Depth finder questions

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 9, 2015
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227
Does a depth finder work on land with the boat on trailer? New to me boat came with one...have never used one . No instructions! Everything seems to work from the menu..but..... it always reads 54.8 ft for depth. is there a reset or some function I'm missing? It is an Eagle Cuda 242. Not top of the line of course...but simple ..which is what I need! Had to do a lot of repairs so we havn't even been in the water yet...and time is running out up here! Thanks....Steve
 

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 9, 2015
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227
I wondered about that! Guess we'll see what happens when we get it wet!
 

StingrayMike

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Aug 17, 2014
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There are some that will, but depends on how much power it puts out and what is underneath of it ie: concrete, gravel, etc....
but that being said, the smaller onces that we use will not
 

gm280

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Jun 26, 2011
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14,585
You should be able to feel the transducer pulsing (pinging) if you put your hand on the transduce out of the water. But like previously stated, it is set up for water and how sound/frequency travels through the water which is totally different then in the air... I remember building an old HeathKit portable depth/fish finder years ago and you had to calibrate it using a string with enough weight to take it to the bottom of the water. Then you set the display to read that exact same amount and that was their actual calibration procedures... Of course it was also a flasher unit as well. But they all work in the exact same way. JMHO!
 

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 9, 2015
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So....seeing as how it always reads 54.8 ft out of the water...is the unit bad , or is that number just due to not sending through water?
 

gm280

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Jun 26, 2011
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So....seeing as how it always reads 54.8 ft out of the water...is the unit bad , or is that number just due to not sending through water?

S. A. Baker, I honestly wish I knew that answer. I'd just say see what happens when you are in the water and see if it reads differently... :noidea:
 

lmuss53

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Sep 9, 2008
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Not everyone has been around this kind of stuff for years and years, I don't think there is any such thing as a silly question. S.A. Baker, I would not be concerned at all with what the unit does out of the water, wait until you get the boat in the water to see what it does then.
 

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 9, 2015
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227
Thanks! Yes...I know absolutely nothing about depth finders! I have never had one. Last time I even had a boat was 25 yrs. ago...and it was just a 14ft. tin can with a 7 1/2 horse on it! I'm retired now....more time to fish!
 

tanker1983

Cadet
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
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25
That blinking depth is the last known deepest depth the finder read before being turned off. Mine does it all the time. Once in the drink, it will read accurately, I'm sure.
 

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 9, 2015
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Thanks Tanker! No place around here that deep! Wonder where the PO was last?
 

gm280

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Thanks Tanker! No place around here that deep! Wonder where the PO was last?

WOW S. A. Baker. Almost every body of water around where I live is way over that depth. In fact a few lakes are 600 feet deep...
 

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 9, 2015
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This is S.E. Minnesota! I don't even know of anyplace on the river where we fish that's that deep! We're about 30 mi. from the Mississippi River. Most of the lakes up north arn't even that deep...with a few exceptions. Maybe 30-40 ft deep max on average.
 

ondarvr

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Apr 6, 2005
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11,527
Most units default to a setting whenever they can't get a reading, it means nothing other than you know it's not working correctly when you see that number, I have never seen one go back to the last known depth.
 

lmuss53

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Sep 9, 2008
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1,227
The Eagle is a Lowrance unit, if it is flashing it is not getting a return from the transducer and is flashing to let you know. If it is not flashing it is displaying what it thinks is the current depth. None of it matters a hoot until you get it in the water.
 

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 9, 2015
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Not flashing.... Not going out this weekend....I like SOME peace and quiet! It'll be a zoo at our local impoundment. Have to rewire my trolling motor anyway..and MAN ,it's hottern Hades here! Thanks everyone for the input ... Steve
 

gm280

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S. A. Baker Do you have the original owner's manual. If your display doesn't change when over/in the water, there could be a method to reset the unit. Check with the manufacturer to see... :noidea:
 

dingbat

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Nov 20, 2001
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15,414
if it is flashing it is not getting a return from the transducer and is flashing to let you know.
In reality, it's flashing because the software has determined the signal is "invalid" for any number of reasons.

As you noted, it might not be getting a signal at all. Could be it's not getting enough signal to get an accurate interruption of the data or the data is deemed invalid, such as random 12 ft. deep returns mixed in with a constant stream of 100 ft. deep returns. I see this all the time when drifting over a densely packed school of bait fish in deep water. Locally, the phenomenon is known as a "false bottom"
 

S.A. Baker

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 9, 2015
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No owners manual ... It came on the boat I just bought. I thought ...great, one more thing I don't have to buy!......well maybe not. Boats are NOT for people trying to get by on soc.sec.! But I'm not just going to just sit around doing nothing!
 
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