transducer question

[Bruce Colley]

I have a 2 lowrance transducers, 1 is mounted mid ship, and 1 transom mount, is theree a reason to have 2 that i might not be aware of, and can a transducer from one manufacture (lowrance) be used with a different manufacture product (Simrad)

 

[yv1]

My guess: mid ship transducer came front the factory. Then someone installed the second transducer on transon. May be bc the original one broke or bc they installed new electronics.
Second question: In general you can only use same brand transducers if you connect them directly into the MFD. If you install a NMEA network (2k or 183) transducer is posible to mix brands. Not necessarily a straight forward connection, you require a network and some specific type of wiring.

 

[tc410]

Lowrance and Simrad are the same company and accessories are interchangeable.

 

[bobeast]

AirMar makes pretty much all the transducers and just supplies them with the appropriate wiring for their target MFD. One consideration when using multiple transducers is that they not interfere with each other. If for example, two of them are in close proximity (i.e their cones overlap), running at the same frequency and controlled by different MFDs, you will likely have noise problems.

 

[yv1]

Lowrance and Simrad are the same company and accessories are interchangeable.

Lawrance and Simrad merged in 2006. We're talking about 1989 boat.

 

[tc410]

So, yes we are... But are we talking about 1989 electronics? You seem to have all the answers, so please enlighten me.

 

[martinschulze]

AirMar makes pretty much all the transducers and just supplies them with the appropriate wiring for their target MFD. One consideration when using multiple transducers is that they not interfere with each other. If for example, two of them are in close proximity (i.e their cones overlap), running at the same frequency and controlled by different MFDs, you will likely have noise problems.

With a 2006 Sundancer 290, I want to add a Garmin echoMAP Chirp MFD primarily for the flexibility of the viewing angle (like standing) But from these posts, is it safe to assume I could not connect this new MFD (with depth sounding capabilities) to the existing original equipment transducer?

 

[bobeast]

With a 2006 Sundancer 290, I want to add a Garmin echoMAP Chirp MFD primarily for the flexibility of the viewing angle (like standing) But from these posts, is it safe to assume I could not connect this new MFD (with depth sounding capabilities) to the existing original equipment transducer?

You would need to know the frequency of the original transducer. Then look at the MFD specs and see if it supports that frequency(s). Then there is the matter of wiring. Your existing transducer may need to be re-wired to match the pinout of the transducer connection on the Garmin, assuming no adaptors are available.

I guess the short answer is that it is highly unlikely that this will be a plug-and-play affair, and will require further research.

Probably your best approach would be to find a transducer for your Garmin that will fit in the same hole as your existing transducer, and swap them out. An alternate approach would be to have a new transducer installed at a different location, and just disconnect the old one (leaving it installed to plug the hole).

Have a chat with your friendly neighborhood boat-yard, and they should be able to tell you what options are available.

Edit: If you are moving from Lawrence, I just found that there is a Lawrence to Garmin adapter cable available. Assuming your Garmin can handle the frequency of your existing ducer, this might be an option for you.