Interpreting sideimaging

Ive never owned one...but will soon. Of the dozens of photos ive seen of the humminbird sideimaging units I find myself confused on how to "look" at the screen. For instance, the black strip down the middle. I know this is water...but is that water on each side of the boat or under the boat? If thats water to the right and left of the boat then I should tilt my head to the left to see out to the right...and tilt to the right to see out to the left? Right? Wrong? And if thats the case....wouldnt it be better if the screen scrolled across rather than up and down?? Is the water closest to the boat on the outside edge of the screen or inside? Im really struggling trying to figure this out...and I cant find anywhere that explains it. I see plenty of talk about map cards..laptops, networking, PC cables, etc, etc...but never how to actually interpret the screen for a beginner. Maybe Im just too much of a beginner on this...but could someone fill me in?

From what I know. The black strip down the center is under the boat. Yes, tilt left to see right, etc. The images closest to you are from the black line under the boat and gets progressively further away the closer you move to the edge of the screen. Neck cramps are common from guys I have talked to learning to interpret the graph.

I am in agreement. They should have a button on the screen where you can flip the screen any direction you want. If you are scanning and looking primarily at the bank then you should be able to put that side of the boat on top and read it go horizontally. Only makes sense to me. I can flip the screen on my laptop any direction I want, why not the sidescan?

The Hound

The black strip is called the water column. Thats the time it takes for the ping to reach the bottom and return, you could call it the depth but it is going out to the sides too, remember the wave is an arc so if it hits some thing out there on the way down it returns a signal that'll show up in the dark area like trees, bait balls or large fish.
Copy an image and bring it into a photo shop program. There rotate the image 90° so the water column is at the top, then it'll look like the horizon. Now you should be easily able to visualize the up and downs.

WarrenMN

Ok...as I look at it...and i tilt my head left and look at the right side...am i looking out into the "horizon" and the farther away the bottom goes the farther away it is? And the black is the depth from top to bottom? They really need an instructional video on these things. I cant figure why they would have such a high dollar innovation and not have something to help us interpret it. Maybe the Humminbird guys here....and I know there are at least a couple....would care to comment on this?

Thats another thing that is keeping me from buying one although I love the concept. I have 3 or 4 spurs in my neck along with a metal plate with 4 screws in it to keep my head from falling off. And they want me to keep tilting my head back and forth? I don't think so. Yet

Cut out the black strip (water column), then slide the two sides together. That is what basically you are really looking at.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...Humminbird.jpg

So, I'm guessing it suppose to look like this right?

Spectrum...thats exactly how my mind is telling me to look at it. you hit it on the head. I could not explain it...but that is it. And if that is indeed how you do look at it...then the black strip down the middle is NOT the water under the boat...but rather the water looking out on the horizon from top to bottom. That bottom image where you turned it seems to me to be how the screen should scroll so we arent breaking our necks...if of course this is how we are supposed to look at it. Humminbird reps...still waiting for you to help. hint hint hint!

picture yourself standing in the middle of black water column on the bottom of the lake looking 90 degrees right and left as you walk forward. That's exactly what the sonar beam is doing as you are moving along.

Ok..then in that case the bottom closest to the black strip in closest to the boat? And then the bottom of the lake on the outside of the screen is farthest away? If that is the case then spectrums example of turing the page upright is incorrect?