Switchfire Sensitivity Comparison Images

[Doug Vahrenberg]

Ok. You got me thinking and I got the sonar recording out and made Sensitivity Changes and Switchfire Changes to show the exact same image in both Max Mode and Clear Mode with Full Range (Well increasing by 2) of both Sonar Processing Systems.
Hope it Helps to Learn the Functionality and Flexibility and choices Humminbird offers.

Humminbird Switchfire MAX Mode






















Humminbird Switchfire CLEAR Mode






















The amount of sensitivity will change for the conditions you are fishing but this shows that fine tuning will produce more desirable data for you to make decisions that can impact your fish catching.

[sterling6069]

ok one ? how would you know weather there is fish there one pic shows none while the others show tons of fish which would you use in a less than 30 ft to find schools of fish i know it depends but what does it depend on and why if im looking for a school of large mouth on a ledge with sensitvity on med its going to showa school on every ledge i go on whats a good starting piont for ledge fishing and good one for small creek fishing in less than 15 ft

[T Mike]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by sterling6069 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">ok one ? how would you know weather there is fish there one pic shows none while the others show tons of fish which would you use in a less than 30 ft to find schools of fish i know it depends but what does it depend on and why if im looking for a school of large mouth on a ledge with sensitvity on med its going to showa school on every ledge i go on whats a good starting piont for ledge fishing and good one for small creek fishing in less than 15 ft </td></tr></table>

Tuning a unit is like riding a bike. It takes a lil time to learn your unit and what settings are best and it also helps to understand how the beams work and how they are laid out. I remember late last year people couldn't get great screen shots with their new units. After some time with it almost everyone is posting great screen shots on here.

If you can show a school of fish on your sonar on every ledge then there is a school of fish on every ledge. LOL. I'm not trying to be funny but it's true as a tuned sonar doesn't lie.

For me I like my sonar beams on 200/83, and split fire on max. Sensitivity is the only variable. If you have your sensitivity on MAX it shows too much UNNEEDED information as shown in Doug's pics above. If you have your sensitivity at low sensitivity then you won't get alot of information. So the correct answer is usually in the middle. Say between 8 and 15. It's up to you to decide what sensitivity setting filters out non needed info BUT also show enough detail for you to decipher what's under your boat.

This post below also has some great information on unit tuning. I would reccommend everyone read it and gain from it as everything is there that you need to know :)

http://www.bbcboards.net/zerothread?id=486483

Mike

[Doug Vahrenberg]

Here's something that I like to point out from a Tournament Angler Perspective. I want to put my self in position to catch the 5 Biggest Fishing in the Lake each day. Do that and I win alot of Money!!!

To me I don't care as much about pretty arches and lots of data on the screen. I want to locate these bigger fish. The images above are great examples. Can you find the bigger fish in these two images?

These are Humminbird Max Mode Images: (But it can be done with either system) I'm just chose Max Mode for this example.





See what I'm seeing yet? By lowering the sensitivity I found the larger fish more easily in this school. Knowing that red is the stronger return and the size or amount of red is larger fish. These are the two fish I want to catch out of this school because they are the biggest and will give me better odds of meeting my goal.



Now review the first two images and find the same two fish. Much easier to recognize when you tune your sonar to find the bigger fish versus having sensitivity up too much and seeing way to much of the same color. Same reason I use the original color pallette versus the other color palletes it makes it easier for me to find what I'm looking for. This is the same for Switchfire 2D in either mode , Down Imaging and Side Imaging. Finding the fish is so much more important than having pretty crisp images. If you can't see 'em it pretty hard to catch 'em. Understanding what the functions and how the settings work and what they do will make it easier for you to locate more fish. There is no one perfect setting in any unit of any brand that will work in all parts of the country. The more you learn and understand how they effect the data displayed the better the "fish catcher" you will become.

