What should I realistically expect

Earlier this year I bought a Touch 7 when Lowrance had the rebates on them. I talked to the dealer explaining that I fish mainly in shallow waters and wanted to know what I could expect to get out of using the LSS2 transducer. After questioning me more closely he told me that since I fish mainly from the front deck he felt I would be best served if I got a 83/200&455/800 (not really sure where the 455/800 comes in as the only display options I have are either 83 or 200) and mounted it on my TM. I trusted his expertise and went with this setup, but to date I am still questioning what I gave up. I now have only the sonar option, and frankly, I am disappointed with it. Because I use it in shallow waters, I don't see much due to the narrow angle of the cone. I also can't seem to be able to get very good interpretation of what I'm actually going over. Fish definitely do not show up as arches, but because I'm new at this I don't really know whether they should. Last night while trolling I told my wife- who was in the back- that I thought we had just passed over some fish. They presented as elongated shapes (flat) in an area where we had caught fish previously. Sure enough, she caught one. Now, does that mean that they will always appear like that, or is there an adjustment I can make to the unit so that they are more easily identified? I'm also wondering if they would look different if the water was clearer-visibility is about 2-3 feet at best. I've seen what I consider to be really good quality pictures on here but have no way of knowing the exact circumstances they were taken under. So, what can any of you tell me that might help me with this setup? I really have to wonder if I wouldn't see more fish if I had the side scan option. I understand that I would have to replace the current transducer as well as purchase the LSS2. Would one of the transducers that are built into the newer trolling motors work? My TM is OK for now, but I would like to replace it within the next year. Sorry, but I can't post any pictures of screen shots. Any help will be appreciated.

Justfishin2, fish arches are not that common. They only happen when the fish goes perfectly though the center of the beam or the boat travels over a fish that is dead center in the beam. I have a .pdf article on fish arches, it's a little wordy but would help you understand what happens. I don't know of any way to attach it, but if you want to PM me with your e-mail I will be happy to send it to you. Your are correct about your limited coverage in shallow water with the 83/200kHz transducer. I am not an Lowrance man put I think it is the same as my HB. The 200kHz will only give you approximately 1/3 of water depth coverage on the bottom and the 83kHz will be 1 times water depth. In 10' of water with the 200kHz you will see ~ 3.4' circle at bottom and with the 83kHz it will be ~ 10' circle at bottom. But remember it is a cone that starts at the transducer. I will let the Lowrance guys discuss what would be best, but I think SI, DI, plus 2D would be best. You might want to clarify "shallow" water. That can be very different to many people, in a lake with 100' deep water 20' is shallow.

The 455/800 kHz sonar is for Down Scan Imaging .... the 83/200 is for the 2d sonar cone.

As I understand it, looking at the Touch 7 on the Lowrance website, it should be capable of showing a GPS map, Down Scan, and 2d (singly or in combination). Are you saying that you only have 2d screen capability, or is that the only screen you use ?? Is the transducer, that you got with the unit, only capable of emitting the 83/200 2d cone sonar ??

... cp :kewl

I just swapped out an Elite 7HDi for the touch 7 and I have the 4 frequency transducer on the touch 7. You need to go to the installation screen on your unit and make sure you have selected that transducer. Mine came out of the box with a default transducer setting and I could not get the down image to work. I called Lowrance while I was on the water and he walked me through setting the correct transducer. I had already figured out that the transducer was not set correctly but there must be a 100 choices on the unit and I gave up before I got to the 82/200 & 455/800 option. I am going to get the LSS unit soon as I can save up a few pennies. I mean why have a unit that will also do side scan and not use it???? I had to pay a couple of hundred dollars extra to upgrade but the Elite 7 was driving me crazy with the navionics chip problem plus I was getting a $1300 unit for about half price. By the way I understand that Release 4 from Lowrance fixed the E7/chip issue, but I am really pleased with the Touch 7.

Searay nailed it, transducer selection is wrong,

Well, I've "selected" the exact transducer several times and still can not get any different results. Once in use there is an option-sorry but I can't remember the exact screen - that allows me to toggle between the different frequencies. When touched it allows me to go from 83 to 200, but that is all. However, if these are the only frequencies that the sonar (2d) uses I now understand why. I can not get the down imaging to work. One thing I didn't mention-can't imagine it would make a difference, though-is that I'm using a transducer protector that houses the td. I'm sure that it is possible that the 455/800 is not working, but before I contact Lowrance I just wondered if any of you might have a solution.

At this point we are just guessing without being able to see it. If you have the correct 4-frequency transducer selected and it still does not work on DI, either the transducer is defective or it is not actually a 2d/DI transducer, or....the unit itself is defective.
And then there is always the possibility that an electronic gremlin is loose somewhere and very hard to pinpoint.

By the way your ealier question about using the built in transducer if you got a new TM, it will only work with 2D I believe. I have the I-Pilot with the U2 transducer and it works fine on my 2D unit I have up front. If it were me, I would insist the dealer swap out the transducer you got for the LSS and then you would have all the features of the Touch 7 available to you. You would have to pay some diffrence but you should get credit for the one you have.
If you want to use the full blown Touch 7 on the front, you will need to put the LSS on a separate stable mount or leave it on the transom.

SeaRay, thanks for the info about the td's incorporated in the TM and about the mount for the LSS. I've seen the mount Jimmy Freeland commented about, and it is a good one-easily relocated and adjustable. I've actually done a little more investigating and found that somehow (probably due to my own incompetence with things like this) the split screen option that should show 2d, DI and structure had been adjusted to show only a very small slice of downscan. Since I don't have sidescan (structure) capability I had been ignoring this screen option. Once I figured this out I adjusted it to show 2d on the left half screen, DI on the bottom of the right side and left the sidescan as a small portion of the upper right side. As I understand it this is the best I can do as the literature states that you can't change the split options beyond the type adjustment I just described. Too bad as I would benefit from eliminating the sidescan for now. Wonder why they didn't include the options of 2d/DI and DI by itself? Now all I need is some time to try this out to see if I can get a better interpretation of things. No one commented on how water clarity might affect what I see on the screen. Also, since I'm fishing water 5'-15', deep will sidescan be of a significant help?

