Are 1kw transducers worth it?
Submitted by Piggy on Sat, 2013-09-07 15:17
Hi,
I was thinking about getting a 1KW transducer for my HDS 10 as a mate of mine can get them at cost price.
I mainly fish in the 30m - 50m mark and at the moment I have no troubles with my HDS.
My only question is are they actually worth the $1000??
If anyone as one on their HDS 10 and can put up a few pics please do so, or let me know if you think its worth it.
Cheers
____________________________________________________________________________
I go boating not fishing
JohnF
Posts: 2840
Date Joined: 07/07/10
A well set-up 600W will
A well set-up 600W will outperform a badly setup 1 kw.
Also, all 1 kW are not equal. You should check airmars site to get details, but for example, the 1kW B164 is many times less powerful than the 1kW SS264, but may be better in shallow water due to the wider beam.
My recommendation is to get a proper thru hull set-up, best with performance fairing although this precludes 1kW was the B260 fairing is massive!.
Boston Whaler 235 Conquest......getting the flogging it was built for.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Not sure about on the HDS but
Not sure about on the HDS but on the raymarines and Furuno's they are certainly worth the money!
JohnF
Posts: 2840
Date Joined: 07/07/10
In plus 150m, 1 kw or more is
In plus 150m, 1 kw or more is mandatory. Below 70m, I like my 600W better than my 1 kw.
Boston Whaler 235 Conquest......getting the flogging it was built for.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Yeh in saying that they are
Yeh in saying that they are worth the money and i have mates with 1kw, 2kw and 3kw and although they are brilliant( even really like them in 20-30m). Im still rocking 600w and have marked and caught fish in 250m ( just very slowly haha) use mine in 50-70m most trips !
paula8519
Posts: 101
Date Joined: 09/03/10
1 KW TRANSDUCERS
The 1 kw will shine in deeper water, less of an impact in the shallows, from 150 meters on no contest the 1 kw wins hands down. Tuning is the key, remember manual tune for each depth zone , presence of current, suspended sediment , thermoclines and water temp which all effect the sounder display apart from electronic interference , surface clutter etc . In hull is best with least turbulence. The efficency of each transducer design does vary depending on the number and type of elements within the transducer. Navico engineers in Denmark have been using the latest airmar chirp transom mounted transducers with impressive results. Then of course you will need to interpret the display, the new sounder book by J Adams will give years of experience and is the best $50 you will ever spend. Staying within 50 meters don't waste your money, over 150 it is well worth it.
paul a
crano
Posts: 715
Date Joined: 04/11/09
I put a 1Kw TM260 on my
I put a 1Kw TM260 on my HDS10 a while back replacing a P66.I mainly bought it for Coral Bay as I only fish to 38m at home as I like to dive there as well.[too deep outside that]
Even in these shallower depths I think it is worth the money.The biggest gain is when I am sounding at speed.With the P66 I had to wind the sensitivity down a fair bit to get rid of the interference that would come with speed .Now I do not have to change the sensitivity whether I am stopped or I am doing 30mph and I have been finding quite a bit of stuff while travelling. At normal sounding speeds there is no clutter just a cleaner looking picture with better showings of individual fish.
I have been sounding over my dive spots to get a better idea of what the sounder is showing now with the new transducer compared with the old one and I do think the 1kw is better.
I spend at least 1 or 2 hours looking for new dive spots whenever I go out so I want every bit of help I can get