fish/depth finder tutorial

[IrishAyes]

Here is a tutorial on fish/depth finders that Lowrance put out.  Meaning all manufactures of fish/depth finders work in the same basic way, this would apply to pretty much all of the finders.  You will learn how a fish/depth finder works and why you get the readings that you get.

http://www.lowrance.com/support/Tips_Tutorials/Sonar/sonar_tutorial_01.asp

I hope it helps in your interpretation of what you are viewing on your finder.

[Luna Sea 5]

very good info.. thanks for posting

[mboy]

Good thread here is some more info I have on the subject.

This was taken from another site and I do apologize as I forgot who the original author was. I also have an attachment on using a FF as well:

Here is how I adjust my sounder, it should work for all sounders. First remove any filters that might be applied to your sounder. There can be noise filters or clutter filters depending on your unit. In my case with the Furuno I turned off the noise filter in the setup mode under settings.
Next you want your sounder in manual mode so you can make some adjustments. If you are fishing in 30ft of water adjust your range or depth setting to a little more than double the depth you are in . Since we are in 30ft I would adjust my range to 70-80 ft. Adjust your gain to zero then increase your gain untill you get a double bottom or a double echo on the screen. the second bottom echo should be at 60ft if you are in 30ft of water. At this point your gain is set properly for your unit. You can go back to your normal range that you use and should get a much better picture of whats below the boat. If your gain is not set properly there is no sense in using your sounder to find what is between your boat and the bottom. Also if you make a major move into deeper or shallower water you might want to re-adjust your gain accordingly. After your gain is set you can re-apply any filters you have turned off to see if they make a difference in your readings.

[Fishin Dude]

Thanks for the info, I've got alot to learn. <'((((><

[Pops Soul]

Good Info Joe  

[Luna Sea 5]

good info Mboy, but what if you just leave it on Auto.. shouldn't it calculate everything for you.

[mboy]

It should, and I usually use auto myself, but their are many I know who swear that manual is more accurate in many conditions.

Sometimes on auto, mine loses accurate bottom (or reads depth as 2-3' when I am in 50" of water), so I set to manual.