An easy tip is to record some recordings while you are on the water and play them back on the unit. The awesome thing about Humminbird Sonar Recordings is it is all Raw Data - Unfiltered, Unprocessed. So playing it back on the unit you will be able to make adjustments and learn how the features and functions work to make it easier for you to adjust while on the water to maximize your fish catching versus casting. This video clip will teach you how to make Humminbird Sonar Recordings it records all the data Switchfire 2D, DownImaging, Side Imaging and GPS Input all together on the same recording. So when your at home and can't get on the water you can use it as a learning tool to become better at learning how to use your investment to the max:

[Flattman]

While I am not as acute nor am I as learned as some on here, I am understanding more with each peice of information you guys post. I have been routinely doing as you suggest by simply sitting in my boat after I get home and "peaking and tweaking" my unit for each location. I'm not sure why Doug, but I don't seem to see half as much while I'm on the water as I do in my carport after I return from the lake. I swear it's like being on the lake for me and I'm not trying to fish, drive or think where I'm going next. It has helped me to learn. You are correct that Humminbird allows us an unique tool with the recordings learn in the comfort of our carport !

Ron

[reelman]

Thanks...this is the kind of posting so needed for over a year...
all settings and or comparison settings git r done...
the rest is way too confusing.

Thanks again.

(I still think we need 4 categories for SI posts....
freshwater under 30 feet, freshwater over 30 feet, saltwater and special situations to make research/newbie education 10x faster and therefore much more effective...)

The only obvious question(s) here is (are)...
Is this good SENSITIVITY of 8 (apparently from scan) for under 30 feet too or is the sensitivity setting in any way affected by depth? If so, how and how much?

What % of bass anglers care what a 75 feet depth scan looks like anyway?...
I have seen one Elite T in a hundred won in over 50 feet so I suspect most BBC freshwater guys want scans under 30 feet...not trying to be irritating but reality is what it is)

Thanks for all u do

[T Mike]

Doug, Outstanding post!! even better visuals.

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by reelman &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">

The only obvious question(s) here is (are)...
Is this good SENSITIVITY of 8 (apparently from scan) for under 30 feet too or is the sensitivity setting in any way affected by depth? If so, how and how much?

What % of bass anglers care what a 75 feet depth scan looks like anyway?...
I have seen one Elite T in a hundred won in over 50 feet so I suspect most BBC freshwater guys want scans under 30 feet...not trying to be irritating but reality is what it is)

Thanks for all u do</td></tr></table>

Reelman, In Louisiana you prolly don't catch fish 70ft in freshwater but if your in spotted bass land say in California, Missouri and even sometimes in Georgia we do catch fish 70ft deep and we often catch fish suspended over 200ft of water but only 40ft deep. Then you have saltwater guys. 75ft is a drop in the bucket.. My deepest fish is 105ft thus far and I do catch stripers/hybrids in 40 to 50ft quite often. Actually did it last week.

As for sensitivity settings... If you ask 100 folks you'll get 20 different answers. Sensitivity is just a number. I bet if I paid attention I would like the 7 setting and the next day I would like 12. It varies for me. Honestly, I don't even look at my sensitivity #'s when i am tuning a unit. I let the screen data dictate what setting I leave my unit on. What is clear to me might not be clear to Doug. In fact I was on the water last week with the Product Manager of Humminbird. He kept messing with my sensitivity settings when we were driving around and also kept switching screens on me. Drove me up a wall. Nothing wrong with that but that goes to show you that everyone has different settings likes and needs different information and have it presented differently so that they can interpret it and get the information that we need/want.

Try this drill next time you are on the water. Crank your sensitivity all the way up on Sonar, DI and SI. Then crank it all the way down. You get a crappy picture at both settings right?? Now crank your sensitivity up until you start getting "excess readings, plankton or clutter or static or too much information? Then back it back down slightly a number or two to where the picture looks good. You want "some" excess readings but you don't want to wipe everything out either and that is where I leave my sensitivity the majority of the time.

I went out with a striper guide last week as well. He liked a clean screen (ie zero plankton/cline,clutter). All he wanted to show is strong returns (big fish). His image looked alot like Doug's last image there. Maybe a sensitivity click up one notch. Who am I to question a 30 year veteran striper guide on his sonar settings??

Dougs images above is a perfect example. HE has a pretty image of all the arches but to get the information he needed he had to tweak the sensitivity to get to the bubblegum of what he needed. The images I see on my unit give me the information I need but they are not picture perfect and pretty "internet Images". I can get them pretty but to me there's no point in taking the extra 10 seconds to tweak it if it's clear to me what I am seeing. Hope this helps explain sensitivity and settings a little better.

