jfkal
Well-Known Member
Anyone experience with those?
Forward looking sonar
- Thread starter jfkal
- Start date
rhinorhino
Well-Known Member
Yes, what would you like to know?
jfkal
Well-Known Member
What kind of experience. good, bad, useful, useless? Which brand and model are you using.
Would you buy again. Pro's and con's
Many thanks
BTW I am looking at the Interphase Probe
Joerg
Would you buy again. Pro's and con's
Many thanks
BTW I am looking at the Interphase Probe
Joerg
rhinorhino
Well-Known Member
I have a Echopilot pro on a HR36 (36' sailing sloop).
Generally very happy with it.
It required quite a large hole for the transducer. Check no frequency clash with other equipment.
It is worth remembering that the range is related to water depth, ie. in shallow water the range is pretty short, but still enough to let you know it is time to slow down. I don't know the exact figure but the range in shallow waters would seem to be less than 10X depth. I often use it as an indicator of when to tack in confined watrers.
The unit is also badly affected by air in water, either from speed/motion of own boat or from passing vessels, after a ferry passes I often get a false depth alarm when the B&G is still correct.
Anything else please ask.
Generally very happy with it.
It required quite a large hole for the transducer. Check no frequency clash with other equipment.
It is worth remembering that the range is related to water depth, ie. in shallow water the range is pretty short, but still enough to let you know it is time to slow down. I don't know the exact figure but the range in shallow waters would seem to be less than 10X depth. I often use it as an indicator of when to tack in confined watrers.
The unit is also badly affected by air in water, either from speed/motion of own boat or from passing vessels, after a ferry passes I often get a false depth alarm when the B&G is still correct.
Anything else please ask.
FlyingSpud
Well-Known Member
I had a look at these at LIBS, I had read somewhere that they only worked up to 10 degrees of heel and the guy on the EchoPilot stand confirmed this was right.
His answer was that it would only be used when you were in a dock or harbour anyway so what was the problem. I pointed out that I sail on the east coast and it is quite a simple task to bump into all sorts of sand and mud anywhere and anytime and asked what happened beyond 10 degrees heel. He said that basically the unit could not read anything and you could not rely upon it. He seemed to feel it was really a tool for power boats.
Seems odd if he were giving me a worse than truth picture. What is your experience? Do you effectively only use it as an auxiliary depth sounder when upright ?
His answer was that it would only be used when you were in a dock or harbour anyway so what was the problem. I pointed out that I sail on the east coast and it is quite a simple task to bump into all sorts of sand and mud anywhere and anytime and asked what happened beyond 10 degrees heel. He said that basically the unit could not read anything and you could not rely upon it. He seemed to feel it was really a tool for power boats.
Seems odd if he were giving me a worse than truth picture. What is your experience? Do you effectively only use it as an auxiliary depth sounder when upright ?
rhinorhino
Well-Known Member
I have not noticed that my unit stops working beyond 10degrees of heel.
It seems odd that he should run down his own kit like that.
It is true that on a sailing boat it is used much more at low speed and when under power, for example when feeling your way into a river but i have used it when hard on the wind and it seems reliable.
Which specific unit was he talking about?
It seems odd that he should run down his own kit like that.
It is true that on a sailing boat it is used much more at low speed and when under power, for example when feeling your way into a river but i have used it when hard on the wind and it seems reliable.
Which specific unit was he talking about?
FlyingSpud
Well-Known Member
I remember now that I picked up the bit about 10 degrees heel from their own web site.
Anyway, it seemed to be all of them, we were standing by the cheap one: was it called the Bronze? It was something like that. I asked him if paying more got round the problem and he said no.
You can see why the heel angle would effect it I suppose, presumably as the angle increases the return from in front would weaken and become unreadable, but then I presumably the same can be said of a ‘normal’ sounder, though presumably their beam is ‘tighter’. (You can tell I’m technical, can’t you?)
Does seem odd he ran down his own kit though. Oh well, maybe they are selling more than they can make?
Anyway, it seemed to be all of them, we were standing by the cheap one: was it called the Bronze? It was something like that. I asked him if paying more got round the problem and he said no.
You can see why the heel angle would effect it I suppose, presumably as the angle increases the return from in front would weaken and become unreadable, but then I presumably the same can be said of a ‘normal’ sounder, though presumably their beam is ‘tighter’. (You can tell I’m technical, can’t you?)
Does seem odd he ran down his own kit though. Oh well, maybe they are selling more than they can make?
jfkal
Well-Known Member
Thanks a ton.
Joerg
Joerg
