Jason, thanks for all the help with the updates. No better way to get it, than have someone who knows what their doing, do it for you.

So, if you're prospecting in 50 to 80 fow, what would be the appropriate range setting for side scan? Seems like the "auto" function wants to project the range too far to be able to see anything. Do you need to keep the bottom in view? Also, if you don't use the chart functions, are the 3.5 and 4.0 upgrades all that important?

What about the Elite-5 DSI? Can it do sonar logs?

No it cannot do sonar logs, just screen shots.

Figures since i just put the last screw in the transducer mount. I know it was a specific question i asked the salesperson over the weekend and was told it would. Now to decide whether or not to uninstall it and take it back or just keep it.

Well I just went from a black and white Lowrance with no GPS to the new 8 inch with a 5 on the front. Going to put the boat in the water this afternoon. So I'm sure I will PM ing some of ya'll with questions. Good info here thank to all.

There are approximately 57 submerged bridges on Toledo Bend. Our new HDS units with side scan is allowing us to see things that one could only imagine before. Over the coming months, we will be sharing what we log on these bridges. The following bridge is our first.

Side scan view:


Down scan view:


Close up, look at the big school of fish just above the roadbed.

Nice images Bobby. Went out the first time with my new unit Sunday and was a little discouraged at what I wasn't seeing. Stumps off to the right of the boat did not show up at all, but went under a bridge and the pilings showed up very well. I'm sure I've got some more tweaking to do and the first thing was to change the xducer type from unknown to HST-wsbl. One thing that worries me is I've heard the structure and sonar transducers need to be mounted less than a foot apart. The dealer installed mine about 18 inches. Hope this won't affect my image quality. Any tips on tweaking the settings to get a clearer image?

Happy

Like you, I was also discouraged my first couple of trips. Got to noticing that vertical objects had a slight curve to them. That can't be, so I got my digital level in the boat and measured the angle of the boat when traveling at 4-6 MPH. Got back on the trailor and adjusted the fore-to-aft angle of the side scan transducer so it would be level when moving at 4-6 MPH. Wow; big difference in image quality.

I don't think you will notice much difference with the transducers being 18" apart.

O.K fellas, Happy mentioned something I might need to know. Does the ducer have to be near the lss1? I was thinking of putting the lss1 on the jackplate and running it back there while I use trolling motor which has the US2 built in it. Please say it is not so.

Bobby

Never thought of that. I'm going out tommorrow and I just happen to have a digital level. I'll take my reading, of course this will be done after the morning bite slows trailer her and adjust boat angle with trailer jack to match my reading and adjust ducer as needed. Thanks for the tip!

Scout

I've heard the ducers need to be mounted as close as possible to each other. From what Bobby posted it seems to me like the farther apart they are the lower your image quality will be. Someone step in and correct me if I'm wrong.

I believe they only need to be close if you use the overlay

Happy, if I lead you to think that the location of the sonar transducer had an effect on image quality of the side scan/down scan, I am sorry, it has no effect. The LSS transducer is independent and will give perfectly good pictures even with the sonar transducer unplugged from the back of your unit.

The only way that one can notice a discrepancy between the sonar image and side scan/down scan image is when you place them both on the screen side by side. If the two transducers are very far apart then one might be able to tell that one is leading or lagging the other. Since the sonar return signal is conical and the side scan/down scan is linear then there will always be some discrepancy even if the two transducers were very close to each other.

Hope this helps.

+1

I believe this was a temporaty wooden bridge used during the construction of Toledo Bend. One segment of the old concrete bridge is on the left.

Here it is again going in the opposite direction.


Same bridge in down scan.


Another image at 90 degrees. A magnum brushpile.


Down scan image at 90 degrees.