got a new 93sv for Christmas, boat is stored, question i have is can i power it up at home and mess with some of the features, so when i get on the water i will understand it a little better.

 

chet

Hook it up - get a 5-gallon bucket, mostly fill it and dangle the transducer in it. Then just run it in demo mode and change your settings until you're happy.

As far as I know you don’t even need to go to the extent of the bucket of water. Just don’t hook the transducer, and just put it in demo mode and you’ll be good. This is what I did when I got my Garmin a couple years ago, and what I’ll do if I end up getting one here in the near future. 

question , since i am totally new with this unit and also side view, how do i know what side is viewing what side.

 

chet

1 hour ago, Chet Cognigni said:

question , since i am totally new with this unit and also side view, how do i know what side is viewing what side.

 

chet

The right side of the screen is facing right the left is facing left. The top of your screen is new data the bottom is old data. 

so i am understanding you correct, it shows both sides at the same time right and left of the boat. i will be mounting the transducer on the trolling motor. the view will be right and left of which the transducer is pointing

 

chet

34 minutes ago, Chet Cognigni said:

i will be mounting the transducer on the trolling motor. the view will be right and left of which the transducer is pointing

Correct - if rear-mounted TM also behind you so what's 'current' is what's under the trolling motor, not what's under where you're sitting. Front mounted TM this isn't an issue.

 

Also, the direction that's 'forward' will change as you use your TM to steer. If you're making a right turn and the TM is at 45-degrees, then the view is going to be skewed.

 

These are reasons I mounted the transducer for my 7cv on an arm mount close to where I sit...so that the 'current' view is almost directly under where I am, and the directionality is always in line with the keel of the canoe.

 

Shot from next to where my seat is on the canoe

For what it's worth, according to Garmin, you can run a Garmin EchoMap UHD whether it's the GT54 or the newer GT56 transducer out of the water without risking harm as they are both 500w or less.

 

The risk when running them out of the water is that the higher powered units use the water to as a cooling system. I would imagine that demo mode would turn off power to the transducer, preventing it from running long enough to heat up.

 

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=BzthnHQrMb4fRIZCKLnum6

 

Tomorrow, I will be assembling a Cell block with my oldest son and showing them both how to use his 73sv.

Note: if you are in demo mode - you don't even have to hook up the transducer.

 

As for sidefinder - if you just want to look at the right hand side of the screen (or left) you can setup the view that way also.

For the last few years I've run my FF out of water while I'm going through settings and setting things up.  Not for hours but for 30 minutes or so.  I've never given it a second thought nor have I had issues.  Yes, with the transducer attached.  

can i use my 1 amp battery charger to power it up.

 

chet

3 minutes ago, Chet Cognigni said:

can i use my 1 amp battery charger to power it up.

 

chet

I would NOT use a charger to directly power any type of DC electronics.

9 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I would NOT use a charger to directly power any type of DC electronics.

thank you, i will connect to a battery

Is there any reason to use an in-line fuse when direct connecting to a battery?  

27 minutes ago, @reelChris said:

Is there any reason to use an in-line fuse when direct connecting to a battery?  

ALWAYS use a fuse, especially when direct-connecting. The battery is designed to output 50amps or more of power for a deep cycle...hundreds of amps for a starting battery. The fuse is like a circuit breaker on your house - protect the devices from getting too much power.

 

In my case, I have the 5amp breaker on the MinnKota box, a 5amp fuse on the accessory plug, then the in-line fuse that came with the sonar - so triple protected from surges.

On 12/25/2020 at 5:59 PM, Chet Cognigni said:

i will be mounting the transducer on the trolling motor

Be aware that side imaging doesn’t work great on a TM because it tends to constantly be turning which often skews the image. That is why most use SI at the console instead, as the ducer is mounted to the transom.

 

I don’t know what the optimum speed is for SI on that specific unit, but on my Lowrance HDS Carbon, optimum operating speed is 5mph. That kind of speed wouldn’t even be practical on a TM.

I read numerous reports of Garmin units running SideVu at 2 to 4 mph before I bought a Vivid 9sv. We will see. I don't have any trouble hitting 4.2 mph with a Maxxum 70 at half power or so and an Endura Max 55 on the transom and my 1648 is heavy and low in the water. Running a bank or down the middle of lake shouldn't pose any problems. The guy in the back - or my wife - can steer while I watch the screen. 

 

There were also some reviews like this one -

 

www.boatingmag.com/six-tips-for-using-fishfinders

 

"As with down imaging, side-imaging technology works most effectively at boat speeds of under 5 mph. "

Watch this to understand side imaging, most important part is where your boat is located vs. what you see on the graph.

 

 

Has anyone put a 93sv on the Ram-recommended 115-D ball mount?  The thing is huge!!  What on a plastic console is strong enough to hold the combined weight of the graph and mount?

Suggestion - if you can get to the underside, use either a block of wood or 1/2" or thicker HDPE plastic as a brace under there...larger than the base of the Ram mount. That will stiffen the console to help support the mount/sonar.

Great suggestion!  I never really thought about backing material and I might be able to kill two birds with one stone assuming that this 3/4 x 12" x 12" hdpe sheet when cut in half

 could do the same job as This hdpe transducer board.  Thoughts?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DKX813Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

I got like 4 transducer boards out of this one, as I wanted a thicker material. But yes, that board you listed will do the same.

"the Ram-recommended 115-D ball mount?  The thing is huge!!"

 

That's the honest truth. I ordered on line and thought they must have sent two when the box arrived. And mine is just the short-arm D-115-C model for a Garmin Vivid 9sv.

 

But I screwed it to the front deck of my jon boat with 4 oval head #14 x 1.25" stainless self tapping sheet metal screws and it isn't going anywhere. I love Bolt Depot.    I also got Phillips pan head machine screws, washers and nylon lock nuts to attach the screen to the mount. I bought 50 different stainless bolts and screws and things for this and other projects and with the 33 cents tax and $4.95 shipping I spent $11.36.

 

And didn't have to go to Lowe's or Home Depot. That's the best part.

So looking at the various mounting videos for HDPE boards, it seems like getting them to adhere to a boat without bolts involves a lot of steps and voodoo.  Is there any reason not to substitute ABS sheet, which appears to work better with epoxies and other adhesives?

 

Edited to add - other than the price and how hard it is to find?

Personally - I'd just use through-bolts.