Big Motor Washout

[jslaughter]

I have a Garmin Striker 7 with the GT52 transducer (pre lawsuit) but I keep getting wash out from my big motor more times than not. When I shut off the big motor the lines and distortion goes away. 

The kicker is, it doesnt do it all the time. i'd day 60% of the time it doesnt matter if I am moving or stopped, it has interference. But from time to time its clear as day.... Dont know what that means. 

 

Any help appreciated!

[FordsnFishin]

Are they on seperate batteries? 

 

[jslaughter]

On 8/28/2020 at 12:34 PM, FordsnFishin said:

Are they on seperate batteries? 

 

No all my graphs run off the cranking battery. I dont have room for an additional one. It seems to get worse when Im in gear, but still not clear as Im floating at idol.  

[gim]

Maybe the transducer is mounted improperly or in the wrong position?  They can be quite touchy if they aren't in the right spot on the transom.

[jslaughter]

Here is where my ducer is located. I tried following the diagram but every boat is so different. 

 

 

[FordsnFishin]

On 8/31/2020 at 12:03 PM, jslaughter said:

No all my graphs run off the cranking battery. I dont have room for an additional one. It seems to get worse when Im in gear, but still not clear as Im floating at idol.  

To me it sounds like it's picking up interference from your motor. 

 

I know you say you don't have room for another battery. But you could test this by temporarily hooking an isolated battery to your sonar and see if that cures it. 

 

If that fixes it id try running feeds to your sonar, directly to the battery. Just be sure you fuse the circuit, closer to the battery the better. 

[jslaughter]

On 9/1/2020 at 11:39 AM, FordsnFishin said:

If that fixes it id try running feeds to your sonar, directly to the battery. Just be sure you fuse the circuit, closer to the battery the better. 

 

Im not exactly sure what that means. Running feeds to my sonar? Im not sure what fuse the circuit means?

Sorry ignorance on my part. 

[FordsnFishin]

8 minutes ago, jslaughter said:

 

Im not exactly sure what that means. Running feeds to my sonar? Im not sure what fuse the circuit means?

Sorry ignorance on my part. 

Run wires directly from battery to your sonar unit so that it doesn't not connect to anything yet. Put an inline fuse on the hot side to protect your sonar and prevent fires. 

[jslaughter]

20 hours ago, FordsnFishin said:

Run wires directly from battery to your sonar unit so that it doesn't not connect to anything yet. Put an inline fuse on the hot side to protect your sonar and prevent fires. 

Thanks for clarifying. Do I need another 12v battery or can I used a smaller one and relocate somewhere else on the boat?

[FordsnFishin]

On 9/3/2020 at 12:51 PM, jslaughter said:

Thanks for clarifying. Do I need another 12v battery or can I used a smaller one and relocate somewhere else on the boat?

Yeah you can add another battery and hide it somewhere on the boat. 

I keep a dedicated battery for motor,  one for graphs, and 2 for trolling motor. 

 

[jslaughter]

On 9/7/2020 at 6:06 AM, FordsnFishin said:

Yeah you can add another battery and hide it somewhere on the boat. 

I keep a dedicated battery for motor,  one for graphs, and 2 for trolling motor. 

 

What size do you use for the graphs? Just another 12v? Or can I get away with a more compact smaller battery?

[FordsnFishin]

13 hours ago, jslaughter said:

What size do you use for the graphs? Just another 12v? Or can I get away with a more compact smaller battery?

Im currently using a 27 size. If you're only running the one graph you could downsize

[moguy1973]

Before adding a battery you could get a ferrite ring to run your transducer and power wires through for your fishfinder.  These are made to reduce EMI and RFI interference.  You can get a handful of them in various sizes on amazon for under $10

 

https://www.amazon.com/Jabinco-20pcs-Ferrite-Suppressor-Diameter/dp/B07ZQZQ5BQ/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=ferrite+rings&qid=1599654601&sr=8-4