Page 33 - How to Go Boating Flip 1
P. 33
rease in features and performance means a colour sounder is the which typically means it will have eight or 16 levels of grey displayed.
most affordable it has ever been. The benefit of a colour sounder While colour is the best fish-finding tool, a mono sounder with lots
is that the strength of the return signal is shown by the variation in of vertical pixels is still a very fine way to find them. The technology
colour. With a bit of practice you will be able to read fish species is stunning — it’s not so many years ago that we were using small
and bottom types easily. The alternative to colour is a monochrome sounders with just 60 vertical pixels and no variation in display. In fact,
sounder. They are usually in the lower price segment of the market. A anyone under the age of 30 may not even realise that for many years
modern mono sounder will likely be described as having ‘grey scale’, the only real option was to use a paper sounder, which used a stylus
to burn marks on to a disposable roll of paper. We have it so easy
now …
Sounder Controls
Does Running a Sounder This is the most frustrating book chapter I have ever written in my
Affect the Fish? life. I started a marine electronics business which I ran for 10 years.
A major part of my role was educating people in the use of sounders
The short answer is no. I seldom, if ever, turn off my (and GPS). There are so many things I’d love to explain here about
sounder when fishing. If you are anchored in shallow using and getting the most from your electronics but there just isn’t the
water and it’s not needed, then by all means turn it off if space. So with apologies, not for what I’ve written but for what I’ve had
it makes you more comfortable. Several years ago I was to leave out, this is a summary of the key features, but far from all of
on a friend’s launch, fishing off Great Mercury Island. them …
Due to a flat battery we didn’t want to stop the motor. We
anchored in 5 m of water, engine running, sounder going, First, I have to state that if you are new to sounder operation,
and, as the photo below shows, filled a box with snapper! or just want things to be simple, then the auto functions for gain
and range work superbly well on a modern sounder. But with a little
understanding and effort you can get so much more from it.
Range — The range adjustment allows the screen to show everything
from surface to bottom. It can run automatically or be manually set.
On better sounders the screen won’t just reset but will redraw so that
everything remains in view rather than showing vertical reset lines.
As you get into deeper water the limitations of the pixel count become
apparent, which is when you may need to start using a zoomed view.
Zoom — There are several different types of expanded view that
may be available on a sounder. Zoom sets a range to expand; for
example, you might set a 20 m zoom while in a depth of 100 m. This
14 Marine Electronics 195
most affordable it has ever been. The benefit of a colour sounder While colour is the best fish-finding tool, a mono sounder with lots
is that the strength of the return signal is shown by the variation in of vertical pixels is still a very fine way to find them. The technology
colour. With a bit of practice you will be able to read fish species is stunning — it’s not so many years ago that we were using small
and bottom types easily. The alternative to colour is a monochrome sounders with just 60 vertical pixels and no variation in display. In fact,
sounder. They are usually in the lower price segment of the market. A anyone under the age of 30 may not even realise that for many years
modern mono sounder will likely be described as having ‘grey scale’, the only real option was to use a paper sounder, which used a stylus
to burn marks on to a disposable roll of paper. We have it so easy
now …
Sounder Controls
Does Running a Sounder This is the most frustrating book chapter I have ever written in my
Affect the Fish? life. I started a marine electronics business which I ran for 10 years.
A major part of my role was educating people in the use of sounders
The short answer is no. I seldom, if ever, turn off my (and GPS). There are so many things I’d love to explain here about
sounder when fishing. If you are anchored in shallow using and getting the most from your electronics but there just isn’t the
water and it’s not needed, then by all means turn it off if space. So with apologies, not for what I’ve written but for what I’ve had
it makes you more comfortable. Several years ago I was to leave out, this is a summary of the key features, but far from all of
on a friend’s launch, fishing off Great Mercury Island. them …
Due to a flat battery we didn’t want to stop the motor. We
anchored in 5 m of water, engine running, sounder going, First, I have to state that if you are new to sounder operation,
and, as the photo below shows, filled a box with snapper! or just want things to be simple, then the auto functions for gain
and range work superbly well on a modern sounder. But with a little
understanding and effort you can get so much more from it.
Range — The range adjustment allows the screen to show everything
from surface to bottom. It can run automatically or be manually set.
On better sounders the screen won’t just reset but will redraw so that
everything remains in view rather than showing vertical reset lines.
As you get into deeper water the limitations of the pixel count become
apparent, which is when you may need to start using a zoomed view.
Zoom — There are several different types of expanded view that
may be available on a sounder. Zoom sets a range to expand; for
example, you might set a 20 m zoom while in a depth of 100 m. This
14 Marine Electronics 195
