Hobie Forums :: View topic - transponder ques

Using acetone, clean the area where the transducer will be placed.

Break off a piece of Duct seal and roll it like modeling clay into a large piece of spaghetti.....maybe 1/4" to 3/8" in diameter and 6" long
Place the transducer directly flat on the hull and use the Duct seal to hold it to the hull by pressing it against the hull and transducer.
I built up the Duct seal around the transducer using several pieces....it will mold together just like clay and does a good job securing the transducer to the hull.

There will be no air gaps using this method.....Good luck!

I take a glob of duct seal and flatten it. Then I place my transducer on it and form the duct seal up the sides of the transducer. Then I place the duct seal on the floor inside my center hatch. Add a few drops of water and put the transducer on it. Works fine every time.

I remove my unit,transducer and duct seal after each use but it works fine for me. Another way is to get some type of rubber that you can cut out your transducer shape from it ,then glue that piece of rubber on the floor. Then just add water and bingo,done. A garden kneeling pad works good for this.
~JOE~

Yeah I don’t know if water is needed. It’s just something I have always done. I’ll try it tomorrow without the water and post the results here.
~JOE~

Author:	brigguy [ Fri Feb 24, 2017 3:57 pm ]
Post subject:	transponder ques
I have been having a problem w/ my fishfinder in that the depth/water temp is very inaccurate. My transponder has a small chip in the area that fits flush against the inside hull. Could that chip be the cause of inaccuracies ? Is there a "best" way to place the transponder ?

Author:	mmiller [ Fri Feb 24, 2017 5:33 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
I am not the transponder guru, but do think temp is not going to be accurate when placed inside the hull. We do advise placing them in a bed of marine goop and be very careful that there are no bubbles. This allows the sonar signal to travel through the hull out and then back cleanly to the transponder. Gaps, air bubbles or just air will stop the signal.

Author:	Dr.SteelheadCatcher [ Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:16 am ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
As Matt noted, mounting the transducer inside the hull can degrade the sonar signal and temperature reading. I believe the "chip" you see is a metallic part that is the end of the temperature probe and does not control the sonar signal quality. On my old 2010 Outback, the best transducer mounting location I found, was a flat area, near the mast tube, under the front hatch....the flatter surface, the better so the transducer is in full contact with the inside of the hull. Make sure the transducer is not too close to the Mirage drive, as the sweeping action of the fins degrade/confuse the sonar signal. I initially used marine goop to secure the transducer, but later used Duct Seal and this improved the sonar signal as it prevented any air gaps between the transducer and the hull.......search past postings using Duct Seal. The temperature reading will stabilize after the hull has been in the water for about 30 minutes, and will be closer to the actual water temp if the transducer was in direct contact with the water.

Author:	brigguy [ Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:48 am ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
I used duct seal, also. Do you place the transponder flush w/ the hull or put duct seal on the hull and then crunch the transponder on the duct seal ? i am more concerned w/ the depth accuracy vs the water temp.

Author:	Dr.SteelheadCatcher [ Sun Feb 26, 2017 7:05 am ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
Using acetone, clean the area where the transducer will be placed. Break off a piece of Duct seal and roll it like modeling clay into a large piece of spaghetti.....maybe 1/4" to 3/8" in diameter and 6" long Place the transducer directly flat on the hull and use the Duct seal to hold it to the hull by pressing it against the hull and transducer. I built up the Duct seal around the transducer using several pieces....it will mold together just like clay and does a good job securing the transducer to the hull. There will be no air gaps using this method.....Good luck!

