Questions about Lowrance frequencies....

[a_kraker99]

Okay, we are getting used to our new Elite-5 fish finder and I have a few questions about it.

1. What frequency is best? 83 or 200? I didn't see as much on the 200 frequency so I used 83. I can see the downrigger lines on 83 but not 200. I assume that is because of the cone width.

2. Which frequency can you see the thermocline on?

3. Leave surface clutter filter and noise filter off or on?

4. Is it okay to just turn the ping speed all the way up? Any reason not to do this?

[Just Hook'n]

This was kind of discussed recently on this thread.

http://www.greatlakesfisherman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23264&highlight=lowrance

[Line Dancin]

Okay, we are getting used to our new Elite-5 fish finder and I have a few questions about it.

1. What frequency is best? 83 or 200? I didn't see as much on the 200 frequency so I used 83. I can see the downrigger lines on 83 but not 200. I assume that is because of the cone width.

2. Which frequency can you see the thermocline on?

3. Leave surface clutter filter and noise filter off or on?

4. Is it okay to just turn the ping speed all the way up? Any reason not to do this?

1. 200 is good for the great lakes. You will never need the depth of the 50 khz in the great lakes. It is a narrower beam and you wont see as much on the screen but what you will see is more accurate. The fish finder is taking a 3d view and putting it out as a 2d view. When you start adding to much information by going to the wider cone you start destroying your target separation. You will get better detail using the 200. It will also show you the bottom density better when targeting big kings on the bottom or lakers on the bottom.

2 i have found 200 better than 83.

3 both off sensitivity as high as you can take it off auto.

4 i run my ping speed at 80 percent to get better detail.

Pick up Lance Valentines disc on fish finder and you will learn more thatn you will ever need to know: http://www.walleyekid.com/inc/sdetail/4560/8609

[a_kraker99]

Okay so do you get better detail with higher ping rates or lower? Why don you just run 100%?

[Line Dancin]

Okay so do you get better detail with higher ping rates or lower? Why don you just run 100%?

Better detail. At 100% i start to notice to much noise on the screen and have to turn down the sensitivity. I want the sensitivity as high as i can with the ping speed as fast as i can to get the best detail and view of what is under the boat

[BlueCollarOutdoors]

I have a humminbird with 200/83. The sensitivity goes up to 20.

There is also a max mode and clear mode.

Are you recommending using 200 mode, sensitivity somewhere around 15, and then ping around 80?

What if im fishing for walleyes in 15 fow? Any changes?

[Line Dancin]

I have a humminbird with 200/83. The sensitivity goes up to 20.

There is also a max mode and clear mode.

Are you recommending using 200 mode, sensitivity somewhere around 15, and then ping around 80?

What if im fishing for walleyes in 15 fow? Any changes?

the clear mode or auto sensitivity keeps the screen clear. While doing that it also casues you to not see bait balls and smaller fish. Your probably close in the 15 and 80 you'llhave to play with it a bit to learn where to set it. I do admit while i amon erie i run mine in 83 for the wider conebut i am only fishing from 12 to 23 ft of water. Not like out on michigan where it is 50 to 250. The trick is to get your ping speed turned about 75% this is what is recommended by lance valentine when you are stating to learn your system. then turn the sensitivity up till you get a lot of noise on the screen almost cant see anything. then start slowly backing off the sensitivity. When you get smallblack spots on the screen stop. I am still after three years of messing with mine still learning all the options that are available. Lances DVD series goes into great detail on what i am taking about and explains it a whole lot better then i can. He also has the screen shotsso you know what you arelooking for.

[Knot Tellin]

1. 200 is good for the great lakes. You will never need the depth of the 50 khz in the great lakes. It is a narrower beam and you wont see as much on the screen but what you will see is more accurate. The fish finder is taking a 3d view and putting it out as a 2d view. When you start adding to much information by going to the wider cone you start destroying your target separation. You will get better detail using the 200. It will also show you the bottom density better when targeting big kings on the bottom or lakers on the bottom.

2 i have found 200 better than 83.

3 both off sensitivity as high as you can take it off auto.

4 i run my ping speed at 80 percent to get better detail.

Pick up Lance Valentines disc on fish finder and you will learn more thatn you will ever need to know: http://www.walleyekid.com/inc/sdetail/4560/8609

The 50 kHz frequency is not the the narrow beem. It is broken down as follows 50/200kHz, 35°/12°. You will get better detail with the 200 kHz. It has alot to do with the frequence. Low frequences travel further than high frequence but do not give you the detail. But you should mark mork fish with 50 khz. As far as the 83/200 it is 120°/20° so the 83 hKz setting is for shallow water. If you go the lowrance website they recommend the 50/200 transducer for the Great Lakes. http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Marine/HDS-Gen2/HDS-10-Gen2/

Makes sense why you found the 200 kHz setting to be better for you. The 50 hkz would probably work even better.

[Knot Tellin]

I have a humminbird with 200/83. The sensitivity goes up to 20.

There is also a max mode and clear mode.

Are you recommending using 200 mode, sensitivity somewhere around 15, and then ping around 80?

What if im fishing for walleyes in 15 fow? Any changes?

The cone angles for humminbirds are reversed from what Lowrance are. 200 kHz/83kHz 20°/60°. So it depends on what graph you have and what you are doing. Some graphs have dual beam tech where they run both frequencies at the same time.

http://www.humminbird.com/leading_innovation/humminbird-sonar/dualbeam-plus.aspx

[Line Dancin]

The 50 kHz frequency is not the the narrow beem. It is broken down as follows 50/200kHz, 35°/12°. You will get better detail with the 200 kHz. It has alot to do with the frequence. Low frequences travel further than high frequence but do not give you the detail. But you should mark mork fish with 50 khz. As far as the 83/200 it is 120°/20° so the 83 hKz setting is for shallow water. If you go the lowrance website they recommend the 50/200 transducer for the Great Lakes. http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Marine/HDS-Gen2/HDS-10-Gen2/

Makes sense why you found the 200 kHz setting to be better for you. The 50 hkz would probably work even better.

I meant the 200 khz is the narrower beam sorry i didn't make that clear. You are right in the 50 is the wider beam. I had a long conversation with the folks at lowrance and even though the 50 is supposed to be better for the great lakes on their website the tech support people say to go with the 83 200 for great lakes fishing. I called and talked to a few different people and ended up talking with one of the engineers at navico about it. I dont know why the difference between the webite and what their tech line says but that is what made my decision for the 83 200 on my hds unit. He was explaing the differnece in the two and i really didn't understand all that he was saying. In the end that is what he had recommended.

[Line Dancin]

The cone angles for humminbirds are reversed from what Lowrance are. 200 kHz/83kHz 20°/60°. So it depends on what graph you have and what you are doing. Some graphs have dual beam tech where they run both frequencies at the same time.

http://www.humminbird.com/leading_innovation/humminbird-sonar/dualbeam-plus.aspx

I did not know that they were reversed in the hummingbirds. Thanks for the info.

[BlueCollarOutdoors]

Thats what I usally do on my hummngbird, is run the split screen in 83/200 mode.

One side is really cluttered with baitfish and blotches and really busy, the other side comes through with juts the arches around those pods.

It wook me a few trips last year, but I can watch the riggers drop until they swing back out of the cone at running speed, and also pick up a very clear thermocline in the morning and predark periods.

thanks for the advice guys. Great thread.