Side Scan Sonar help needed

[Joe Lee]

I am trying to locate a shipwreck at around 250ft. As this depth forbids an extensive search even with technical dive gear I was thinking of using a side scan sonar in the Humminbird/Lowrance/Garmin price range.
I am aware that I have to connect the transducer to a towfish to get decent results and I know that the GPS coordinates will be slightly off then. This is not of concern as the wreck is in crystal clear water.

Before I invest some money I would like to find out if someone of you has any experience with ie the Humminbird Helix 8 Mega SI+ G3N?

Questions would be:

- Does it have a screen mirroring capability live to tv or iPad?

- Is playback possible from storage history to iPad or Mac?
- Is there GPS stamping on history?
- Is their an AutoChart Pro functionality on PC/ Mac of side imaging recordings?
- Is it possible to record on SD card or only on the built in hard drive?
- What is the actual clear side imaging depth range?
- What is the optimal speed through the water for clear side imaging?
- To which length can I connect cable extensions?
- Is there any third party software available for PC/Mac?

I know it’s a lot of questions but it is impossible to get through to the Humminbird service people and their dealers help me.

 

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[Rüdiger]

Hello Joe

There is a special Humminbird forum, where your questions will be answered best.

Humminbird Side Imaging Forums

mvh
Rudiger

 

[Madmox]

I am trying to locate a shipwreck at around 250ft. As this depth forbids an extensive search even with technical dive gear I was thinking of using a side scan sonar in the Humminbird/Lowrance/Garmin price range.
I am aware that I have to connect the transducer to a towfish to get decent results and I know that the GPS coordinates will be slightly off then. This is not of concern as the wreck is in crystal clear water.

Before I invest some money I would like to find out if someone of you has any experience with ie the Humminbird Helix 8 Mega SI+ G3N?

Questions would be:

- Does it have a screen mirroring capability live to tv or iPad?

- Is playback possible from storage history to iPad or Mac?
- Is there GPS stamping on history?
- Is their an AutoChart Pro functionality on PC/ Mac of side imaging recordings?
- Is it possible to record on SD card or only on the built in hard drive?
- What is the actual clear side imaging depth range?
- What is the optimal speed through the water for clear side imaging?
- To which length can I connect cable extensions?
- Is there any third party software available for PC/Mac?

I know it’s a lot of questions but it is impossible to get through to the Humminbird service people and their dealers help me.

None of the Helix’s will output the video. Onix and Solix will I believe in addition to certain head units in the 800 series and 900 series and 1100 series. I believe it’s the ones that end in xx8. I.e. the 998, 1198, I just got a 997 and it will not. Maximum depth on side imaging is about 125-150’ below the transducer so to hit 250’ you will have to slap that thing on a tow fish. Down Imaging is a bit deeper. Depth and Resolution is still dependent on your transducer frequency. Higher frequency will get you more resolution but less depth.

I am less positive about the video playback. I do know that you can capture screenshots to the memory card and move those onto your computer.

 

[Madmox]

Also worth keeping in mind is Lowrance does not service their products at all and will just offer you an exchange on your unit to upgrade if it goes sideways. Humminbird DOES service current units at a flat fee. That made the decision for me. I would rather have a machine that can be at least nominally worked on. The Humminbird VC1 cable is expensive and fairly hard to find these days which is the cable used on the 800, 900, and 1100 series units. Onix and Solix units, though more expensive, use HDMI for video as opposed to composite.

 

[Chris_NSB]

Answers

I have a Humminbird Helix 9 Gen 2 and have done a lot of sidescan imaging of reefs/wrecks in the Volusia County area(that's east-central Florida). I record all the sonar data from the Humminbird on an SD card then import those recording files into ReefMaster. This is one of the maps I've made: Site 14 - Flagler Ave. Nearshore Reef
I've also done some sidescan imaging of our shipwrecks in <100'. This is the latest one I've done: https://www.facebook.com/groups/volusiareefreport/permalink/2296499837247444/

I just finished making a Humminbird DIY towfish to help get better sidescan images. You can watch the videos on my YouTube channel if you want:

To answer your questions directly:
- Does it have a screen mirroring capability live to tv or iPad? ReefMaster is for windows and is something you do after you get back home with your data. They do offer realtime mapping but you will need a windows laptop and some adapters.

- Is playback possible from storage history to iPad or Mac? After you export from ReefMaster you can view the maps on an iPAD

- Is there GPS stamping on history? Yes

- Is their an AutoChart Pro functionality on PC/ Mac of side imaging recordings? Yes ReefMaster

- Is it possible to record on SD card or only on the built in hard drive? Humminbird can record to an SD card

- What is the actual clear side imaging depth range? If it is mounted to your boat I think 150' down and 100' on each side of the boat is a realistic usable range. This is why I'm making the towfish.

- What is the optimal speed through the water for clear side imaging? around 5 mph but you will notice interference and missing data once you go too fast.

- To which length can I connect cable extensions? Humminbird sells extension cables but I have seen people make those extension cables longer using CAT6 cable. I'm going to do this at some point so BOLO for my video on how to do it.

- Is there any third party software available for PC/Mac? https://reefmaster.com.au/index.php/forum/support/1429-rm-version-2-osx-and-parallels


I hope you find this useful