Side Image Help

Hi All,

New to fishing electronics. I just installed a Helix 7 Chirp SI GPS G2N on my 20 foot pontoon boat. I used it for the first time at Blackshear last weekend. I'm seeing a line in the side image on the left side of the boat. I thought I was a problem but most of the SI images in the Helix manual have the same line (in the red oval). Not my picture but exactly what I saw. The water was very dirty with lots of floating debris.

I would like to know what causes this line and if it's a issue with my transducer placement before I adjust. Since I am seeing that same line in the same place in numerous Humminbird SI pics I began to doubt that it was an issue but I still would like some help understanding it.



-rog

There is an obstruction to the left of the SI xducer causing a reflection (jackplate, live well screen, another xducer, toon, ladder, etc) ...

The SI beam reaches all the way to the water's surface to the side ...
Attachment 287221
Either lower the SI xducer, remove the obstruction, or don't worry about that echo because there is never going to be a target that close to the xducer in which that echo (in the image) would cover up ...

Rickie

I presume you have the transducer mounted on the starboard tube, it might be picking up your motor,but more than likely it's your other tube.

I don't really see any problem with that. But I do see some fish in that sonar picture that needs catching. My sonar does that at very slow speeds but after I get to going about 3-4 mph it disappears out of the sonar picture. I think mine clears up because the boat sinks deeper in the back and is at a some what different angle as the boat speeds up. Check this You Tube video out also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuYsmJRc_fE

Thanks for the replies everyone. I find it funny that the line is in the Humminbird manual as well. I think I will leave alone for a few more trips and see if anything else is affected. I may just live with it, or if I have other issues that show up maybe I can take of everything at once.

To Central Minn, yes, the transducer is mounted on the starboard toon. I thought it was picking up the other toon then saw the same line in the pictures in the manual.

-rog

You can verify the obstruction by temporarily mounting the SI xducer to a stick and stick it farther down in the water to see if the echo (in the image) disappears ...

Rickie

Good idea...thanks. Why do you think it's in the majority of pics from the Humminbird manual (see pic above)?

I have a toon and I have to raise my motor all the way up for the line to go away. The other fix is a left right splitter and another transducer for the left side.

I can't view your image but if you're referring to the line you see in the water column of Humminbirds images that is prop wash. Caused by the turbulence in the water created by the prop as it spins.

Okay, I've pulled this up on my PC, what you've circled in your photo is definitely prop wash.

Thanks that makes the most sense. I was indeed running the outboard since I do not have a trolling motor yet. I will leave the transducer as is for now.