Fish Finder

I am interested in knowing about the functionality of the fish finder package. Are the AA baterries sufficient to run the system? Is there a cord connection between the transducer and the monitor? Where is the best place to mount the transducer? What is the best way to mount the transducer? What options for mounting the transducer are out there?
How has the system worked for anglers?

HI,
Aa batteries are totally sufficient for the run the system...

I am going to use Mad Frogs Liberator mount for my FF, FF battery and transducer mount.
http://www.madfroggear.com/liberator/liberator.html

I used to use 8 AA batteries, they last about 8 hours or so

Used a Radio Shack 8 cell holder, I got 2 of them (backup or 1 for FF and 1 for GPS) and put them in a waterproof box which I mounted to my "table" (a transducer arm from The Liberator, FF, GPS and 2 rod holders and a compass)

So, it was all self-contained in one "unit" easily switchable to another kayak, or to take inside the motel room/house/lock in the trunk of the car at restaurants... etc etc ..

Later I bought a case of deer feeder/alarm type batteries when I started taking underwater lights and other stuff, but yes, the 8 AAs were plenty for a FF

Not to sound like a radical treehugger, but has anyone tried running the finders/GPS with small solar panel?

Troutbum

Dedending on the size of the solar panel there will be additional wind displacement to deal with. But a good idea when wind is not a factor.

I was thinking more like the small book sized ones, I think they even have ones that roll up like a placemat now too. Just lay them on the deck?

I don't think I would try running the FF with a Solar Panel, but using it to keep the battery from depleteing might be a good option. Say a kayak camping trip where you wouldn't be able to charge the battery just using the solar panel to keep the battery maintained maybe adding a few more hours between recharges might work. I just can't find it feasable right now.

I installed my fish finder using Hobie's fish finder installation kit and it has worked very well for me. I used the 8 AA batteries they provided and when those ran out of power, I went to Radioshack and bought 8 rechargeable AA's with a charger. Now before every time I head out to go fishing, I simply recharge the AA's and I am good for at least 8 hours on the water. My monitor is mounted on the ram fish finder mount which is easy to remove when transporting my kayak. Everything I needed including the fish finder, ram mount, and fish finder installation kit is found in Hobie's parts and accessories catalogue. Here's the link: http://www.hobiecat.com/support/pdfs/ka ... 9_Fall.pdf

I bought the Lorance xds 50 with the Hobie install kit just after I bought my PA. About the second or third time I had to replace the batteries after a reasonably short time on the water, I went to a local battery store (not Radio Shack) and told them what I was doing and they suggested a small rechargeable battery that is 3x5x4 and with a plug in battery charger I spent 30 bucks I think. Considering even the cheapest 1.5 volt battery cost 4 bucks for 12, and the fact they only last a "few" hours, it didn't take long for it to pay out. Now as to the time this new battery lasts without charging...I haven't gotten close to it even showing less than 11 volts, and that is after maybe 20 to 30 hours of constant use. The only thing this does not answer would be a multi day river trip, where there isn't any electricity to recharge the battery. However; I think it would be more than a week of day long use before you'd be concerned.

I'd recommend looking at the Duracell AA 2650mAh batteries.
I have not seen anything higher than these on the market yet.
If the mAh is not listed, then I wouldnt buy it.

This number is directly related to the amount of time the batteries will last during use.

I used this setup for many seasons. I have now gone to a single 12volt (think fire alarm or emergency light size.) battery.
The draw back I found to the AA system is that when you have a single battery in the mix fail, the others are unable to carry the load; and unless you have a way of checking the batteries, you dont know which ONE to replace.

I opted for the single battery setup (albeit in a small version 3 Ah) so I knew which battery had failed.

Here is a link the my club forum site that has some pictures of my battery setup and install.
It has other pics as well, but your interest may be of the battery rigging.

https://www.gulfcoastkayakfishing.com/f ... 19&start=1

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Don't lead me to temptation, I already know the way.
Syn

battery life depends on the ff, colour monitor spec. etc. another factor with batteries is temp. they dont like cold.
i've just fitted my garmin 400c to my ai powered by a 12v 7ah battery and i'll get 3 days out of it (usually out 5-8 hrs a time) and i'm gonna power my garmin 60csx gps with it when i can be bothered