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Posts: 814
| Moving up to a Terrova, was wondering if I should go with the universal sonar or not. Will the un. sonar pick up everything the lowrance tranducer does? How is it with staying in contact with bottom (losing signal). Also how well does it pick up the bottom structure ( weeds to rock, muck to rock, hard to soft etc.) If I do decide not to run the un. sonar how hard is it to run the transducer cable compared to the old auto pilot, I run the cable through the handle now on the auto pilot and I see on the terrova there is no opening for a wire to pass through. |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I've run my locaters both ways for a considerable amount of time. I ran a Minn Kota Maxxum with the universal sonar right when they came out in '02 I believe. But prior to '02, and last season, I ran the transducer down the shaft of the trolling motor. But here are my thoughts on the universal sonar.
I do a considerable amount of walleye fishing in the spring and also late fall. The universal sonar in my opinion was not as detailed and was not as good as actually having the Lowrance transducer mounted to the bottom of the trolling motor. However, the only time I really felt I needed the extra detail was vertical jigging in the river or if your trying to locate schools of suspended baitfish. Those two areas are where I found the universal sonar to lack the capabilities of having the Lowrance transducer mounted. As for staying in contact with the bottom, I never had a problem with my universal sonar. It worked great the five seasons I had it. It was really nice not having to worry about cutting a transducer cord. It was really hassle free if you ask me. As for the ability to pick up the bottom structure, I was able to pick up everything pretty good, however, I think running a color unit on the bow really helps more than anything. The different colors of the color sonar will do that for you.
I can't really comment on how it is to run the transducer cord down the Terrova or the AP. I've only had the Maxxum and Motorguides. However, in my opinion, if I were looking at going to Minn Kota again, I'd probably look to go back to the universal sonar. That is my hope with the Motorguide Wireless now that it's available. |
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Posts: 3511
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | I have not ever run a universal sonar, but what TJ mentioned is the argument I have heard many times.
If you decide on NOT getting the universal sonar, mount the transducer on the bottom of the motor and just run the cord up to the head of the unit, use an electrical bar-tie at the top (maybe some electrical tape too?). with the Terrova or powerdrive style units, run the wire through the handle. Keep the cord a little loose for turning purposes and you should be all set.
Steve |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I'd suggest going with the Universal Sonar. It's a $100 more on both the AP and the Terrova, you can still put the transducer mount on the trolling motor if you decide you want that instead of using the universal sonar. However, it's there if you want it and if you decide to sell the boat and want to keep the electronics, it gives the next guy and easy way to put electronics on the boat. |
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Posts: 26
Location: Wisconsin | Good Thread....
I also just purchased a boat with the terrova and the universal tranducer and was wondering what Lowrance to put on it. I have the LCX-38HD for the back and was thinking of just a X96 for the front, but it sounds like a color unit would be better.
Is it true that the universal sonar will only work with certain Lowrance units?
Tom |
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Posts: 177
Location: Cohasset, MN | Do the universal transducers have temp nowadays ? If not you'd be forced to use the OEM transducer if you're interested in having a temp reading on the sonar unit your using up front. |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Tom P,
No, it's not true that the universal sonar will only work with Lowrance. You can put just about any locater with the Universal sonar.
Here is the link to Cabelas that will give you the low down on all the cables that are available and what locaters that can be used.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsession...
Jtroop,
Yes, they are now offering the new Universal Sonar 2 with the built-in dual beam transducer with the temp sensor. The temp sensor is basically brand new, so I don't know much about it as in the way of durability or how well it works. I just know there now offering that this year.
Let me know if you guys have any other questions.
Edited by Merckid 3/10/2008 12:35 PM
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Posts: 43
| I ran a lowrance 102c off minnkotas universal sonar powerdrive last year, no problems at all. marked bottom, weeds and fish just fine. The guy in the back of the boat would watch the 334c at the bow which is a bit better of a unit, but we'd comment on seeing alot of the same fish and things. will have the 334c on the bow this year, just make sure you get the right adapter cord for the back of the unit to the troll motor sonar cable. |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | I ran a Universal sonar 2 for all of 2007, and while it beats the hassle of tangled cords, is nowhere near as sensitive as my transducer in back. It does have temp though, which is cool, and it did work all year without fail. That said, I can see weeds quite well(though deep lying stuff is lost on the U.S.2) and follow structure as I intend to with the front unit, looking at the 'main' screen in back for higher detail of the situation. |
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Posts: 26
Location: Wisconsin | Thanks Merckid for all the info.
Tom P |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Universal is just that...a one size fits all.....
If I am spending the hundreds or thousands of dollars for a few nice locators, I am going to be running them with the transducer that was actually made for that unit, not a "universal" one. Use what was made for your unit. |
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| I have run the universal sonar on my 102c on the bow and it works great. It has just as much detail of the 102c on the bow with transducer..maybe some just run their units on auto which I think is a mistake with the univ sonar on the minn kotas...play around with them and you can dial them in to read perfectly imo.
i run the univ sonar version 1, no temp
works great for me
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| I meant it has just as much detail as my 102c on the console... |
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Posts: 17
| Hey Guys,
I have a 101 Terrova, w/o the universal transducer. The puck mounted on the bottom works well, but the cords are a pain. Can someone explain the best way to run the cords or post apicture or two. I am not understanding the statement "run the cord through the handle" also do you guys run one extension of the tranducer cord through the coiled cord that connects the head to the base??
