Lowrance Elite 7 HDI Installation advice

[freadomjp]

HI

Need advice on Installing my new Lowrance gps/sonar unit on my bass boat. ...especially the Transducer. I've been told:

- that readings from a transom installation can be compromised from the foot of the motor blocking the "beam" of the transducer. Is there a trick to determine the best location on the transom to position it and avoid interference from the waterflow at high speeds ? I hate drilling holes on my hull...any advice ?

I have a small lowrance x4 starter unit installed now...is it true that having 2 transducers side by side can interfere with eachother ?I do have water flow interference on this one which I need to correct.

- A through hull installation using epoxy I undertand is better but sonar/downscan sensitivity is considerably reduced ?

- A third alternative is a pin like transducer that is installed by drilling a hole through the bottom of the boat's hull ?

I have little experience with these and have earned my toys on a working man's salary...so wish to do it once and do it right.

Can anyone shed some light on the above ? and is there a pro out there that could install a through hull transducer...before the end of the summer!!

I appreciate the feedback and recommendations

[Paul Shibata]

In the interests of a timely completion, I will keep this brief.

The Elite 7 is an awesome unit and you will be extremely pleased. I will assume that you will be removing the X4 factory OEM unit. Might I suggest that you move this unit to the bow to provide sonar reference when your're fishing on the front deck.

Not by accident, Lowrance has created a standard bracket which secures all of their freshwater transducers. This includes all of the "X" series, Elites, Marks and HDS units, not to mention countless models for at least the past 10 years. The stainless steel bracket which attaches the X4 transducer to the stern of your boat is exactly the same as the bracket which is included with your Elite 7 HDI. The fact that it was factory installed also suggests that it was appropriately placed.

I would un-bolt the existing transducer and install the new transducer using the same bracket. Please make sure to attach a pull string to the end of the existing transducer wire before you pull it out from the back. Remember you can not cut the end off a transducer and splice it back on!!! With the pull string in place, installation of the new transducer is all but done. Be sure to secure the wire to the hull appropriately. Pull the wire to the helm and enjoy your new unit.

In simple terms, anything which dampens the sonar signal can and will degrade the quality of the signal and ensuing screen images. That said, the broadband sonar which is featured in the Elite 7 and all of the HDS units are exclusively digital and comparatively speaking operate at in excess of 30,000 watts, which is at minimum 4 times more powerful than the competition. These units are routinely installed with shoot thru the hull transducers on fibreglass boats with tremendous success and impeccable images. However in the absence of testing the hull to determine the lamination of the glass and the feasibility for a shoot thru the hull installation, I always recommend a stern installation. True thru-hull installations (requiring a hole in the hull) are almost exclusively factory installed and generally only on larger "yachts" and keel boats. The transducers for "thru hull" which are completely different than "shoot thru the hull" units are mostly bronze are extremely costly and not often seen in bass boat installs.

Hope this helps.

-Paul

[freadomjp]

Paul

Wow Great info, great suggestion on using the same bracket andreminder about the pull string may i please rectify a question to complete my understanding ....I installed the x4 myself last summer and although it works well at slow speed , I loose reading accuracy when on plane at higher speeds. This tells me that I did not position the transducer correctly (correct ?).. It is right at the edge of the stern but perhaps too close / far to the motor ? I am very gunshy about drilling holes in my hull if i did not do it right last time

Lastly, I already have a hummingbird mounted on the trolling motor on the bow. Could I keep the x4 unit there and mount the transducer of my HDI next to it ?

Thanks again for the advice, wishing you another great season on the water and on the air !!!

JP

[lape0019]

Jp,

Try to lowering the bracket so that the transducer is lower in the water. You are more that likely just getting into too much disturbed water so if you can lower the transducer even a little, it should help.

If you are a little Leary about drilling more holes in your boat, grab a transducer plate. It allows you to mount the transducer in a good area but only drill holes above the water line.

[freadomjp]

Thank you .....i appreciate great suggestions !
Itvwill be the first thing i will

Jp

[Paul Shibata]

Could I keep the x4 unit there and mount the transducer of my HDI next to it ?

