transducer confusion

[Cutwater28GG]

I am trying to hunt down what garmin transducers I have on my boat.

it appears I have two units installed. this is a 2012 boat with the 5212 garmin system.
On the sonar screen I only have a 200khz sonar sensor displayed and there is no temp sensor readout displayed.

I originally expected relatively average sonar performance from the 5212 as its older before chirp etc came out. I don't see the fidelity of bait balls and fish never show up. now I have realized I have two transducers, Im hoping its just a mis-configured garmin that's not showing them.

1. anybody know what these units are? i cant find the stern mounted one on the garmin website. they are all a different shape.
2. are the transducers hard wired or NMEA in this generation?
3. anybody know whether the 5212 can support two transducers if hardwired?
4. can I expect to see bait balls on the 5212 era sonar systems? (at slow speed) - do you guys who just have the transducer mounted to the hull by the shower sump see fish/bait balls?

when I view the devices attached to the 5212 no transducers show up. this would kind of make sense if hard wired and not NMEA

 

[Brian B]

The round transducer mounted to the hull looks like the Airmar P79. It is epoxied to the hull, it may break loose one day as that seems to be what has been happening as discussed in this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10890
The 5212 is not the best for locating fish with this setup, I have found that going to the sonar screen and increasing the sensitivity helps, you have to do this every time the unit is started. The transducer will not show on the device list. The transducer mounted on the stern appears to be aftermarket, perhaps it had it's own display.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

Interesting thanks Brian.
I have a feeling the previous owner had some things setup for fishing but then never executed to completion.
for instance they had an extra pump added to run a live well where the cockpit flip seat is although the tank was never installed.

looks like I am crawling through the stern to see where this wire goes!

would appreciate if anyone else knows what brand of stern mount sensor that is!

 

[Cutwater28GG]

I think I have found it.

I think its a NMEA marineintelliducer
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/26511#accessories

A better angle before being cleaned up.

the photo from the website doesnt look quite right

but the one in the installation manual looks spot on.
http://static.garmin.com/pumac/MarineIntelliducers_TransomMountInstallation.pdf

so if it is this device it should appear on my Garmin. which we know it does not.
looks like I need to ensure I have the latest software installed on the garmin gear and that the NMEA cabling is intact.

 

[nzfisher]

The 5212 when correctly hooked up provides adequate to good fish finding. You should be able to see bait balls and most fish in shallower water but not so good at speed. No temperature sensor on through hulls. Perhaps the transom mount was providing temp, speed and a different frequency. The 7600 series is a vast improvement. The 5200 technology is quite old now and no longer can be updated to my knowledge but 5212 is still good if you can get it working. Various Garmin black boxes can expand capability of 5212, I believe, to drive various chirp transducers. There is such a unit (22?) driving the aiair mar that comes with your boat. You might call garmin and find out what is compatible with your series. Older black boxes are always available used as they get replaced by rabid fishermen who know that fish won’t bite unless you have spent a substantial sum of money.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

thanks NZfisher.

yeah I think the 5212 comes with a GSD 22 which is pretty old tech but could be upgraded seperately.

the later chartplotters dont need this seperate black box which makes the cost of upgrade if you want better sonar more cost effective to go to the new plotters than going with a new black box. both would require a new transducer anyway.

I think I will call garmin. but my plan is

1. see if I can get the stern mount transducer working - it may be better than the p79 airmar and good enough. - Ive never seen a baitball even when sitting still - some tuning may be required
2. determine whats the most cost effective/easiest install (in the water) upgrade to the situation

which 7xxx series plotter does the factory install? there are 6 or so option with drastically different price points.

 

[nzfisher]

thanks NZfisher.

yeah I think the 5212 comes with a GSD 22 which is pretty old tech but could be upgraded seperately.

the later chartplotters dont need this seperate black box which makes the cost of upgrade if you want better sonar more cost effective to go to the new plotters than going with a new black box. both would require a new transducer anyway.

I think I will call garmin. but my plan is

1. see if I can get the stern mount transducer working - it may be better than the p79 airmar and good enough. - Ive never seen a baitball even when sitting still - some tuning may be required
2. determine whats the most cost effective/easiest install (in the water) upgrade to the situation

which 7xxx series plotter does the factory install? there are 6 or so option with drastically different price points.

I looked into stern mounted transducers and their effectiveness with inboards, unless you are really going dead slow or drifting, is marginal-too much turbulence. My boat came with a 5212 but I upgraded to a 7612 XSV which I purchased through Richard. I made a new mounting plate out of wood for install and did the upgrade myself. Time consuming but not difficult. The xsv comes with the equivalent of the 24 black box but there is a black box that is better but very expensive as a stand alone unit. Getting a better transducer is where the payback comes in, yes I drilled thru the hull and mounted it away from turbulence points as best as I could estimate. I did find that the original 5212 was an ok transducer. Plenty of bait balls and fish were visible in off shore water where it was used. That would suggest that there might be a problem with yours. I have an excess gsd 22 if it turns out that is your problem. GSD22 not compatible with 7612 xsv according to garmin.

Good luck

 

[Cutwater28GG]

thanks mate. I will investigate the cabling and tuning the sensitivity to see if I can get a better readout first.