360 - expecting too much?

[Spd 135]

Looking at your 4th image, as you say, that's the brush pile in the water column. Since you have a waypoint, try bringing the range in as you get close. Once you are within 20'-25' the water column gets in the way (per current settings). When you get 75' or so from the waypoint bring the range in and I think you will see it. It looks to be getting "lost" in the water column. Keep bringing the range in as you get close. You may use the enhanced setting in the express menu and turn on the contour mode to help too. Once you see it, play with the sensitivity to clean it up.

[TroyBoy30]

well im either expecting too much out of the unit or it's just defective. I tried everything suggested and can't get any better than these. I'm in a literal forest of timber and can barely see 1 or 2 trees. the faster scroll speed does nothing but make the images worse.









one of the better ones

[Spd 135]

The slowest speed and being still will result in the best imaging. Scanning sonar is made to be static. Using it, while trolling, does have benefit to observe structure as you approach, but the best imaging is slow and still. The first image is from a 997 and the last from my Helix 12/ Both were dropped to 120' while stationary in a deep Ky lake. I use mine for search work. The second image has a lot of "noise" due to thermocline and such, but the trees are clear. The depths on my images are not accurate as I had no 2d transducer in the water. The depth was about 170' and water temp at depth 40 degrees. Launch your boat and stay tied off to a dock and see if you can get what I have in my 3rd image. Tune it in and then go use it.

[Bob B]

Did you mean 998? The 997 didn't have Ethernet

[Spd 135]

That's right. I meant 898. Gonna go edit that. It won't edit for some reason

[TroyBoy30]

Yea it’s cool. I’ll figure a way to get panoptix back on boat. I may even go back to garmin on the bow and simply move an sd card back and forth since I won’t have networking. That was my original plan after all but I figured I’d give it a shot.

[mn_bowhunter]

Troy,

Are you moving fast with the TM when you are taking these images? You should be moving slow, not with TM on super high. Second, is the transducer of the 360 interfering with the prop on the TM or coming out of the water? Those are things to take into account. I can literally count the limbs of a tree with my 360. I think it comes down to you (user error) or a bad install/interference, or a defective unit. My bet is on user error and bad install/interference.

You can't do anything remotely close to looking at limbs of a tree underwater like that with Panoptix. Good luck understanding where the limbs are and how a tree lays out with Panoptix.... You can stare at the blob on your screen marking the outside of the tree and see what that tells you.

[TroyBoy30]

sitting completely still or even spot locked. i tested for interference and had none. you're totally wrong about panoptix. this is standing timber, not lay down trees. some of these trees are over 20 ft tall. should be pretty easy to pick those up.

[mn_bowhunter]

I think it's your installation then. Have you tested a known good unit from somebody else on your bow? That'd be a logical next step. It should be producing much better images than what you have so I would venture to guess it's an installation/interference problem.

I'd love you to show me a screenshot of Panoptix that shows each individual limb of a submerged tree from 30 feet away without moving the boat around the target. Please prove me wrong. You can't, because 2D sonar cannot shoot through objects like that. It just can't happen. I don't know why you praise Panoptix so much yet you ditched it for 360.

[TroyBoy30]

not sure how you think it could be an install issue since there is only 1 way to mount it to the ultrex. No i don't know anyone else that has an ultrex, much less an ultrex 360. It's also pretty labor intensive just to swap it out if I did.

I didn't say anything about seeing individual limbs of a submerged tree with panoptix. i don't need to see individual limbs of a brush pile or piece of timber, but i do need to see the brush pile or timber. if you look at my screen shots you will see i'm always casting to a waypoint. I already know what's there..i'm not looking for new stuff. I simply use forward looking sonar to pinpoint exactly where the object is because the waypoint can be multiple feet off.

heres an example for you. see the waypoint? it says burshpile! so i know what it is. I simply scan with my trolling motor until i locate it. then i can make an accurate cast. the problem with 360, which i knew was going to be a problem going in even though you guys said otherwise, is at the depths i fish i have to extend the range out so far these small targets are simply too small to see. same as with side imaging. you can easily see the brush pile at 60 feet. this screen shot is also an excellent example of how far gps can be off. see how my heading line says im not even close to the waypoint but you can obviously see it's right in front of me, not where the waypoint icon is.




heres another one. again the waypoint is named brushpile and you can easily see it at 110 feet. also keep in mine these are screen shots. when you see it live it really is easier. again. i'm not trying to identify these object, i already know what they are. im simply trying to find them when I return to a spot. you can cast to the waypoint all day long and actually not even be close to it. if you cast just a few feet of to the sides of these targets you won't get bit.



now heres a 360 example for ya

again waypoint name says brushpile and you can see how large it is on side imaging. now where is it on 360?





I ditched panoptix because we couldn't fit the garmin units on the boat together with the 2 solix 15's, so i figured id give it a shot to compare the 2. it's pretty tough to run panoptix from a humminbird unit

ive already contacted deb to see if they will send me a replacement unit.

[Wallace]

IMHO I think you have a bad unit. I’ve used it as deep as 25 feet and I still get a better pic then that. Have you tried turning off the water column ?

[TroyBoy30]

i have not tried that. ill be back out the end of the week so im happy to try anything. im positive deb will take care of me but I don't expect to hear anything this week.

[Wallace]

The water column thing really screws with me personally I only use the contour mode most of the time . To me in your pics the image looks hot but this is coming from a helix user. I went out this weekend and tried it on some laydown timber I know of in 25 feet and could see it but reservoirs I fish have no standing timber in them. Your brush pile just kind of looks weird to me but I have learned from this years use of it that some times things will show funny depending how you come at them . I hope it helps you. To be honest most if not all the lakes where I live are not much deeper than 28 foot

[Capw]

Go shallow and scan some known rocks and trees. Post the pics and we'll tell you if your unit is bad or not.

[StrikeBack]

The last image looks like you are in fast mode

[Tone357]

Troy,
I can literally count the limbs of a tree with my 360

I would love to see a 360 image that shows this. How about it?

[TrackerPro16]

[TroyBoy30]

Go shallow and scan some known rocks and trees. Post the pics and we'll tell you if your unit is bad or not.

ill try that. i dont spend anytime shallow so it will take some time to find some cover. we don't have any cover between the docks and timber except for man made brush piles. we don't have many lay downs and stuff but I can find some rock

The last image looks like you are in fast mode

all images are with a speed of 1 unless it shows the settings

I would love to see a 360 image that shows this. How about it?

dont look at me. i can't see the tree much less the limbs

[Flipper374V]

360 video from Doug Vahrenberg posted 6 days ago. Perhaps this would be helpful.

[TroyBoy30]

that just shows the difference in the look of 360 on the helix vs the solix. doug needs to start using a script. his train of thought is all over the place.