How do Minn Kota built in transducers work on the trolling motors if it's turning?

[Claytankozmo]

The new Minn Kota trolling motors come with mega down imaging built into the bottom.   I bought one and I'm just confused with how exactly the down imaging would work when it's turning in all directions. 

 

From my understanding,  down imaging is a thin slice of sonar directly down from your boat,  so that targets are clearly separated and detail is increased.  If a fish is sitting parallel to your down imaging slice the return will be much less that if it is lengthways like +.  If you're moving onto a tree for example,  if the motor turned while scanning it,  would it completely morph the image and mess it up,  or is there real time processing going on to nullify the effect of turning the motor?

 

Probably a stupid question but.

[Tennessee Boy]

I was surprised they put down imaging on the TM for that very reason.  A high percentage of anglers don’t understand how the shape of the sonar beam affects what they are seeing and will be confused by the results.  I asked someone at Humminbird about this and he said it was for when you are moving in a straight line and traditional 2D is  still there for when you are not.   I think it will be confusing for many but if you know why you’re seeing what you’re seeing then down imaging will give you useful information that you won’t get with 2D.

 

It might get really crazy when the TM is on Spotlock and the thing is turning like crazy on it’s on.

[Claytankozmo]

8 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I was surprised they put down imaging on the TM for that very reason.  A high percentage of anglers don’t understand how the shape of the sonar beam affects what they are seeing and will be confused by the results.  I asked someone at Humminbird about this and he said it was for when you are moving in a straight line and traditional 2D is  still there for when you are not.   I think it will be confusing for many but if you know why you’re seeing what you’re seeing then down imaging will give you useful information that you won’t get with 2D.

Yup it seems completely pointless for me to do this in that case.  Sure 2d isn't affected but why would I care if I have 2d in front of the boat and behind it? And if someone is going to buy a helix then they're going to get one with a transducer why just buy the control head? On top of the redundancy,  you can't even hook up two mega transducers to one helix no matter what you do. They sell a switch but it's not compatible with mega.  I wanted to have my back transducer levelled for when I'm traveling at 3-4mph and then switch to my trolling motor one when going slow but I can't even do that without unplugging and plugging something else in which is *** when you're using their cable tray.

 

On top of all this,  I'm sure it's just increasing the cost of these trolling motors.  I couldn't buy a 112lb ulterra without it as much as I wanted to. 

[Jig Man]

I have a down imaging transducer on my trolling motor.  Whether just running , on auto pilot or spot lock the image is fine.  Side image is the one that goes nuts when the motor is swinging.

[12poundbass]

Built-in MEGA SI will be available in early 2020 on the Ultrex and Ulterra. 

[Claytankozmo]

39 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Built-in MEGA SI will be available in early 2020 on the Ultrex and Ulterra. 

Where did they announce this? Too bad I just bought one... 

 

Edit: nevermind,  it was literally yesterday they announced it. 

[WRB]

2D down looking sonar signals with the TD biult into the motor housing isn't new. Scanning TD biult into the motor housing is new. 

With traditional conical shaped sonar signal area you don't know where in that cone circumference the sonar returns are located. If you are moving north or towards 12 o'clock for example and turn the TM 90 degrees heading towards the west or 3 o'clock the sonar returns don't move although they may dissapeare.

Scanning sonar mounted into with a turning motor would be problematic.

Tom

[Way north bass guy]

I’m not sure what the big “issue” is with it. I’ve had side imaging on my trolling motor for several years now, and use it probably more than any other imaging style, including 2d. Sure, if your cranking the motor all over the place all the time, or when using spot lock, it won’t work too well, but if your cruising along fairly straight, and have the graph set up properly, you can see just as clearly as if it was mounted on the console/transom. I use it all the time to find boulders, fallen trees, grass etc off to the side of the boat, not to mention bass. Last year I was cruising a big flat and could easily see a big school of smallmouth off to the left about 30’ away, flipped a drop shot over there and continued to hammer them for a half hour. It also works quite well to see under docks or overhanging banks. 

[drew4779]

10 minutes ago, Way north bass guy said:

I’m not sure what the big “issue” is with it. I’ve had side imaging on my trolling motor for several years now, and use it probably more than any other imaging style, including 2d. Sure, if your cranking the motor all over the place all the time, or when using spot lock, it won’t work too well, but if your cruising along fairly straight, and have the graph set up properly, you can see just as clearly as if it was mounted on the console/transom. I use it all the time to find boulders, fallen trees, grass etc off to the side of the boat, not to mention bass. Last year I was cruising a big flat and could easily see a big school of smallmouth off to the left about 30’ away, flipped a drop shot over there and continued to hammer them for a half hour. It also works quite well to see under docks or overhanging banks. 

