Budget echo sounder

[Paulonboard]

I have a NASA Clipper which has been good to me and reletively well priced.
The transducer is stuck to the hull on the inside which will work ok as long as you dont get air bubbles inthe bond.

 

[oldharry]

Fish finder much the same price as the average echo sounder and gives so much more info, that I wonder why anyone fits sounders. And yes, glued to the inside of the hull they work fine.

Main advantage to me as a single hander is twofold: 1: I can see at a glance if depth is decreasing. If the shallow alarm sounds I can see at a glance whether the water is shoaling slowly or I am running up a bank, I don't have to wait to see how fast I am running out of water. And 2 as a bilge keeler I can see what sort of surface I am beaching on - any obstructions, rocks, gullies or old shopping trollies show up clearly.

 

[Davegriff]

The Nasa depth unit is wired through a 250 ma fuse, so overall consumption can only be called minimal. The sonic pulse even if fairly strong is .. well, pulsed, not continuous, so average current consumption is actually relatively low. If it's running the batteries down noticeably quickly, there's probably a fault somewhere.

 

[Davegriff]

The missus bought an lcd screen 'portable' fish finder from Lidl a couple of years ago for about a tenner for her to catch fish from the dinghy.... Runs all day off 4 AA rechargeables and we use it as back-up on the yacht - just switch on, hang the transducer over the side a away to go. Pretty accurate too.

 

[Cloona]

I was addicted to my echo sounder on the east coast but the truth is they will not stop you going aground -

if you have screwed things up it just tells you about it -

probably a lot more cautious without one

 

[Mrnotming]

Lidl fishfinder

+1 on that, Davegriff,

A good little unit, has come in handy in Lido di Ostia, near Rome, Porto Turistico, when leaving early spring, there was a dodgy amount of sand accumulated at the fuelling berth.

 

[Reptile Smile]

I definitely have an intention of fitting one one day, but I've been sailing all season in the Bristol Channel without one. It's definitely in my 'not beyond the whit of man' folder...

 

[ex-Gladys]

I bought a plastimo Hand held fish finder with the "floating" sensor for use when my Tacktick hull transmitter had to go back with the speed transducer. That wouldn't work in hull... but was fine dangled off a pole over the side

 

[bluey01]

.....my solution so far

So just come back from the car boot sale with a Seafarer 501 with transducer for £5 (which if it works meets the 'budget' criteria)

It runs on 6 x AA batteries which is cool as saves me wiring, the transducer has silicone residue on it so will try that again inside the hull.

I do not have the lead for head unit to transducer, does this have to be a certain length? What would be the best way to obtain one of these without incurring chandlery style prices? Would maplins do something?

Photos show the unit front and connector required to the back.

thanks

Adey

 

[Searush]

So just come back from the car boot sale with a Seafarer 501 with transducer for £5 (which if it works meets the 'budget' criteria)

It runs on 6 x AA batteries which is cool as saves me wiring, the transducer has silicone residue on it so will try that again inside the hull.

I do not have the lead for head unit to transducer, does this have to be a certain length? What would be the best way to obtain one of these without incurring chandlery style prices? Would maplins do something?

Photos show the unit front and connector required to the back.

thanks

Adey

AFAIK, it is just a co-ax cable & length is not critical, just calibrate it in a drying harbour with a stick or a weight & a bit of string. The 60' rotating led model is superb, you read it like an analogue clock, instinctively & at a glance. No confusing numbers or missing a dec point.

TBH, all you need is "deeper than the keel" & "not deeper than keel" Anything else is a bonus.

 

[VicS]

So just come back from the car boot sale with a Seafarer 501 with transducer for £5 (which if it works meets the 'budget' criteria)

It runs on 6 x AA batteries which is cool as saves me wiring, the transducer has silicone residue on it so will try that again inside the hull.

I do not have the lead for head unit to transducer, does this have to be a certain length? What would be the best way to obtain one of these without incurring chandlery style prices? Would maplins do something?

Photos show the unit front and connector required to the back.

thanks

Adey

They always tell you not to cut the lead. My Seafarer 3 has the lead moulded into the transducer and has a moulded on plug at the instrument end.

I am a little doubtful if that is the original transducer. I'm pretty sure the 501 had the same long stemmed transducer as my Seafarer 3. However provided its the correct frequency it should be no problem.
The owners manual for the 501 can be found on line but I dont seem to have link.

Is there a name on the transducer? If there is maybe you can find a spec for the cable on line.

I have a spare Seafarer transducer here. I could measure the cable length but not sure if that will be useful or not

 

[Searush]

They always tell you not to cut the lead. My Seafarer 3 has the lead moulded into the transducer and has a moulded on plug at the instrument end.

I am a little doubtful if that is the original transducer. I'm pretty sure the 501 had the same long stemmed transducer as my Seafarer 3. However provided its the correct frequency it should be no problem.
The owners manual for the 501 can be found on line but I dont seem to have link.

Is there a name on the transducer? If there is maybe you can find a spec for the cable on line.

I have a spare Seafarer transducer here. I could measure the cable length but not sure if that will be useful or not

I suspect that is more about not putting joints/ deck plugs etc in it due to reflections looking like rebounds off the seabed than having a specific length. Maybe it does need tuning like a radio aerial for maximum power transfer, but I can't see why.

 

[VicS]

I suspect that is more about not putting joints/ deck plugs etc in it due to reflections looking like rebounds off the seabed than having a specific length. Maybe it does need tuning like a radio aerial for maximum power transfer, but I can't see why.

The Seafarer 3 manual says

Do not shorten or cut the transducer lead (nominal length 24 feet) or extend it by means of coaxial plugs or any other means.
Any excess should be coiled away.
Transducers with longer cable can be supplied to special order​

 

[BruceDanforth]

So just come back from the car boot sale with a Seafarer 501 with transducer for £5 (which if it works meets the 'budget' criteria)

It runs on 6 x AA batteries which is cool as saves me wiring, the transducer has silicone residue on it so will try that again inside the hull.

I do not have the lead for head unit to transducer, does this have to be a certain length? What would be the best way to obtain one of these without incurring chandlery style prices? Would maplins do something?

Photos show the unit front and connector required to the back.

thanks

Adey

It will be the impedance of the coax cable that is important , not the length. Those whirly things work but give you the depth information in the cabin when you really need to know at the helm.

there is a seafarer transducer on ebay at the moment (not mine)

 

[electrosys]

I suspect that is more about not putting joints/ deck plugs etc in it due to reflections looking like rebounds off the seabed than having a specific length. Maybe it does need tuning like a radio aerial for maximum power transfer, but I can't see why.

Because it's a transmitting circuit - the length of cable (having capacitance/ inductance etc) is all part of a tuned circuit.

In the Seafarer Mk3 blurb I have, it gives instructions on which pots/ coil cores to twiddle (oscilloscope required for measurement) if the cable length is changed.
Unfortunately this info won't be of any help with the 501.

 

[nigelmercier]

So just come back from the car boot sale with a Seafarer 501 ...

See this thread.

 

[onesea]

From what I can read if you get some coax that is about right try it in a bucket of water at home....

If it works you can then "play with the write length still its about right.. As Searush says you only need to know if its shallow and shallowing or its not...

As long as it tells you when you will ground it should be enough?