Dual or Single Transducer

[ballgamedrink]

I have a Lowrance HDS7 with Structure Scan. The unit running on a transon mount. I am wanting to buy a switch box and run the same unit off of a trolling motor transducer to get an exact position/depth when i am fishing. What kind of transducer do i need for the front? Dual or Single Frequency? Does that fact that i am running side imaging make a difference?

[CatFan]

Unless you are in really deep water, you want the standard 200KHz transducer, but it will probably be called a 200/83. Your DI won't work when you are using the front transducer because it will be so far from the SS transducer.

But since you will pay roughly $120 for the switch and $70 for the transducer or $190 total, you can get an HDS-5X to mount up front for $360 more and not have to turn around to see the display.

[Talon]

I think CatFan answered your question perfectly, but just to expand:

Transducer switch boxes are available for standard sonar (50/83/200 kHz) transducers. If your transducer switch is located at the console you may need a transducer extension cable as well for the bow mount. Ditto the transom mount if the switch is up front. Puck style conventional sonar transducers are easier to trolling motor mount than Skimmer versions.

StructureScan and 2d sonar are not interconnected in any way. They do not interfere with each other because of their different operating frequencies. The LSS-1 box would serve as an Ethernet hub if you installed a separate HDS unit on the bow as CatFan suggested. In this case you would have full visibility of all 2d sonar transducers (bow and transom) and the StructureScan transducer from any location in the boat (console or bow). The new Ethernet cable would have to be long enough to run from the bow locator to the LSS-1.

With a transducer switch, the GPS position will still be relative to the HDS7 located on the console because of the internal antenna. The separate HDS unit would bring the GPS location to the front of the boat, providing the bow unit was GPS capable.