Garmin Transducer

[menos22]

Looking for a thru Hull transducer for a Garmin Gpsmap 546S. I have a 35' Sea Ray Express Bridge with a 16 degree deadrise. Looking for a flush mount with temp. sensor. Boat mainly on the Potomac river and Cheasapeak Bay. While searching for transducers most of them specify fresh water, is this an issue?? Found a Garmin
010-10982-00 bronze flush mount 8-15 degree deadrise for $184.00. It says "our most popular fresh water transducer". Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. Mike.

 

[kaz911]

Hi Mike,

just to throw a curve ball

Get Airmar branded transducers in the "Mix and Match" series. Mix & Match means the transducers has a "standard connector" and on that you then get "interface cables" to suit your brand & model of GPS. So if you later buy a "new" Garmin or switch to Ray/Simrad/Lowrance - you just buy a new cable and you are then ready to rock and roll. If you buy a Garmin branded transducer - changing "GPS" is not as easy.

Here is a link to the available transducers and cables in Mix & Match : http://airmartechnology.com/uploads/SpecApps/airmaremea_mixandmatch_cable_12x18_poster_MR.pdf

Airmar is already the company making Garmin's transducers anyway.

And for transducer choice - since I guess you are in relative shallow water < 300' - the B60 model type (the one you found) will do just fine for most things. If you are an avid fisher - then maybe the B164 which is 6 times more sensitive at 50 kHz and 2 times more sensitive at 200 kHz. But the B164 has a narrower "view" of the bottom compared to the B60.

And remember to get some Transducer anti fouling paint (Water based anti fouling paint) if you have your boat painted.

good luck

 

[menos22]

Thanks for the info, think I am going with the B60-12. I bought a P79 thru hull last year but could not find a good location in the bilge that would give me good readings. Tried several different locations, I am not sure but perhaps I have a cored hull. Read somewhere that if the hull ID started with SERP it was built in Palm Coast florida and they used cored hulls. SERM was Merrit Island and were solid wood. Mine starts with SERP. Again thanks for the response. Mike

 

[kaz911]

Thanks for the info, think I am going with the B60-12. I bought a P79 thru hull last year but could not find a good location in the bilge that would give me good readings. Tried several different locations, I am not sure but perhaps I have a cored hull. Read somewhere that if the hull ID started with SERP it was built in Palm Coast florida and they used cored hulls. SERM was Merrit Island and were solid wood. Mine starts with SERP. Again thanks for the response. Mike

Call Sea Ray and ask for the drawings. They know if you have cored hull - and where the non-cored parts are. And the drawing will show you. I have an in-hull transducer - but I use the M260 - but it is not a pure and happy relationship since the hull is very thick. And since my boat is "still" in production - I can't get the drawings. So next time I pull it - I'll put in a B164 or SS264 Wide. But the M260 will do for now as I have Simrad structure scan transducers.