Raymarine Transducer Question - The Hull Truth

topfish · 03-18-2006, 12:32 PM

I installed the Raymarine C80 last summer with sonar and gps. I have a question about the transducer from Raymarine. The transducer is a 200/50 combo. I am on Thompson Creek, Chesapeake, Kent Island. In that we fish in mostly shallow water and assume the 200 is used mainly. In that I think the 200 has a 11 degree spread is that too small a cone for the shallow areas of the Chesapeake? I formally had a Lowrance unit on my old boat and initially installed the 200/50 combo transducer. I had lousy readings with the Lowrance in the Chesapeake and switched to a 200 transducer with a 20 degree cone. This solved the problems with the Lowrance. I was wondering if the same applies to the Raymarine C80 sonar with the 200/50 transducer? I receive good Sonar readings with the C80, however, with the 11 degree cone only a very small portion of the bottom is shown in shallow water. Does Raymarine have a wider cone transducer available for the C80?
Please also advise when the new Raymarine Radar (2KW) will be shipping.
Thanks

FreeByrd · 03-20-2006, 02:54 PM

Some input on the transducers for "shallow" water fishing. I fish on Lake Erie - max depth I fish is about 85 feet and 90% of my fishing is less than 50 feet with probally 75% less than 35 feet or so. We often use the 50KHZ mode to take advantage of the wider cone angle when open water trolling. We have done this in as shallow water as 12 feet. If you are concerned about bottom detail on specific "spot on the spot" structure, the narrower cone on the 200 Khz will provide better detail - but if you are off the bottom and looking in open water the 50 Khz wider cone angle has a place even in shallow water. It will take you a while to get used to the way things look on 50 Khz compared to the 200Khz - everything looks bigger - longer marks, etc. Hope this helps some. I know several guys that had problems with the dual frequency Lowrance transducers - not sure what the problem was. Just give it a try on 50 Khz - once you get used to the way things look you will like it. I switch back to 200 Khz when running at higher speeds.
Steve

topfish · 03-20-2006, 07:30 PM

Thanks Steve, will give it a try. Most of the area of Eastern Bay is around 12' deep and deeper in the main channel of the Chesapeake. The C80 works great in 30' and can easily see line and jig heads, etc.

yachtjim · 03-20-2006, 08:30 PM

Hi TopFish, We live on the same creek! I putz by in the yellow Seacraft almost every evening (in the summer). you don't have any choices to widen teh cone angle. All of the Raymarine and Airmar ducers have an 11 degree cone on 200. You can increase the cone to 12 degress with some ducers but that is not going to be noticable.

The new domes will be available when the old ones run out, or so they say. No telling when they will be shipping. You can get your order in now though so you get one as soon as they are released.