Talked to a Garmin rep at the Ohio musky show today. Specifically asked about the next LS upgrade. Told me they don’t have any planned anytime soon. They’ve been testing HB’s latest version and it’s not much better than the original. May be salesmanship, may not be.
Yes, I get the flu shot every year. Kinda got drilled into us in the military. Got the pneumonia shot a few years back when several in our shop came down with it. Damn near killed two of them. Reminds me that I need the second one since I got the first pretty early.
Shingles, yes. Had chicken pox when I was young.
Covid, no, none of them. Wasn’t in a high risk group, vaccines were being pumped out without sufficient testing (IMO). May have had it at one point (late 2019/early 2020) before the tests were available…we had a lot of corporate visitors from Europe around that time. Bunch of us were pretty sick, a couple on respirators.
Wish they had poison ivy shots when I was young. Got it bad every year.
Y’all can have the 10+ inches we got here in SW OH. 2-3″ more forecast…we have no use for it. 
Never actually got a firm quote on it. Bought it from a local shop here in SW Ohio. Was told the minimum was $2500 but I knew that was bs. Took me 4 hrs to get it mounted. That included marking where the Honda sat, removing it and lifting the Merc up. All I need to do now is run the power wires to the battery. On this boat, it looks very easy. Do need to drill a hole in the splash well but that isn’t hard. The MX already has an external fuel connection but I needed to upsize the fitting from 5/16 to 3/8.
The difficult part was positioning it (used the Honda as a template). Then figuring out how to get the nuts and washers on w/o dropping them. I ran the bolts in from the outside. Still, if you’re good with hand tools, a tape measure and can visualize where the bolts will come out, it’s not bad.
IMG_1296-scaled.jpeg
I know this is an old thread but Picasso Lures sells large 1, 1.5 and 2 oz chatterbaits with large blades. I have a few but haven’t caught anything on them. They hammer very hard, though.
After I lost the first one, I thought about that and started disabling the sonar when the TM was out of the water. That has never been an issue with the HB transducers on the transom when running on plane, though. This has got me scratching my head.
The TM shield I have on it keeps it away from the prop. And protects it for the most part from head on impacts. I’m wondering if the cable being pulled to the side is causing water intrusion. But there are not a lot of options when mounting on a TM.
I’ve ordered lures w/o hooks because they can be cheaper that way and I can add the ones I want. Fishing for musky, or any larger predator fish, requires split ring pliers to swap hooks. If you have to cut hooks while a musky is in the net, you’ll need them to change out hooks. I have several of the small ones from BPS/Cabelas that work just fine.
Glad I bought my MX1825 (used 2018) when I did in 2019. At $47k, it was a bargain compared to today’s prices.
I crammed a Helix 10 and 9 on the dash w/a full windshield. One 12 would not be a problem.
dang… are you running separate Left & Right Humminbird SI ducers?
Saw that, huh? Yeah, I was running a separate left/right setup. The boat had a Helix 9 on it when I bought and added my Helix 10 from my previous boat. Ran both transom transducers to the dash unit that was networked to the bow unit. Worked well except for the 2′ gap under the boat. Was missing fish and bait under the boat so I went back to the single. Left the left one on just because of the pain installing it. If I lose the right one, it’s an easy swap under the dash. Also, running both a mega “y” cable and a 2d splitter for one unit caused signal degradation.
Finally got the Garmin transducer mounted under the step on my MX. Works very well. Better display than the HB Mega mounted above and to the right of it at higher speeds. Don’t have on plane readings but there is a HB puck mounted in the bilge for that.
534A39E1-8394-42C3-B505-371B98645DFA-scaled.jpeg
Not the Mississippi but our muddy lake. Using a GT54. Those are Musky. Two Garmin 106SV pics and one HB Helix 10. The Garmin transducer is on my trolling motor and the Helix is linked to a 9 Mega on the transom.
IMG_2731.jpg
IMG_2732.jpg
IMG_2730.jpg
Thanks for the pics, Carver. Definitely gives me some options.
Even though Stern Saver went out of business, I was able to buy a couple of their mounting blocks this week. I already have two on the transom for my Bird Mega transducers that have held up well. When I first looked under the transom, it appeared that it was angled up from the center in both directions. But once I got down on the ground I realized there is a level spot about a foot or so wide. Once the new blocks come in, I’ll glue those on then mount the GT54 under the transom as shown in Musky Ed’s pic.
Last weekend I got out for a few hours. Only trolled but had the TM down with a GT54 on it. It is networked thru a 106SV on the bow to another on the dash. The Mega transducer is hooked to a Helix 9 on the dash. So I got to watch the baitfish drop as the boat passed over them while trolling and comparing both graphs side by side.
Here is where mine is mounted on my wx2200, under the step, and will read to about 6 mph. My sons 2060 was not mounted there, and is having issues reading above 3.5 mph. They are going to fix it for him this spring.
Awesome Thank you. My MX does not have as deep a keel. If mine was like yours, I’d be able to glue a block next to the livewell inlets and mount it there. But after looking at it last weekend I figured I’d need to mount like yours. Appreciate the pic.
