True or False-How to enhance your echo sounder

[DAKA]

About 3 years ago MBM featured a report on Echo Pilot experimenting with different substances to enhance their depth sounder transducers, KY Jelly came out favorite.
At the time we were experiencing reliability problems with our echo sounder in the murky waters of the River Humber and reliable soundings were unobtainable above 17 knots.

After reading the MBM article you can imagine my excitement regarding the reported qualities of KY Jelly. (If you don’t know what that is you best ask your SWMBO).
I immediately dispatched SWMBO to the chemist and that week end I withdrew the transducer and removed all the oil from the sounder tube using an old hand soap pump.
Then I took the tube of KY Jelly squeezed out the contents and went for it.

I can indeed confirm I went deeper and faster than I had ever managed before.

The problem was it is a water based substance and with winter freezing temperatures on the way I had no way of knowing when it would go hard.

If anyone cares to try it I confirm it will enhance your tackle and with the aid of a hand pump the whole messy job can be completed in a couple of minutes.




So please comment
Entirely true
Only part true
False
Too long don’t bother with anymore tales, next “ The rescue “.

 

[duncan]

everything is relative - what were you using before?

some suggest plain water with a bit of antifreeze, others mineral oil.

 

[DAKA]

Mazola

Vegetable oil.

 

[D3B]

did you want to put a poll on your post?

 

[DAKA]

Thanks Doug, yes I tried but only on dial up connection and pasted from a word doc.

 

[D3B]

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Dial up?
WTF is that

sorry just remembered youre in the wilds of Lincolnshire.
only just got gas there /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[DAKA]

[ QUOTE ]


sorry just remembered youre in the wilds of Lincolnshire.
only just got gas there /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes it's great no need to chop wood every day, it gets delivered once a month in great big red bottles. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

An American recently came to our house and he had never seen a coal fire before !

 

[omega2]

ours are on a smoothed portion of the bilge with a sand bag holding it down, never got round to a permanent fix, mind you we can only get 19 knots with a following wind downhill. see performance on previose post

 

[Medskipper]

Well Daka, I have to say that this sounds really exciting as the oil I use just does not do it for me properly, I can't get excited about the depth of penetration that my equipment has managed so far! but with KY now thats another thing! I feel that with sort sort of lubrication my transducer will reach depths that I have never managed before and probably far faster? I do wonder though if it will be ok as my equipment is getting on in years? will it tire the old tranducer out too quickly? or will it give new life to the old dog? perhaps I need a newer younger model, particularly as I want to go faster?

I think I will just nip down to the chemist and ask that nice young blonde who works there if she could give me her views on the benefits of KY and see if she thinks it will go hard in the winter!

She must know surely?

Barry

 

[peterandjeanette]

I used to use KY on the old one, but gave up in the end.

Managed to obtain a newer model the doesn't need any external lubrication.

Going hard in the cold winter? I should be so lucky at my age.

 

[Lakesailor]

I've found that chainsaw oil works a treat. Doesn't slop about too much and no unpleasant smell. I have however had problems with bottom growth and lacking a squelch control am at a bit of a loss.

 

[DAKA]

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

My story was in fact 100% true.

The KY really does improve echo sounder performance.

 

[Stoaty]

My sounder does not just go up and down, but sideways as well. The chunky transducer swims in cooking oil in an old washing machine capsule container glassed into the bilge, or the Billingsgate box as we affectionally call it when we feel the need to dive down to it for a bit of topping up as the cooking oil seems to evaporate.

 

[pau1gray]

As the training manager for an sonar positioning company I'd say the following:-

Transducers should be surrounded with mineral oils - as this improves the acoustic interface (hence better range), does not compress and will not freeze even in low temperatures (before you all start - yes it will feeze but I don't think our climate is that cold)

As to performance at speed for any echosounder there are one of two common problems that occur - it's either going to be noise or aeration around the transducer.

As the vessel increases in speed you will get an increase in both machinery and propulsion noise and also flow noise (water passing the transducer)
Machinery and propulsion noise can be reduced by moving the transducer as far away as possible from the props and engines.
Flow noise is all to do with the design of the transducer and should be fairly reduced with a flush mounting transducer.

Aeration is probably the major cause of all the problems as when moving at speed small air bubbles will sit around the hull of the vessel. Sound does not travel as well through air as it does in water therefore it will mask the face of the transducer - one solution we use for this in the oil industry is to coat the face of the transducer with a film of a dishwasher rinse agent as this stops the air bubbles sticking to the face.

Hope this helps
Regards
Paul