Well, tonight I got the boat out for the first time this season. As promised, I would post my results to see if we can help yup with his saga, and to just share info.
Setup:
HDS Carbon 12 at the Helm, Transducers Connected: TM150 on transom and HDI in hull configured as Generic 83/200 so the DS doesn't interfere with the SS3D
HDS Carbon 9 at the Bow, Transducer Connected: MinnKota US2 in my Terrova, Configured as Generic 83/200
SS3D Ethernet Connected to both Carbons
SS3D Transducer on the Transom next to the TM150
NEMA 2k interconnecting both units
Point 1, Through Hull Temp Probe
Note, I do not have a jackplate, but my TM150 and SS3D are mounted above the pad of my boat, just above the step, on the transom, so they are about a foot under water when I am at rest, or going slowly forward. They come out of the water when I am on plane.
Firmware:
Have the Latest 18.61.1.155 on both Carbons
Have the Latest 18.61.1.123 on the SS3D
Water Conditions:
Was on a reservoir, Lake Zumbro, just north of Rochester, MN, to be exact.
There is still a lot of muck in the water from the spring thaw and recent rain.
Water is not clear, more stained, there is definitely some silt in the water column.
A few observations:
- Generally found the DS and SS on the latest FW to be really good.
- Setting Surface Clarity on the SideScan to Medium or High took some of the fuzz out...will show that later -- may be due to the silty water
- Setting Surface Clarity to Medium on the DS cleaned up the images fairly well.
- Was my maiden voyage w/ my TM150, while I think I got it parallel with my SS3D transducer, I may have some leveling to do with it...will have to work on that.
- I noted if the 2d sonar lost bottom, the fuzz increases in the SS image...when it finds bottom again, it clears up. I could replicate this if I stopped sonar on the TM150, will show that below.
- I also noted the interference boxes when the 2d was losing bottom as I was speeding up...slowing down eliminated them.
Now for the images, with a little commentary:
Here are a couple old screen shots from Last Year when SS3D was on 60.1.134, just included these for comparison.
Here are a few shots using a couple different pallets on the 18.3 latest versions from tonight, note it is a little more fuzzy, I think this one had surface clarity set to med on DS and High on SS. Generally, they seem a little more fuzzy, but I also feel like I can see the objects generating returns better. I had waypoints on this object on the bottom from last year, and went back to the same spot to see how it showed up. Unfortunately, I don't have a screen shot from last year. Last year I was able to discern it was a wood pallet, and you can still see the top and bottom layer of it in the 2nd DS image. I think it may have broken up in the current, as the distinct slats are not quite as visible as they were last year.
Here is a shot with a couple different palette:
And a couple shots of the same scan where I switched from yup's favorite palette to my favorite:
Here is a shot that shows the extra fuzz in the DS and SS where the TM150 is having trouble tracking the bottom, that I mentioned before. You see that it clears up after the 2d finds the bottom again.
Here is another example of the fuzz and the 2d not having good bottom lock, but it is also one of the better sidescans I got tonight. You can see a boat ramp on the left side, I should have grabbed a pic with my phone, but it was a perfect scan of the boat ramp as it entered the water. Note the fish right around the boat ramp.
Here is a nice catch of some fish on the bottom:
And a nice shot of some fish on top of a hump. There was some timber sticking out of the water on the right at the top of the hump, and you can see it on the right in the image.
Lastly, here is an example of the checkerboard pattern, you will notice that the TM150 had begun to lose bottom; I had been speeding up a bit when those happened, so the water could have been less clean at the transducer and/or they started to come out of the water.
So, that is what I have. I did note that yupitsme's favorite palette seems to have more clutter in the water column and more fuzz, but it also gives hotter returns when it hits stuff, so it could be useful, just have to get used to it.
Generally, I am pretty happy with these images, and feel they are a little improved from the stuff I had last fall. Again, I didn't spend a ton of time looking for fish tonight, just hit some spots where I kind of know the structure.
Hope this helps and gives you an idea of what can be obtained with the new software.