the moment, because I’m not sailing yet this year.

My question is, does it do it any harm to have it energised while out of the water ?

I’m doing other bits and pieces with the other parts of the network so it will be switched on from time to time. Should I put the transducer back in the water while I do this work or is it ok to leave it ?

Many thanks in anticipation.

 

[KevinV]

There's nothing in the installation manual that says it has to be kept wet, in fact there's a section about testing the paddlewheel with it out. If you're concerned why not just chuck it in a bucket of water?

 

[Jon magowan]

Thanks Kevin. I don’t fancy immersing the whole thing in water but I take your point that they don’t specify that it needs to be wet when working. Thanks.

 

[matt1]

Shouldn’t be a problem. Can’t comment on that particular model but my previous airmar transducer was fine whenever I dried my twin keeler out. Would just lose signal and then come back on again as soon as the tide reached the transducer

 

[vas]

not sure what interface this is on, if it's NMEA2000, it's easy enough to undo the 5pin plug and leave it unlpugged.
Mind reading over various fora and from personal experience, DST800 hasn't been the brightest moment of Airmar... Water temp on mine started playing up on year 4, now when on the hard temp works, as soon as it's back in, temp stops, simple as that. Depth works fine, speedwheel never works for more than a week in the med, so not bothered with that, but seawater temp is an issue. effectively my triducer is down to a single depth transducer.

V

 

[PaulRainbow]

not sure what interface this is on, if it's NMEA2000, it's easy enough to undo the 5pin plug and leave it unlpugged.
Mind reading over various fora and from personal experience, DST800 hasn't been the brightest moment of Airmar... Water temp on mine started playing up on year 4, now when on the hard temp works, as soon as it's back in, temp stops, simple as that. Depth works fine, speedwheel never works for more than a week in the med, so not bothered with that, but seawater temp is an issue. effectively my triducer is down to a single depth transducer.

V

Agree, the DST800 was crap, i've also had early failures of the later DST810.