93 sv questions

[Bullwhip]

I have my new Garmin 93 sv mounted on my trolling motor on my 2017 175txw tracker. I usually fish in 4-12 ft of freshwater...
With the trolling motor pointed forward, when I slowly drift past wooden docks, they never show up on the side scan, it only shows a flat bottom. they are anywhere from 10 feet to 30 feet away and still nothing shows. So am I doing something wrong or is this normal. I have the settings on default. Are there preferred / better setting for my conditions (freshwater, 1-3mph, 4-12 ft depth)?
Looking forward to responses.
Thanks all,
Roger

[LWINCHESTER2]

Which 93sv, original, Chirp, or Plus? What transducer are you using? How about a screenshot of what you are seeing.

[Bullwhip]

Don't have a screen shot, will try to get one Sunday. It's a cv52hw-tm transducer that came pkg'd with the 93 sv chirp. Any ideas and/or recommended settings in the meantime?

[Bullwhip]

screenshot as requested..also pic taken at same time of dock

[jprovencher80]

how many feet would you estimate your distance from the dock?.

edit: re-read the post. you estimate distance from 10-30ft.

does the transducer ever produce an image other than flat on Si/Di?

[Bullwhip]

No, this is how the SV generally appears...tried it on 3 different docks...have no idea what's under other parts of water, as this is all it ever shows...figured some docks would be a perfect test...here's a different dock about a hour earlier..BTW, any idea what is the dark strip to the right side @10 ft.?

[17z20]

Can you adjust your distance further than 23ft or does it always say 23?

[smitty010203]

I'm no pro, and this is my first post, but I think I can help you out a little on this one.

800 khz is a 110degree cone, which is the mode you are using in the screen shot
if you switch to 455khz you will get 180 degree coverage. So you will see alot more, but there wont be as much detail.

In water that shallow you may have a tough time hitting those docks if you arent real close in the 800khz mode.

You also need to zoom out some on the Side scan. I dont know if you are in auto depth or what but if you are take it out and start messing around with 50' and 100'. As soon as you do you will start seeing more.

Finally, try riding past the docks at a few mph.. If your just sitting there or using the trolling motor side scan can have a tough time putting out a pretty image.

[Bullwhip]

The SV distance is on auto...I've tried all sorts of different actual distances (as opposed to settingsfrom the docks to no avail (6 ft to over 30 ft).
Garmin tech suggest using auto or LOWER the distance, as further distance will compress the pic making it more difficult to see..
Does the "cone" affect the sv?...
I've gone past the docks from a stand still to 3 mph, same result...always keeping the trolling motor pointed straight ahead..
Does the dark line to the right give a possible hint as to an issue?...I have no idea...
Thanks for all the suggestions, please keep them coming, hopefully we can figure this out...

[catmantwo]

Auto is usually 4 to 5 times depth. At 6 ft depth, auto would be 24 - 30 ft depending on clarity. The setting range to 50 ft.

The images show 0.0 mph, and garmin's SI is best at 2 - 5 mph.

I did notice that there are some "shadows" that are on the left side of the images that "could be" returns form the pilings at 0mph. There is a setting that allows you to "flip" the images from one side to the other. I had to do this with my units when I first got them. I was purposely idling by docks to see what they looked like and never seen one on the side I was looking at.

give it a try with distance set to 50 and flip the image, also use 455.

Any idea how deep the docks are?
Post a picture of your td mounting - may help to figure out what the black line is.

[Bullwhip]

Thanks catmantwo, I'll try the 50ft setting / image flip / 5mph combo and see what happens and report back...
any idea what causes the black line on the right side?
Thanks again guys

[fishin couillon]

Can you see other things that are over/under the surface, like a tree top, etc.???

[Bullwhip]

Fishin couillon, this small florida lake has no other above water structure...what's under water I have no idea, but near as I can tell, just aquatic growth (lily pads, grasses, etc.)...picture a very large, spring fed cow pond (247 acres) with docks around it...about 24 ft deepest point, average 8-10 ft deep

[Bullwhip]

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but I still haven't been able to get it to work, and I've tried different settings until my head hurt :), and then back to default with no change. (BTW, I normally drift around 1mph, I was at 0mph for this only so I could get a pic of the dock and screen at the same time)
ANY help would be appreciated. Any new thoughts or updates on this? Thanks guys.

[Jbass2]

Remember this. 23 feet is about the distance of one bass boat. If a bass boat can fit in between you and the dock, you might not be close enough.

Try this.
1. Crank your sensitivity all the way up.
2. Dont' do auto depth/range. Set it manually. 50 feet or so, and pass close to the dock (as in 10 feet)
3. Don't split screen. Put just the sidescreen on the screen. This is important.
4. If you see the dock under these settings, then start lessening sensitivity until your image is good. IF you don't see it, call Garmin.
5. My opnion, but it is hard to get a good image with transducer moutned on trolling motor barrel.
6. Sometimes aluminum boats sit nose high in the water. It could be causing your transducer to be angled in the water. That could affect things.

I don't know what the black line is. It appears as though something is blocking some returns.

[Crappie Bob]

I have 2 units on the boat at present Echomap Plus 93SV, and 1 of them has that line and they are both setup the same

[Bullwhip]

Thanks jbass, I'll give your suggestions a try, and see what I see....I originally tried it a "fishing pole length" from the dock (7 ft) and still nothing.
Bob, yes that is odd...with mine hanging off the front of the boat and bottom of the TM, I can't see that anything would be in the way that would create that black line on the right side.
Any other ideas or suggestions are welcome.
Thanks folks

[SkippyJack]

Did you try what smitty010203 said to do? Without question, setting the frequency to 455 khz will give you a wider view on sidescan. Even though the sidescan is on auto you still need to change the frequency to 455 khz.

[TerrysRanger374V]

I get the same on my screen. I will try some of the ideas
Tnks

[Bullwhip]

I get the same on my screen. I will try some of the ideas
Tnks

As in the black line on one side, or nothing showing up in sideview? Please keep me up to date on your findings.
Thanks,
Roger