On Plane Depth Reading with Helix 7 G3 SI

[Taxin that Bass]

I installed a new helix 7 G3 SI on my jon boat last fall and am having trouble getting a depth reading when on plane. My previous unit was a Helix 7 G1 DI and i never had issues reading while running. The boat only tops out at about 25mph. I have adjusted the location of the SI transducer several times and it still doesn't read bottom while on plane.

Is this common? Are there any settings on the unit i should try adjust? I have several older DI transducers, i was thinking as a last ditch effort i could install one of those as well and use a y cable but would prefer not to.

[Wayne P.]

I installed a new helix 7 G3 SI on my jon boat last fall and am having trouble getting a depth reading when on plane. My previous unit was a Helix 7 G1 DI and i never had issues reading while running. The boat only tops out at about 25mph. I have adjusted the location of the SI transducer several times and it still doesn't read bottom while on plane.

Is this common? Are there any settings on the unit i should try adjust? I have several older DI transducers, i was thinking as a last ditch effort i could install one of those as well and use a y cable but would prefer not to.

The Compact SI transducer is wider and more difficult to get on-plane depth/2D sonar than the thinner DI transducer.

None of your older transducers have HW CHIRP or the MEGA frequency so you can't use the unit's standard frequencies with them. Your unit doesn't have Down Imaging either, just composite DI views created by blending the two SI pulses.
You can dumb it down to the G2 level and use a Y cable and one of your DI transducers for 2D sonar by selecting Compact Side Imaging in the Connected Transducer menu.

[bigfoot17]

Is the transducer you have on there now mounted directly to the bottom of your transom where the water line is? Is it longer or wider than the previous ducer?

[Wayne P.]

Is the transducer you have on there now mounted directly to the bottom of your transom where the water line is? Is it longer or wider than the previous ducer?

These are transom DI transducers before the MEGA DI+



These are the Compact SI transducers, the one on the left is the MEGA SI for the Helix 7 G3/G3N

[Wayne P.]

This is the transom HW CHIRP transducer that would maintain the G3 functions:

https://humminbird.johnsonoutdoors.c...som-transducer

[jackhammer38]

I don.t mean to take over his thread but I have a similar problem. I purchased a XNT 9 HW T transducer for the transom and a 9 M SIDB Y cable to use with my 12" Helix Gen 3 SI unit for high speed application. I have such a deep transom that I can't reach the bottom to put a shoot thru transducer in the hull. In the network section when I go to select 2D sonar the only one listed is the transducer that came with it. I either have something wrong or I don't know where to select it. can you give me a clue to what I have wrong? Thanks

[Wayne P.]

I don.t mean to take over his thread but I have a similar problem. I purchased a XNT 9 HW T transducer for the transom and a 9 M SIDB Y cable to use with my 12" Helix Gen 3 SI unit for high speed application. I have such a deep transom that I can't reach the bottom to put a shoot thru transducer in the hull. In the network section when I go to select 2D sonar the only one listed is the transducer that came with it. I either have something wrong or I don't know where to select it. can you give me a clue to what I have wrong? Thanks

You don't select anything.
Nothing was changed except the physical location of the HW piezo.
The Y cable disconnects the 2D piezo in the SI transducer and connects the added 2D piezo in its place.

[jackhammer38]

Well I guess I will have to lower the transducer and adjust the angle to get a bottom depth. I lose bottom about 20 miles/hour and then get a false bottom reading. Thanks

[Wayne P.]

Well I guess I will have to lower the transducer and adjust the angle to get a bottom depth. I lose bottom about 20 miles/hour and then get a false bottom reading. Thanks

https://humminbird.johnsonoutdoors.c...467.1562768346

[jackhammer38]

Thank you Wayne!! I know the spot is good since the Helix 12 Gen 1 HD side imaging transducer used to work up to around 50 MPH in that spot. Unless you made a tight turn in deep water then it would take a few seconds to re acquire bottom. Thanks again you are a valuable asset for all of us not so smart on electronics!

[Wayne P.]

Thank you Wayne!! I know the spot is good since the Helix 12 Gen 1 HD side imaging transducer used to work up to around 50 MPH in that spot. Unless you made a tight turn in deep water then it would take a few seconds to re acquire bottom. Thanks again you are a valuable asset for all of us not so smart on electronics!

You may have to re-adjust the ratchet to get the angle you need. That is discussed in section 6 of the instructions.

[Taxin that Bass]

Wayne, I have a skimmer transducer from a Helix 5 G2 DI, it sounds like this wouldn't work to use for my high speed depth reading with my new Helix 7 G3 SI. Is that correct?

[Wayne P.]

Wayne, I have a skimmer transducer from a Helix 5 G2 DI, it sounds like this wouldn't work to use for my high speed depth reading with my new Helix 7 G3 SI. Is that correct?

Yes that is correct==doesn't match. The 2D piezo in the DI transducer is 200/455 kHz

[Taxin that Bass]

Thank you Wayne, i will get a new skimmer ordered.

[Taxin that Bass]

So i ordered and installed the XNT 9 HW transducer as well as the 9 M SIDB Y cable and i still cannot read depth on plane. When i take off i lose speed almost immediately, maybe at 10 mph or less? Another thing i notice is that when i sit down, it really takes a long time for it to regain consciousness and find the bottom again. I have had times where i had to shut the unit down and restart it? The unit was on 1.8 something software, i just updated it to the latest revision. I have moved the skimmer ducer up and down a lot. I went back and re-read the installation manual and one thing that seems odd is contradicting directions in the vertical placement. In first part of the instructions it says to mount the bracket on an aluminum boat 1/8" from the bottom of the transom. Later it says that the seam of the transducer should be in line with the hull of the boat. If i install the bracket 1/8 in from the bottom of the transom the TOP of the transducer is way below the bottom of the hull. If i install the transducer with the center line in line with the bottom of the hull my bracket is way farther up the transom than 1/8". I have done a lot of testing with the transducer center line right about in line with the hull, some above, some below and still no depth reading. When i had my old Gen1 DI unit i never had an issue with this, just installed it with about the centerline of the ducer in line with the hull and it worked great.