Depth Finder Options ?

F

Flatsflyer

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Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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16388
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204
I'm having problems with my current depth finders, Standard Communications DS100 at lower staion with a DP100 Repeater at upper station. They are both using a common transducer. I'm wondering what options I have to replace the units while retiaining the current transducer. I just had her hual and bottom painted three weeks ago and have to travel to St. Augustine forhauling. I wonder if I can find new gauges that will use the original transducer. It appears that many transducer are made by one company and most units appear to operate on either 50 or 200 mega hertz.

Any suggestions or experience?
 
John , I think you mean 50 Khz or most likely 200 (or close)Khz for depth sounders , but unfortunately it looks like Standard Horizon has dropped their instruments line. ( Website says "discontinued".) You might call them at 714-827-7600 to see if they have any suggestions.

Someone (maybe even Boatfix) may still have a compatible SH gauge still in inventory.

If you are having trouble with both display units, it sounds like it could either be the DS100 or the transducer itself ,no?

I believe others have posted looking for replacements also...
 
Were you having problems before the bottom was painted? If they (depth finders) were working, then I suspect the transducer was painted over. If this is the case, then a diver can clean off the paint and you should be o.K.
 
I was having intermitent problems before the bottom was painted, I've been "shopping" the net including EBay and many Marine Suppliers with no luck.
 
Most depth sounders are using Airmar transducers. The transducer MAY share a common plug with another brand. You might call AirMar and see what they say.
 
I don't know what transducer you have but some are thru hull transducers are oil filled and won't work if the oil level is low.
 
Assuming you have an airmar transducer, you can go to their website and they have a cross reference table of which transducers work with which depth finders. If you know which model transducer you have you should be able to figure out another depthfinder which will work with it. They also have adapter plugs in case the connectors don't match up.
 
John- If you are confident the transducer is good, this might provide another digital depth readout solution:

http://www.actisense.com/HTML/Products/Depth Sounders/Active Transducers/index.php

You could convert the existing T/D output to NMEA 0183 and read digital depth (not F/F sonar )on an ( or multiple) NMEA 0183 repeater or chartplotter, RADAR, etc. that accepts the NMEA 0183 depth sentence.

They even have multiplexer & gateway devices that converts NMEA 0183 output to 2000 input with complete opto-isolation. Looks like pretty slick stuff for electronics interface solutions at Actisense.
 
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