sonar units

[oshkoshboating]

Stupid question - lets say I have a sonar unit (ex: Hummingbird 383c) and I am cruising along at 50mph and it picks up a tree - what type of an advanced notice do these types of units give you? How far out does it ping (sonar) so that you know whats coming?

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: sonar units

I cant comment one on the upper priced units. But i have two a humminbird wide portrait and a eagle cuda 168. Neither one of my units give you a warning. The humminbird i use when im running and when it shows you something your over top of it. The eagle is on my trolling motor and it only shows about 10 feet or so to the side. Now at slow speeds i can follow the contour of the bottom with either units.

 

[Bondo]

Re: sonar units

Ayuh,... Standard sonars tell you where you've Been,..... Not where you're goin'......
They shoot Straight Down...

 

[wca_tim]

Re: sonar units

Stupid question - lets say I have a sonar unit (ex: Hummingbird 383c) and I am cruising along at 50mph and it picks up a tree - what type of an advanced notice do these types of units give you? How far out does it ping (sonar) so that you know whats coming?

you hit it...

seriously, sonar (SOund Navigation And Ranging) tells you what's under you and maybe record what's behind you. If it were pointed in front of you, first, the angle would change as a function of the boats angle and so would the distance calculated from echo time. second, the signal wouldn't bounce back from most structures, but would bounce forward. in the most simplistic sense think of active sonar ping like a rubber ball. you throw it down and it bounces back to you, you shoot ir at a forward angle... see where I'm going with this?

 

[highN'dry]

Re: sonar units

Interphase

 

[H20Rat]

Re: sonar units

you have to remember normal depth finders aren't showing a picture of the bottom. Only the very first column of pixels means anything, the rest is just a historical graph of what you already have driven over. And the first column is from the first return heard by the bounceback, meaning even if you angle it a little, you still will not gain any advance warning.

 

[oshkoshboating]

Re: sonar units

Interphase is too much dough.

You would think we can put a man on the moon (allegedly - wink wink), run cars from french fry grease, etc - why can't we have a reasonably priced doo-dad to help prevent problems.