How do you have your graph set?  I mounted my side imaging transducer to my TM and hate it.  I've been meaning to move it and just haven't gotten around to it yet. 

[12poundbass]

2 hours ago, Claytankozmo said:

Where did they announce this? Too bad I just bought one... 

 

Edit: nevermind,  it was literally yesterday they announced it. 

Yup just got it first thing this am. 

[Mike Boitnott]

Concur with Way North Bass Guy, I have been using side imaging on my trolling motor for years as well.  Glad to see the TM manufacturers building new ones so that Anglers have a choice.  I have always ran a Total Scan and now a AI 3 in 1 on my trolling motor and it is well worth while.  Now with Live Sight, Side Imaging and 2D sonar it has tremendous potential.  Cant wait to replace my Ultrex with the Lowrance Ghost!  The AI 3 in 1 is built in to the removable Nose cone which gives you the choice of AI or HDI.  Wonder whats next?

[Sprocket]

I never thought I'd use sidevu on the trolling motor.  The last couple of years I've used it a bunch.  With the GT54UHD ultra hi def transducer built into the Garmin Force, it is really amazing the images I do get.  I now have one chartplotter exclusively on Livescope and the other one at the front on UHD sidevu most of the time.  Yes the images get distorted when it's turning but I like using it.

 

SE Kansas grass grower

[WRB]

For anglers who primarily fish the bank that is relatively straight without lots structural elevation countour changes like a dam face for example side scans work good. It's like driving at night on a straight road you can what is there in the head lights. For the off shore structure angler or anglers who fish structure elements with lots of contour changes, points, humps etc in the wind that reguires a lot of TM movements scanning sonar doesn't work so good TM mounted. It's more compatible to twisting curving mountain road it's difficult to see what's in your head lights.

Tom

 

[slonezp]

I am confused as to how I can talk into a 3"x 5" plastic, glass and metal box that's 1/4" thick and fits in the palm of my hand someone on the other side of the world can hear and respond to my voice and I can send them pictures and messages.....

 

Who cares how it works? It only matters that it does work. I've had an SI transducer strapped to my trolling motor for 7 years. It works. 'Nuff said 

[schplurg]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

I am confused as to how I can talk into a 3"x 5" plastic, glass and metal box that's 1/4" thick and fits in the palm of my hand someone on the other side of the world can hear and respond to my voice and I can send them pictures and messages.....

 

Who cares how it works? It only matters that it does work. I've had an SI transducer strapped to my trolling motor for 7 years. It works. 'Nuff said 

 

 

I just don't see the advantage of having transducers on a motor that not only turns but gets pulled out of the water as well. I asked Glenn about that in another thread and he said there is a second transducer mounted on the boat for that occasion. Well what's the point then?

 

I don't own a boat yet so I'm probably missing something - what am I missing? Seems like a gimmick to me.

 

It also seems that they could use something to keep it straight as the motor turns, kinda like a camera's image stabilization or a gyro.

 

What is the advantage of having a transducer in the motor when you still need one mounted elsewhere on the boat? What's the advantage even if you don't need a second one?

[Mjmj]

On 8/23/2019 at 4:28 PM, Claytankozmo said:

Yup it seems completely pointless for me to do this in that case.  Sure 2d isn't affected but why would I care if I have 2d in front of the boat and behind it? And if someone is going to buy a helix then they're going to get one with a transducer why just buy the control head? On top of the redundancy,  you can't even hook up two mega transducers to one helix no matter what you do. They sell a switch but it's not compatible with mega.  I wanted to have my back transducer levelled for when I'm traveling at 3-4mph and then switch to my trolling motor one when going slow but I can't even do that without unplugging and plugging something else in which is *** when you're using their cable tray.

 

On top of all this,  I'm sure it's just increasing the cost of these trolling motors.  I couldn't buy a 112lb ulterra without it as much as I wanted to. 

You can use two different transducers with mega. I have seen boats that use 2 transducers on the transom. 1 for the left side of si and one for the right 

[slonezp]

51 minutes ago, schplurg said:

 

 

I just don't see the advantage of having transducers on a motor that not only turns but gets pulled out of the water as well. I asked Glenn about that in another thread and he said there is a second transducer mounted on the boat for that occasion. Well what's the point then?

