Depth Finder Issue

[salecreekaviator]

I have an entry level Eagle Cuda 168 depth finder that is 3 years old afixed on the hull at the stern. I recently have been having trouble getting a depth reading or legible graph. When I checked it (by feel while in the slip) the transponder appeared to be tilted. I straightened it easily by hand. That fixed the problem when sitting or idleing but when moving at any significant speed the reading bounces around with unreasonable numbers and garbage on the graph. I was wondering if the transponder could be loose and vibration at speed cause this??? emoScratch Thanks.

 

[Guest]

The only thing I could think of would be if there was enough movement to now cause there to be interruption under the transducer. I have the same unit, and it took allot of fiddling to get it right. I think if there is to much intrference in the water, that its causing it to go ballistic on you. Thats just my theory.

 

[sdfd29]

Kevin,
I had one that would kick up when we were on plane. Did you hear a clicking sound when you made the adjustment? If so the bolt is just loose and the transducer is out of alignment.

If the bolt is loose adjust the transducer (look in your owners manual) to parallel with the bottom of the hull to start, then tighten the bolt up to prevent it from moving. You can make adjustments and then retighten the bolt.

What happens when the transducer tilts up at the back, is that the signal does not bounce back in time to show up on your depth finder.

 

[salecreekaviator]

Thanks for confirming my suspicion. This boat stays in the water so I made the adjustment by reaching below the waterline (therefore no click was heard). However it was easy to adjust by hand so I bet it needs tightening.

 

[polo-dog]

It sounds to me like what sdfd29 said. If you get the angle right and tighten the mechanism down so it won't ride up when you are on plane it should work. If not, let us know.