Thread: Need advice on adding a second sonar unit.

BMO,

If you put another HDS in the bow your waypoints are shared automatically with your bow mounted unit.

I have an HDS 10 at the helm and an HDS 7 up front. I have both of them running most of the time. When trolling for walleyes, although I am in the back of the boat, it is actually easier to look up front and see the bow mount as apposed to staring around the seated passenger to look at the helm unit.

You already have structure scan so if you mount another HDS unit up front, you simply connect them through an Ethernet cable tied to your LSS module.

I have a Minn Kota with a universal sonar built in. It is hooked to my bow mounted unit. Obviously, you can have whatever you want.
One issue I have found is when you tie the units together and have both running at the same time, you can only utilize one of the transducers (regular and not the structure scan). If I am at the bow, I can select the bow mounted transducer. Unfortunately, it will change the transducer setting on my HDS 10 unit. I was originally under the impression that each unit could run off from both or different ones at the same time. Not a big deal however as I normally run off from my back transducer.

Another issue is that the front unit doesn't pull temperature. Although there is a sensor on the rear transducer, something gets lost in translation when it runs through the network.

If it were me, I would go with another 7 unit. I have a 10, and 8, two 7's and an HDS 5. In my opinion, the 5 just doesn't cut it. It doesn't run split screen very well at all.
One last thing. Make sure that you tie all of your "yellow" power wires together (one from your helm unit, one from your bow unit, and one from your LSS module). This the "wake up" wire. It ensures that when your units are powered off, the LSS module is NOT powered up. It will "wake" it up when you turn one of the units on.

What I mean by the transducer comment above is:

If I am at the front, I can change that unit to read the front transducer. While looking at the helm unit, it will automatically change the view to be reading from the front. Structure scan is not effected. Originally, I wanted the front unit to utilize the front transducer while the helm unit utilized the rear transducer and then both units shared the structure scan data. It doesn't work that way though.

Originally Posted by wicklundrh

What I mean by the transducer comment above is:

If I am at the front, I can change that unit to read the front transducer. While looking at the helm unit, it will automatically change the view to be reading from the front. Structure scan is not effected. Originally, I wanted the front unit to utilize the front transducer while the helm unit utilized the rear transducer and then both units shared the structure scan data. It doesn't work that way though.

wicklundrh,

I gotcha, that's kind of what I was thinking of also. Will I lose anything if I move the sonar transducer to from the back to the front of the boat? Then just add another HDS unit to the front. I really only want to be able to see what is directly underneath me while I'm tight lining.

Originally Posted by wicklundrh

What I mean by the transducer comment above is:

If I am at the front, I can change that unit to read the front transducer. While looking at the helm unit, it will automatically change the view to be reading from the front. Structure scan is not effected. Originally, I wanted the front unit to utilize the front transducer while the helm unit utilized the rear transducer and then both units shared the structure scan data. It doesn't work that way though.

Go to settings in sonar and select local instead of global on your units and then you can set each unit to read its own 2d sonar and temp.

Originally Posted by bmo

Currently I have a Lowrance HDS 7 with structure scan/sonar set up on the console of my boat. Both transducer are mounted in the back of the boat. I want to put another unit on the front of my boat. Anyone know what will work best? Must haves are my transducer set up on my trolling motor and the ability to access my waypoints from my HDS 7 to my new unit.

I would use a touch unit on the bow and an HDI transducer connected to it. That would allow you to have 2d sonar and downscan from one transducer right under the bow and mapping to share your waypoints between your units.

So Wicklundrh even though I have my bow DF connected to my MK tm and my console DF connected to my back transducer I can't run them both? I guess I can't have one on structure scan and one on sonar either right?

Originally Posted by Eatmorecrappie

So Wicklundrh even though I have my bow DF connected to my MK tm and my console DF connected to my back transducer I can't run them both? I guess I can't have one on structure scan and one on sonar either right?

Both? You can set them to read off either TD, but not both TDs on ONE unit. Yes, you can run one on structure scan and one on 2d. You can even split the screen and run structure scan and 2d on the same unit.