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I don't think that is correct. You can configure your screen to any number of views. As I am still learning DI images, I put the DI on top and the 2D right under it so I can see one over the other just as they appear. To me that is easier to compare than side by side. This is one example of a screen shot. Since I took this shot, I have reconfigured the overlay data, temp, speed, etc. so they align better on the screen, You can adjust the size of the digits also.

Justfishin2, everyone I know normally uses SI to search for structure, brush piles, laydowns, etc. SI will let you cover a lot of water to each side while in shallow water. I'm not sure how far your Lowrance will scan in 5' of water but with my HB I normally scan 50-60' with go clarity (I can scan a lot farther but that gives me a nice image). Then if you see something that looks interesting "mark" it with a waypoint and then go back over it with DI, 2D and take a good look to see if it is holding fish or possibly a good spot in the future (spring,fall,etc.). DI should give you a little more coverage area than 2D but not a lot in 5-15' of water. Even with DI you are only look at probably 15' in 10' of water. That is why SI is so great at 100' total coverage in 5' depth of water .

Water clarity will make some difference, but in my experience it is mainly that you will have a lot of trash from the muddy or stained water show up on the screen. I fish from 3 inches to 10 foot clarity water with good results. rdjj

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Originally Posted by justfishin2

Since I don't have sidescan (structure) capability I had been ignoring this screen option. Once I figured this out I adjusted it to show 2d on the left half screen, DI on the bottom of the right side and left the sidescan as a small portion of the upper right side. As I understand it this is the best I can do as the literature states that you can't change the split options beyond the type adjustment I just described.

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Personally, I'd opt for the DI image to take up the left half of the screen, and split the right half with the 2d image & map data. In water of 15' or less, your 2d cone should be set to the 200kHz option ... and I'd set the DI option to 800kHz (for a sharper image).

My Lowrance Elite 5 DSI unit is Down Scan only (no 2d sonar) ... and even though I've only had 2d sonar units for the first 40+ years of my fishing career, I don't miss it one bit, now that I can get images like these:

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... cp :kewl

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Originally Posted by SeaRay

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I don't think that is correct. You can configure your screen to any number of views. As I am still learning DI images, I put the DI on top and the 2D right under it so I can see one over the other just as they appear. To me that is easier to compare than side by side. This is one example of a screen shot. Since I took this shot, I have reconfigured the overlay data, temp, speed, etc. so they align better on the screen, You can adjust the size of the digits also.

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OK, how did you put this screen together. As I read the Lowrance directions for making a customized screen it says to click on an icon and drag it into a vacant box. The only icon I have available to choose from that includes DI also includes SI (which I don't want). Is there some way to totally eliminate the SI portion?

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Personally, I'd opt for the DI image to take up the left half of the screen, and split the right half with the 2d image & map data. In water of 15' or less, your 2d cone should be set to the 200kHz option ... and I'd set the DI option to 800kHz (for a sharper image).

My Lowrance Elite 5 DSI unit is Down Scan only (no 2d sonar) ... and even though I've only had 2d sonar units for the first 40+ years of my fishing career, I don't miss it one bit, now that I can get images like these:

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... cp :kewl

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If I could get images like those I would give up 2d in a heartbeat. Thanks for the tip on frequency settings, and thanks to everyone else who has chimed in with their opinions/advice.

This is a link to the online manual for the Touch 7. http://www.lowrance.com/Root/Lowranc...0312-001_w.pdf

If you scroll down to a pages 16 and 17, Customizing pages, it will take you through this. On page 17 it shows the different screen configurations from 1 to 4 screens per display and numerous ways to align them on the page. There are 7 different screen options on page 17 and that is where you select where you want each display shown, i.e. side by side, over and under, etc. Best to do this sitting in your yard with the book in your hand. Too many distractions on the water. I would see things while out on the water that I did not like and then come home and fix them in the yard.
This thing has so many different features, it is hard to digest at one sitting, I can promise you every time I go out I see something else I want to change and usually can't figure it out going down the lake.

SeaRay, that is the same info I had been trying to use without any success. I finally got the same split that you showed, but it was strictly by trial and error. As I had stated, there was only one view on my screen that depicted DI, and it was combined with SI. I had to put a blank favorites box on the screen tap and drag the split into it then attempt to get rid of the SI. I "accidentally" accomplished that by dragging the SI image all the way out of the box and off the top of the screen. I was then able to tap and drag the 2d into the box and split the screen like you did. Nowhere in the instructions did it say that you could drag something out of a favorites box. Only problem I can forsee is I will probably have forgotten how I did this if/when I get a LSS td and want to put the SI back in a box! Anyway, this has convinced me to utilize the Lowrance help that is available. Some of us need:help more than others. By doing this like I did the original favorite split view no longer exists having been replaced by the split I created. Thanks again for your willingness to help!

I have trouble remembering all the steps too. Good thing is once you get it like you want it, you can save it(hope you did) and it will be on your "pages" screen as one of the choices so all you do it tap it to bring it up. Lot to learn and I have not put the LSS on mine yet either so another learning curve coming. You could actually have left your side image display as one of your favorites on the "pages' screen and used it if and when you get SI.

Don't forget if you have more pages saved than is displayed when you hit "pages" just hit pages again and it will bring up the next page of screens.