Mike

[reelman]

I hear u...
was saying that because its BassBoatCentral and the vast majority fish fresh water under 30 feet for bass...
that is why the suggestion of 4 posting categories was made (again)...I would not even read posts under 2 of them (over 30 and saltwater)...which saves time for the thousands like me looking for help to perfect use of the SI.

Thanks to all those helping us!

Two of my older scans....

[Rollo331]

how do you guys determine they are bass not white bass stripers catfish ect?

[Doug Vahrenberg]

Catching them is the easiest way!

Sorry for being smart A... but its true. Understanding the seasonal patterns of fish and how they relate to structure and location in the lake helps when you see fish returns. I can pretty much look and tell different species by the way they are related to structure and size what species they are. But sometimes species will intermix and then you have to sort thru them. I've seen alot of schooling whites/hybrids stripers and you find the largemouth and spots below them. Have to get the bait below them to catch the green fish. But it's understanding the fish is the big key.

[Rollo331]

thanks doug ...i am so tore up between a 998 and a hds8.....

[reelman]

Its you need a couple of tiebreakers...try KVD as a new owner and HB service (plus this Forum)...

[cwater30]

Rollo, I have seen an HDS-5 in action, never an HDS-8. I thought the Lowrance was the cream of the crop. Then I went to a humminbird seminar put on by some fine Humminbird gurus here in Kansas City. SOLD! Thanks to the fine folks on this forum, other forums and a few fine videos produced by Doug, I can navigate the 898 pretty well. I can now locate baitfish and catch fish by using this unit. I just need to get better at recognizing what I am actually seeing on the unit. i.e type of fish compared to structure. Like Doug talked about.

PS: If it's good enough for KVD, it has to be good enough for me!

[Doug Vahrenberg]

Going on 7 years of reliable service with Side Imaging Technology. Humminbird trys to keep your investment current as best they can as long as the hardware is compatible. In January they gave Down Imaging to any Side Imaging unit that has been produced since 2004...yep even the first generation 981c and 987c got down imaging. And this is just one example. American Made Product and American Owned Company. Johnson Outdoors owns Humminbird the Number 1 Selling Fish Finder Brand in the World and they build them in Eufaula, Alabama.

Plus take a look at the Pros that are using them...sure I don't have them all. Yes some are sponsored by Huminbird but many are not and still choose Humminbird.
http://www.dougvahrenberg.com/Humminbird.html

To me it's probably the simplies to understand, easiest to use and pateneted innovative features. Like Humminbirds Exclusive SI Enhance which makes it alot easier to find fish, Switchfire 2D Sonar that provides you a choice, and the list could go on and on.....

[jmoore205]

If I wasn't sold before that post, I would be now

[reelman]

Still waiting (like thousands of other HB users) for a cross platform movie playback format...like Quicktime or iMovie....its not 1990 anymore!!!
=====
Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 first quarter ended December 25, 2010. The Company posted record revenue of $26.74 billion and record net quarterly profit of $6 billion, or $6.43 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $15.68 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion, or $3.67 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. “We had a phenomenal holiday quarter with record Mac, iPhone, and iPad sales,” said Steve Jobs....


Modified by reelman at 7:05 PM 1/23/2011

[Fast 492]

Rollo, I was a Lowrance guy for 13 years (still like some units) but when they let Linda Colt go and the customer service went out the window (for me) it was not a hard choice. I have installed several HDS units and they are nice by alot of standards. Some of the differences I have noticed are ease of use issues for the HDS units (scrolling through the screens) and the software not being able to upgrade without sending in unit, as well as costs ($1000 for a unit plus $600 for SI)...ETC... With HB.com you can do most of your own downloads very simply and the menus are easier (for me) to navigate (or turn off) and the product support from HB as well as people like Doug and Triton Mike (even though he is a Georgia Boy ;) ) is the best around. I wish you luck and defineatley check out both before purchasing your 998csi he.he.he.....

Jason Bubier

[Bowhuntnsteve]

great thread of info & insight!

[KickBass]

Thank you all. This is exactly what I need to get started.

[crash14me2]

When i used the original side imaging 987 humminbird in regular mode the big fish always had "cream filling" my 7 year old son used to say! haha the bigger fish had a colored center on the graph, we used to find huge catfish mark them pull up anchor drop back and actually catch the fish we marked!! With cream filling of course!