 

I don't own a boat yet so I'm probably missing something - what am I missing? Seems like a gimmick to me.

 

It also seems that they could use something to keep it straight as the motor turns, kinda like a camera's image stabilization or a gyro.

 

What is the advantage of having a transducer in the motor when you still need one mounted elsewhere on the boat? What's the advantage even if you don't need a second one?

I have a 20 ft boat. I have 2 graphs, one on the transom and another on the trolling motor. The transom and trolling motor are 20 ft apart. In 100 ft of water, it wouldn't make much of a difference because of the size of the cone. In 15 ft of water, it makes all the difference in the world. Secondly, imaging only works when the boat is under power. If you are anchored, you will not get a good return. 2D does work while sitting still, but to get accurate returns, the chart speed needs to be on its maximum setting.

 

As far as the advantage of having 2 graphs/transducers, I can mark a waypoint on the console graph while I'm idling around. Share it with the bow graph thru ethernet, and have the ability to navigate and stay on the waypoint with the trolling motor rahter than have to find it again with the big motor

[schplurg]

7 minutes ago, slonezp said:

I have a 20 ft boat. I have 2 graphs, one on the transom and another on the trolling motor. The transom and trolling motor are 20 ft apart. In 100 ft of water, it wouldn't make much of a difference because of the size of the cone. In 15 ft of water, it makes all the difference in the world. Secondly, imaging only works when the boat is under power. If you are anchored, you will not get a good return. 2D does work while sitting still, but to get accurate returns, the chart speed needs to be on its maximum setting.

 

As far as the advantage of having 2 graphs/transducers, I can mark a waypoint on the console graph while I'm idling around. Share it with the bow graph thru ethernet, and have the ability to navigate and stay on the waypoint with the trolling motor rahter than have to find it again with the big motor

 

Thank you for the response.

 

I was thinking more about when the main engine is being used - say you're going 10 mph or much faster and the TM is up but you still want to mark structure, fish or whatever. Maybe people don't do that.

 

Like I said I have no experience with this but I do want to get a boat this winter so I'm just trying to figure this out

 

I'm just wondering what the advantage is to having the transducer mounted on the motor rather than a place without the issues of motor turning, lifting etc.

 

Does it allow the motor or system to do things it otherwise couldn't if the transducer wasn't on the motor? Perhaps I should just look at a sales brochure haha.

[slonezp]

17 minutes ago, schplurg said:

 

Thank you for the response.

 

I was thinking more about when the main engine is being used - say you're going 10 mph or much faster and the TM is up but you still want to mark structure, fish or whatever. Maybe people don't do that.

 

Like I said I have no experience with this but I do want to get a boat this winter so I'm just trying to figure this out

 

I'm just wondering what the advantage is to having the transducer mounted on the motor rather than a place without the issues of motor turning, lifting etc.

 

Does it allow the motor or system to do things it otherwise couldn't if the transducer wasn't on the motor? Perhaps I should just look at a sales brochure haha.

The way my units are set up, I can mark a waypoint while I am idling around with the big motor. Once I share that waypoint with the trolling motor graph, I can get right back to it from the trolling motor. Look at it like this. Let's say there it a 5 ft x 5 ft fish crib sitting in 20 ft of water. You mark it from the console graph with the transducer being located on the transom. When you head back to that waypoint, you would need to fish off the transom of the boat to be above the fish crib. Were you to fish off the bow, in a 20 ft boat, you'd be 20 ft away from the crib.

[schplurg]

Okay, so is it that a front mounted transducer would be the best solution, but because the front of the boat isn't really in the water you can only use one up front when the motor is submerged, hence the built in trans?

 

If you could have a transducer in the front 24/7 you wouldn't use one in the back at all, correct? If so I'm finally getting it.

 

Thanks for your patience!

[WRB]

I would use a a scanning TD mounted in on the transom becuase I use my big engine to search with, the trolling motor to fish with and it's out of the water when my engine is running.

Live view technology may change what we can see using the TM.

Tom

[Claytankozmo]

On 8/24/2019 at 9:17 PM, WRB said:

I would use a a scanning TD mounted in on the transom becuase I use my big engine to search with, the trolling motor to fish with and it's out of the water when my engine is running.

Live view technology may change what we can see using the TM.

Tom

Livescope on a trolling motor is something that makes more sense because you can point your trolling motor in the direction you want to see,  and if you're using something like a talon you are good to go.