Fish Finder Confusion?

[pab1981]

I bought my first boat a little while ago and it doesn't have a graph on the bow. I've been doing a lot of reading thru old threads here(all I've ever used is a fishin buddy on jon boat) and it seems like they all have all kinds of problems. I'm looking for an affordable 2d unit. I guess now I'm kind of leaning towards an Eagle Fishmark 320. I want to mount the transducer on the trolling motor so I'm assuming I can use LEI adapter to mount the Skimmer there right? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I'm sure I'm gonna have a lot more questions when it comes time to mount and pull wire(I'm electronics impaired, should probably just pay someone else to do it.)

Thanks,
Austin

[slabbandit]

Hi Austin, The 320 would be a great unit to start with, actually a better unit than I have now. Yes, with the proper bracket, you can mount the skimmer transducer on the trolling motor. Don't be afraid to ask anybody here for help on installation or operation of your unit.

[ALMRAZEK]

Eagle 320 Is Outstanding Unit. I Have Two, One On The Transom And A Second One Connected To My Minkota Pd Trolling Motor With Universal Sonar. If You Have A Glass Bass Style Boat I Would Recommend A Electrical Wire Puller To Run Your Wiring. That Is What I Used When I Had A Bass Boat. Any Questions, Just Ask.

[slimeyslab]

I have a 320 on my console as well and love it. It tells me everything I need to know and for the money you can't go wrong.

[bigfish5]

i would suggest putting the few extra dollars in a fishmark 480. they are not a lot more but give you a lot more pixels for better detail. i have 1 and i love it. also wiring is not hard at all. to make it simple just pull a stranded black and red wire from your unit to the battery . put a fuse link on the hot wire at the battery and butt splices at the unit, red to red and black to black. if i remember correctly i used 18gauge stranded wire from lowe's. measure and buy a few extra feet. its much better to cut a few feet off than to run short. i hope this helps.

[yankee doodler]

before going down to KY lake and put a HB 727 dual sonar on the bow. Like Bigfish said you can either run the red/black power cable back to the battery location or terminate at the fuse box, whichever is more convenient/easier. Red is hot, black is ground. Instead of buying a different trolling motor mount transducer, I bought the bracket w/ band clamp (from Cabelas) that I believe is universal for most transom mount transducers, to mount on the trolling motor. A few wraps of the transducer cable around the trolling motor shaft will give you the "play" you need to make the 180 degree rotation on your trolling motor. Hope that helps.

[JIG Gene-e]

About the transducer on the trolling motor.
Eagle makes a hockeypuck looking transducer for about all their units. About 50 bucks. I like those best cos they don't move around.I have hit all kinds of junk and never had a problem. You'll also need the mounting kit to go with it.
If you use the one that comes with the unit, you'll still need the trolling motor kit. Or you can make your own. Use a dremel to cut 2 slots in the original mount and thread a large band clamp through them.

[jafacman]

I prefer a transom mount ... keep the transducer wire as far away from other voltage wires as possible ...they tend to cause interference with the signal ...I ran it through 1/2in PVC for cheap to help stop that ...works great...The transducer only shoots a 20 degree spread pattern any way unless you buy the larger one seperately that gets a 35 degree spread ...Get the fixed mount...Just my 2 cents....

[TnT]

I fished with the 320 for 2 years and it was a good unit for the money. I have upgraded now but the 320 always did me right.

[CatFan]

All you need to mount a skimmer transducer on a TM is a hose clamp and make a couple of minor bends to the mouting bracket. Here's apost I made on another forum with pictures: Mounting a Lowrance Skimmer Transducer on the Trolling Motor: Electrical/Wiring/Trolling Motors: BBC Boards