Transducer angle problem or electrical interference. Please look at the pic!

[Kestrel]

Hi folks

I've recently installed a Lowrance Elite X 9 sounder with a transom mount transducer to my 20ft tinny.

It appears to be functioning well, however the sonar pics are below what I would expect. I keep getting these short, vertical lines and when I speed up from around 4 knots to 6 knots the concentration of these lines becomes more pronounced.

I've attached a shot of the screen and you can clearly see more of these lines to the right and it represents the time I went faster. Interestingly, if I go even faster the screen doesn't become more cluttered.

So I'm thinking it's either a transducer angle issue or maybe an electrical interference issue although the new transducer cable is following along the same route as the old one...and I didn't have an issue with it.

The head unit setting is on auto.

Any suggestions? It's really getting on my nerves!

[purple5ive]

whats the sensitivity set to?
you will need to have a few goes to get it spot on, but if transducer isnt installed properly then its useless.
maybe a pic of it mounted may help rule the transducer out.
i dont think its the transducer though

[Kestrel]

Thanks.

The sensitivity is set to auto. The 'interesting' thing for me is when I speed up from under 5 knots to just over...that's when the screen (see the right side of the pic) gets a bit more cluttered.

The transducer seems to be correctly fitted...gut below the line of the bottom of the hull and pretty much parallel to the surface.

K

[cobby]

Sensitivity issue. Auto is to put it bluntly, ****. In a lot of cases auto is far to high and you end up picking up signals from everything in the bay, even microscopic particles. Decrease the sensitivity on manual and it'll go away. You've got some breakup of the bottom where it's lost signal, but that's minor at best and could be anything from trapped air under the hull as it slapped down after a wave or the transom clearing the water

[4liters]

You might find someone has put up some recommended settings for that sounder online somewhere. I was having difficulties with my Humminbird but someone on a random UK kayak forum had helped out another person who had the exact same problem as me.

[frozenpod]

Tinnys do create a lot of noise/bubbles which can cause problems for the transducer, correct mounting location is key.

Is there anything in line with the transducer on the hull?

[Kestrel]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.....all of them useful. Why do you think though I'm getting a bit more clutter on the screen when I speed up a bit, and it doesn't get worse if I continue to speed up?

K

[cobby]

Air interference

[Nude up]

Electrical interference looks like light blue dots in a consistent pattern this looks like clutter and halfarches I think cobby is right. Try lowering the transducer to see if it gets any better

[safia]

"General" settings for ppb and wp, credit to someone off another fishing page.