Sonar Interference

[clipper]

I have a Lowrance X27C on my console with the transducer mounted in the bilge.  I just bought a 510c for the front of the boat and will mount the transducer on the trolling motor.  How is the best way to keep the two units from reading each other's signal without turning off the console unit which has my GPS system on it.  I emailed Lowrance but they never replied.  Will connecting them with an ethernet cable and switching the console unit to read the front transducer do the job?

[lunka4me]

I am thinking about the same situation.  I am planning on using a transducer switch    SB-9BL  #46-26 on the LEI site,  to switch between two transducers for one head unit.

The reason I am doing so is because I would like to run each one through the same broadband sounder.  I am also running an ethernet cable between them to share GPS.  The problem with that is I had to purchase an expansion port because the broadband sounder changes a transducer cable into an ethernet cable.

If anyone else has a better way please let me know this is getting expensive for me.

[Long Mike]

Each transducer is plugged into its own display unit.  The two units neither talk to each other, nor read each other's transducer signal.

[R520dvx]

I've had one on the front and console of all my boats. Never had any problems and had always left them both on to entertain the co-angler.

[cart7t]

I used to have Garmin 160's on the bow and dash of my boat.  If I ran them at the same time at some point during the day I would start getting weird verticle lines on the screen followed by one or both of the units locking up.  Turning off and turning back on reset the units.  If I operated them alone they were fine.  I've run different models or different manufacturers units at the same time for many years and never had a problem.  I don't think I'd ever put the same model on front and back again.  

[Wayne P.]

If you fish deep enough to get overlapping cove angles, you will get cross talk if both units are on the same frequency and the same ping speed. It will also happen to units on different boats if they are close enough. A very narrow cone angle or shallow water is the only way to lessen the affect.

[clipper]

If you fish deep enough to get overlapping cove angles, you will get cross talk if both units are on the same frequency and the same ping speed. It will also happen to units on different boats if they are close enough. A very narrow cone angle or shallow water is the only way to lessen the affect.

Both units operate on 200 khz so I suspect I will get interference.  I appreciate you mentioning ping speed because I can change it on either unit.  That may work.  I could turn the back unit off when fishing but I don't want to lose my gps.  I may also try switching the back unit to 50 khz operation as well.  I just don't know what will happen because the transducer is not dual frequency, just the display unit.

[Jig Man]

You can change the ping at the bow to 50 and the console to 100 and see if that helps.  You can also stop the chart on the console unit while you are up front.  That will stop the ping and stop the interference but leave the gps alone.

The only way I could get my units to stop interference without stopping the chart was to put in the ethernet cable.  It allows both units to look at the same transducer so only one is actually working and you have 0 interference.

[clipper]

You can change the ping at the bow to 50 and the console to 100 and see if that helps. You can also stop the chart on the console unit while you are up front. That will stop the ping and stop the interference but leave the gps alone.

The only way I could get my units to stop interference without stopping the chart was to put in the ethernet cable. It allows both units to look at the same transducer so only one is actually working and you have 0 interference.

Thanks for the help, Jig Man.  I finally (today) got a response from Lowrance to my question and they too said to "stop chart" and the transponder would quit pinging.  I also figured the ethernet cable between the two might work.  It is good to know it will.  I will go ahead and mount the 510c at the bow now.