Thread: side image sonar

The SI piezos are situated in the SI housing at 30° from horizontal ...



The sound pulse is strongest at this 30° from horizontal "Main Axis" ... (See beam form below) ...

The sound pulse diminishes continuously ...both "laterally away from the piezo" and "outwardly away from the Main Axis" ...until the sound pulse reaches -0db "Absolute Silence" ...

The beam angle specs dictated in sonar documentation is a "Measurement" at a specific db loss during the outward travel of this "continuously diminishing" sound pulse ...



The beam form definately reaches from the water's surface to past vertical under the boat ...but the strongest echoes will be from reflective objects along this 30° "Main Axis" ...

Rickie

Ricky thank you for the quick response. Can you explain this more in simple form.

The SI beam will be obstructed by anything you put to the side of it.

The beam angle is virtually 90 degrees to each side and very narrow front to back.

If you don't have a place where you can mount a single transducer to get a clear view of each side, there is a wiring configuration where you can mount 2 SI transducers .....one for each side that electrically is seen as just one transducer by the unit.....This configuration will give excellent images, but you will have the expense of an extra transducer and the y cable to connect them together.

In simple terms ... Your Smart tabs will most likely show up in the SI image ...

Here is a pic with an obstruction to the right of the SI xducer ...notice the constant line running close to and parallel to the centerline ...

Your Smart tabs would have a line similar to this but on both sides of the SI centerline ...



If the tabs are low enough ... They could actually block some of the sound pulse from reaching targets farther away from the xducer ...

Rickie

Bob's mention of a 2nd SI xducer and the AS SILR Y cable is a very viable option for transoms that have obstruction challenges ...

Rickie

Guys thank u for your quick responses. I really appreciate it! In the picture with the line that runs parallel with the center line, i still see objects out to the sides. Do you think that the transducer can still pick up structure out 5 feet and out from the boat? I normally run it in 455 hz at 65 feet or so

It depends on how much the signal is blocked ..... that one is fairly mild blockage.