Thread: Turning SI transducer 90 degrees

I Have a 60 deg down transd....that I modified bracket to turn it 60 deg (pointing sideways )...But have not had it on water..Just too hot around here..and too busy with other things ...
Want too see what it will do Kind home made SI...

You can "point" the xducer in any direction and still get returns ...

The challenge is understanding where the SI piezoes are actually "pointing" ... And how to interpret the data those SI piezoes are collecting by being "pointed" in those non-conventional directions = because the displayed image format will still be the same ...

One has to remember that SI is not a camera that simply captures everything in front of it and displays that data as a full picture ...

SI works much in the same way as an MRI ... taking thin slice "data captures" (with each ping) while moving - to put those thin slices together to create the displayed SI image ... This is what creates the SI scrolling effect at the top of the screen = each ping's data is plotted as a single horizontal line of pixels - and then the next ping's data is plotted while pushing the previous ping's data down ...

So as long as you're moving, and you understand where that SI beam is "pointing", and you understand how to interpret that data that is generated into the SI image - absolutely you should experiment ...

Rickie

One important point I will offer ...

The HB needs accurate digital depth data from the 2d piezo in the xducer ... because some of the algorithms used in SI processing uses that digital depth data ...

So turning the SI xducer at any angle other than the stock installation may create weird issues created by the 2d piezo not pointing straight down ...

This challenge can be alleviated by using the 9 M SIDB Y cable and a secondary 2d xducer to get accurate digital depth data from the secondary 2d xducer ...

https://humminbird.johnsonoutdoors.c...splitter-cable

Rickie

And I should also mention that the SI piezoes are "pointing" 30° from horizontal (60° from vertical) ...



Turning the SI xducer 90° would have one SI piezo "pointing" at the water's surface and the other SI piezo pointing almost at the lake bottom ....



Rickie

Looks like to me if you rotated transducer 90 degrees the boat would actually have to move sideways to get very much return ! Is this correct?

Originally Posted by ccollins

Looks like to me if you rotated transducer 90 degrees the boat would actually have to move sideways to get very much return ! Is this correct?

As long as the xducer is moving thru the water perpendicular to the length of the SI piezoes (fore/aft) = the data collected would be from a different thin slice of water with each successive ping (think MRI again) ...

The challenge is still understanding where the SI piezoes are "pointing" and how to interpret the data thats being generated into the SI image ...

Rickie

With the transducer facing fore and aft, one could slowly turn it left to right and right to left in a sweeping motion see what's in front of the boat.
"gene"

It would take some figuring out to process what you were seeing until you got used to it