I suppose you could however I don't really see the point given that the performance advantage of the Elite 7. It is unlikely that you will ever use the X4. The key to a transducer installation is to seek "clean" water then adjust the height and angle. As long as the transducer isn't directly behind a rib or lifting strake you're probably okay. The height is the next critical factor. Too high and the sonar "beam" is obstructed by the transom. Too low and the turbulence created by the transducer itself interferes with the signal. On all Lowrance transducers, you want to position the height such that the "seam" on the transducer is even with the bottom of the hull. If positioned appropriately only half of the transducer protrudes below the bottom of the hull. In most situations people tend to mount them too low thinking that the lower the better. Great for rooster tails but the turbulence is awful and results in poor performance. Lastly you want the transducer to be at least level to the waterline when looking at it from the side. If the signal is lost at speed, my first suggestion is to angle the transducer "forward" by one click of the ratchet index. Now when looking at it from the side, the transducer will appear to be shooting at an angle forward which means that the boat will "catch up" to it as it is moving.

You already have an installed bracket so my recommendation to avoid unnecessary drilling is to install the unit at the helm, including the power cable and to temporarily run the transducer over the transom and across the deck/seats to the unit directly. Worry about the nice neat installation including fishing the wire once you are certain it works the way you expected.

Hope this helps.

-Paul

[freadomjp]

Great advicr Paul

Thank you so much

JP

[Raminator]

A thru hull is fine as long as there is no plywood , just fiberglass in the way of the beam, for 83-50/200 freq.'s this works great, for dsi it is not recommended, a thruhull also can be mounted closer to the machine where the gps signal is transmitted to/from. This will give you a truer waypoint, as gps is already not an exact mark, it can vary from 3-15'. This is why high end birds and some lowrance still offer external antennas, so you can mount it at the stern near the transducer, this is especially necessary for SI, if you pass a good looking spot, then mark it as a waypoint,you will have a better chance of finding it than if the transducer is 10-12 feet the gps antenna, instead of being in that 3-10 foot range, you could be looking 20-25' for your waypoint.

[bcjohnso99]

Anyone installing transducers should consider these:

http://www.sternmate.com/

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Boating/ ... t104794380

I use the latter and like it. I have no experience with the Stern Mate but something I will consider next time...

Brian.

[freadomjp]

Thank you guys,,,this is valuable info...really helps

JP

[freadomjp]

So I have the unit installed, powered up enjoyed a full hour of simulations getting familiar with all its features, So yesterday, I go to the Ottawa with high hopes....insert the gold chip...Hit the power button while getting ready to take off and &%$&%...Contrary to Start up sequence would not go past the the innitial ELITE LOWRANCE screen. In addition none of the keys responded...Menu, Enter, Arrow nothing cant even shut it off . So sent a message to whom I`m understood to be a Lowrance Rep, no answer. Called Lowrance themselves was told to try and reset by pressing and holding (power, + and -) all at once...no result. Then I`m instructed to download the update on a brand new sd card which was done successfully, followed instructions carefully for the transfer to the unit itself and as expected...still no result and still it wont go past the innitial ELITE Lowrance Screen....

Ive consulted other fishing forums and have found that others have had this exact problem...yet no one has posted or replied to a successfull resolution

I dont know about you guys but for me to save up the cash to buy a "nice" unit ... to experience this problem with a unit fresh out of thepbox ....and even Lowrance support cant even help...what a let down !!

Can anyone help ??

JP

[freadomjp]

Hey guys...finally got it fixed...

After speaking with a few pple at Lowrance support got one to explain that the Manual reset procedure is actually to press and hold the Zoom + and - buttons first then press and release the Power button ***keep holding the Zoom buttons for at least 30 seconds till the innitializing procedures kick in***...this is different then what others were suggesting ( pressing and holding all three at the same time)


Thank you Paul at Lowrance Support for the specifications. I hope this post helps others in fixing the problem shoud they be faced with it......

Now I'm going fishing...


Thank you to all for all your help !!!

JP