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Author:	niswanger [ Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:47 am ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
Dr.SteelheadCatcher wrote: Using acetone, clean the area where the transducer will be placed. Break off a piece of Duct seal and roll it like modeling clay into a large piece of spaghetti.....maybe 1/4" to 3/8" in diameter and 6" long Place the transducer directly flat on the hull and use the Duct seal to hold it to the hull by pressing it against the hull and transducer. I built up the Duct seal around the transducer using several pieces....it will mold together just like clay and does a good job securing the transducer to the hull. There will be no air gaps using this method.....Good luck! Here we are again Dr.SteelheadCatcher So I'm ready to setup my transducer for my Garmin Striker 4 unit and I'm going to use duct seal as well. I've watched a number of youtube videos and read other forums. Seems most people are using it to build a dam to hold some water so the sonar works. But this guy (video link below) just used duct seal, I just don't know if he used duct seal between the hull and the transducer (which I would imagine is better). Just simply placing the transducer flat to the hull is not a perfect seal, there's certainly an air gap there. What about using say an 1/8" or so bed first, maybe even warm the hull with a head gun (after cleaning the hull) and then the bed of duct seal might flow/adhere even better to the hull, then warm the bottom the the transducer as well when it's stuck to the duct seal? Then finally build up/shore up around the transducer with the remaining duct seal? This is where I got the idea for duct seal, seems he's just using duct seal (even though there's water in the hull it's around on the outside, not sure it's in there for the transducer). I also got the idea for the mounting of my until on the side of the seat (my install shown in below images): https://youtu.be/jooY7777Tyk?t=55s So, in the end, I want to try to use duct seal only, no water. Is this possible? I think having solid medium between the hull and the transducer is vital to best sonar function.

Author:	Joetrain [ Sun Sep 30, 2018 2:06 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
I take a glob of duct seal and flatten it. Then I place my transducer on it and form the duct seal up the sides of the transducer. Then I place the duct seal on the floor inside my center hatch. Add a few drops of water and put the transducer on it. Works fine every time. I remove my unit,transducer and duct seal after each use but it works fine for me. Another way is to get some type of rubber that you can cut out your transducer shape from it ,then glue that piece of rubber on the floor. Then just add water and bingo,done. A garden kneeling pad works good for this. ~JOE~

Author:	niswanger [ Sun Sep 30, 2018 2:53 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
Joetrain wrote: I take a glob of duct seal and flatten it. Then I place my transducer on it and form the duct seal up the sides of the transducer. Then I place the duct seal on the floor inside my center hatch. Add a few drops of water and put the transducer on it. Works fine every time. I remove my unit,transducer and duct seal after each use but it works fine for me. Another way is to get some type of rubber that you can cut out your transducer shape from it ,then glue that piece of rubber on the floor. Then just add water and bingo,done. A garden kneeling pad works good for this. ~JOE~ Can't see why water is needed in this case. If you think about the sonar path of travel for this setup it would be: From transducer, through a micron amount of water, then through the duct seal, then through a micron of possible air gap/slight bullbles, then finally through the kayak PE hull bottom. I think the water method does work if you suspend the transducer in a water column that touches the kayak PE hull, this works, I have no doubt. I just want to not mess with puddles of water. Air is sonar's enemy, so like this guy (don't see any such damn, but do see a fair amount of water around the duct seal), he just used duct seal: https://youtu.be/jooY7777Tyk?t=55s My goal, is to achieve 90% sonar quality (resolution), 99% depth quality, zero temp quality, by means of using zero water and just the duct seal.

Author:	Joetrain [ Sun Sep 30, 2018 4:12 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
Yeah I don’t know if water is needed. It’s just something I have always done. I’ll try it tomorrow without the water and post the results here. ~JOE~

Author:	niswanger [ Sun Sep 30, 2018 4:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
Joetrain wrote: Yeah I don’t know if water is needed. It’s just something I have always done. I’ll try it tomorrow without the water and post the results here. ~JOE~ Fantastic, please do, I'm in no hurry. BTW, what model depth finder are you using?

Author:	Joetrain [ Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:07 am ]
Post subject:	Re: transponder ques
Ok, tried it without any water and it worked like a champ. I have an older Lowrance Elite 4X. Kind of a bare bones model but it does what I need it to do. ~JOE~

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