Thanks. Appreciate the advice. Looking forward to better weather to get the boat rerigged.
Not on a skeeter but mounted mine under step of a ranger.
Have any issues with imaging due to turbulence? Is the transducer reversed or facing the same way as if transom mounted?
Yeah, really. I do like coming here daily. I don’t like logging in and having to reset my password daily. Merry Christmas.
Stop whining about having to log into a website we all love and come to daily.
We live in the greatest country on the earth and it’s Christmas. Really?
Come on man. Perspective!
I’ve had to log in every day for the last few days. Not only that, it no longer recognizes my password. I’ve reset it 3 times in the last two days. Always the same so I know I’m not typing it in wrong. What’s wrong with this site? It’s the only site doing this.
This is getting pretty old. I need to log back in every day. Then it won’t recognize my password so I reset it. I’ve had to that several times in the last couple weeks. No other site I frequent is having this issue so i don’t think it’s me or my computer.
Russell Marine has the 106SV for $999 as well. Just announced the sale this morning.
We had metal transom brackets made for kicker applications. Give either store parts dept a call for more intel. Dan at Ramsey or Colin at Chippewa.
Thanks, Dean. I recall one of the guys at the Chippewa store telling me that when we stopped in back in June 2021. Hopefully, the showroom floor is more full now than it was then.
I ordered a Marinco replacement plug and receptacle before finding out about the MK MKR-26 (which I also ordered but the company sent the wrong one). So, I installed the Marinco model so I could fish this weekend. Using my clamp-on meter to check the amp draw, the max I read was 48 amps on high bypass (speed 10) from a dead stop. It gradually lowered as the load dropped a bit. One thing I hadn’t noticed initially was that the plug and receptacle (+) were wired to the smallest tab on the plug. Don’t know if that contributed to the plug melting but I moved the (+) lead to the next tab which is slightly bigger. I should have the MKR-26 by the end of next week if the company ships it to me tomorrow.
This happened on my Helix 10. Multiple transducers, same issue. It’s in the head unit. It works fine networked to my Helix 9 (which is connected to the transducer) so i haven’t sent to back to HB for repairs yet). Some threads online say it’s the mother board that needs to be replaced.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Howard Moshier wrote:</div>
I’ll take an clamp-on ammeter with me and run it on high to see what it shows just for giggles.You’ve got a DC clamp-on ammeter?
HRG
Yes, a standard clamp-on ammeter that I used while working on bikes to check starters and their draw. Set it to read and save the max amperage. Nothing fancy but gets the job done. Was also useful in determining parasitic drain from various systems.
I have the 80lb model. Have an 80lb terrova as well. Both boats I’ve had them on (this Skeeter and a ’16 Lowe) had the 30 amp TM receptacle set up. MK shows max draw at 56 amps but that is under max load, I believe. But it’s difficult to measure on these TM’s using PWM. But when I replace the receptacle and plug, I’ll take an clamp-on ammeter with me and run it on high to see what it shows just for giggles. Might have something going on with the motor for all I know.
dang I wish i could jump on this right now. That’s basically my dream boat, but we’re in the process of buying a new (to us) 5th wheel, so i think the wife might have my head if I tried to sell my current boat and buy a new one right now as well!
Secretly buy the boat and when you go to pick up the 5th wheel, have it attached at the back and say “Surprise! It came with the 5th wheel!”…she can’t say no, then.
Networking is connecting two or more units via the ethernet cable or the HB network box. The boat I bought (used) had a Helix 9 Mega SI on the dash and a Helix 9 Gps on the bow. The bow unit would read SI, DI and 2D from the dash unit via the ethernet cable. I added my older Helix 10 mega SI to the dash and put the Helix 9 mega SI on the bow with a TM mounted transducer (not networked) so I could have SI on both ends of the boat. Well, the 10 lost the left side (typical) so now the 10 is on the bow, networked to the mega 9 on the dash. The 10 displays SI, DI and 2d fine from the 9 (rear transducer). I subsequently added a Garmin 106SV to the bow with a TM mounted transducer for front SI. (pic below)
You can only connect 2 HB units together with an ethernet cable. 3 or more require the expensive network box (including connecting a Minn Kota TM). A splitter cable won’t network two units. It only splits a transducer single. It does not share signals.
Clear as mud, huh?
dual-bow-mount.jpg
<quote>
Yeah , from my research the 9 and 10s share the same housing . I would like to find a 10 if I could. G3N is fine from what I see but doesnt look like much is available in the 10s at a reasonable price. Any input on 9s vs 10 s ?
The difference between the 9″ and 10 ” isn’t just about the screen size. It’s about the resolution and pixel count. The 10’s resolution is hand down better than the due to the increased pixels (over and above the 1″ screen difference). I have both sizes on my Skeeter.
And SI is a must have in my boat whether it’s casting or trolling. Every unit I’ve bought since getting my first Helix 7 back in 2016 has been a SI unit.
