By Ken Sturdivant
Today’s modern Sonar equipment comes in all sizes, and many anglers try to get by with a smaller machine to save a little money. This usually ends up being a big mistake, as the smaller machines are harder to see and read. As a rule of thumb, get the next bigger screen.
Now the decision comes to the technology available in each category. Global Position technology is very good now that Selective Availably was taken off the entire system in 2001. Some machines only have a Global Positioning antenna that is a plotter only with no mapping. The Global Positioning Systems use satellites that are maintained by the United States Department of Defense. These satellites have been in outer space since 1970 to provide accurate, reliable and continuous position reporting. This system is available 24 hours a day and can be used on land, sea and air. The signal is unaffected by weather. The best advice is to get a unit with the mapping technology so you can see yourself on the body of water.
Some of the lesser machines may only have a Global Positioning machine with a one hertz antenna that is very slow to keep up with movement. The best lines of these machines are the ones that offer up to a 12-channel receiver that is much faster and a lot more accurate. If accuracy is important, get the faster antenna and the better mapping. There are several aftermarket mapping technologies available to enhance the “on the water “experience.
Sonar comes in every machine. Some only offer one frequency, and others offer as many as 80 different frequencies based on the transducer selected. Before making this decision, learn what frequencies are available and make this decision based on the needs for your use. The 200 kHz Frequency has an upside down beam like an ice cream cone. This is the basic frequency used by almost all machines today. It’s easy to read and easy to install.
Structure Scan technology is best called a 3 dimensional world. If a machine with technology sees an airplane on the bottom, it displays the actual airplane. Sonar only sees this as a very large blob. Seeing fish from great distances is the main reason this technology is so favored by anglers worldwide. Lowrance machines can scan as much as 600 feet of the water column on both sides of the boat. This 3-D transducer is only available on the HDS line. This transducer costs $999.00.
Down Scan technology allows the same 3 dimensional technology and can see the airplane too, as it shoots beams down and up to 300 feet deep. The Down Scan beam is 4 times larger than regular 200 kHz Sonar technology.
So do some homework before spending your money.
Ken Sturdivant is a member of the Lowrance Professional Fishing staff. Ken teaches this technology on Lake Lanier. Look him up by visiting www.southernfishing.com or call him at 770-889-2654.