I'm a bit confused on the best method as mine works but have too many loose cords. Thanks for any help
Dean
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | BN, agreed, cannot run the lowrance in auto. That said, there is an obvious loss of detail no matter the settings used with the US2 compared to testing the same unit at the tiller position. Still, a great buy though, and does about what I want it to do, though I sometimes contemplate adding an OEM transducer when in situations where that detail is desired.
Edited by Reef Hawg 3/12/2008 2:29 PM
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Yes, I agree Reef Hawg. Their are definitely instances where I can tell a difference. And your right BN, you can't have it set on auto. |
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Posts: 5874
| A couple observations.
If you have the older Universal Sonar with out the temp sensor, and you really want temp on your bowmounted unit, you can add a temp sensor to that unit, or if you have the networked models, you can display the temp from the console unit.
As far as how well the Universal sonar works? Well, I can tell you there is virtually no difference in performance if, like Brad says, you tweak the sonar settings. If you are the type that just leaves your sonars on Auto Sensitivity, well, the I guess one size doesn't fit all. But if you are proficient in tuning your sonar for best performance, the Universal Sonar is a great feature. Way better than having a cable in the way all the time. |
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| Be aware that if you bang your transducer into a rock enough it will fail. I had a universal on my AP and it failed two times in spite of not being banged into the rocks. Both times it was covered under warranty but it sucked to give up my motor at the height of the season for repair. If it had failed after warranty I would have had to pay out of pocket. The parts alone are $120 because you have to replace the entire nosecone assy, plus labor. |
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Posts: 1096
Location: Hayward, WI | Minnkota is in the process of switching to a 1.5" transducer in the motors, up from the 1" they have been using. This is supposed to help on the detail and also with some interference issues. |
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| Shep, even you inferred then, that there is a difference. If I have to tweak my sens. up to get what I want, I now lost out on the top end as I cannot go up as high as I'd like to, or my unit would allow. I normally run my units at a very high sensitivity to begin with, and filter the crap(clutter) in my mind, as I don't want to 'miss' anything. Due to a loss of sensitivity in the Universal sonar, this isn't possible. It is a lossy application in truth, no matter the settings, but again, a great feature and a great convenience. |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Reef Hawg - 3/13/2008 11:35 AM
Shep, even you inferred then, that there is a difference. If I have to tweak my sens. up to get what I want, I now lost out on the top end as I cannot go up as high as I'd like to, or my unit would allow. I normally run my units at a very high sensitivity to begin with, and filter the crap(clutter) in my mind, as I don't want to 'miss' anything. Due to a loss of sensitivity in the Universal sonar, this isn't possible. It is a lossy application in truth, no matter the settings, but again, a great feature and a great convenience.
Reef Hawg, you absolutely couldn't have said it any better. There is a difference. I've played with my sensitivity, I've done everything I could to make it better but could never get the detail I could get with the original transducer. Argue all you want, it's not the same. However, the U2 has gotten better. |
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Posts: 621
Location: Seymour, WI | What are you guys trying to pick up on the sonar that you need to have that much sensitivity while musky fishing?
I'm using mine to mark the depth, temp, weeds & baitfish.
Grass |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I'm just saying I don't get the detail that a regular transducer would get when using the universal sonar. I mark less stuff with the universal sonar. I'll go over it with my trolling motor, and then go over it with my console unit and it never shows the detail like my console sonar. Like I said previous, for what I need it for, it does the job. But if I were fishing on a professional walleye trail of some sort, I wouldn't be running universal sonar thats for sure. The universal sonar is good, but it DOES NOT beat the real mccoy of a Lowrance transducer strapped to the bottom of the trolling motor! I've used that built in sonar since it came out, I personally can tell a difference.
Edited by Merckid 3/13/2008 1:11 PM
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Location: Windy City | I have a Maxxum Pro with universal sonar and consistently lose the bottom. Graph just blinks and reads o ft. I've never banged it on a rock but am wondering if the guy I bought the boat from might have? Is this an interference thing or do you think it might be damaged? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks
Edited by one last cast 3/13/2008 1:18 PM
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | one last cast - 3/13/2008 1:17 PM
Is this an interference thing or do you think it might be damaged? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks
It definitely could have been damaged. I've heard about this multiple times. I had a seal break on my maxxum because of some fishing line that I thought I had gotten all out. However I didn't, so I took it in and was talking to the Minn Kota warranty guy and he said yes, if it gets banged the wrong kind of way it can definitely mess it up. But you also might have gotten water in the lower unit like I did. I never had any problems with my sonar luckily, but it can happen. |
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Posts: 5874
| I didn't infer anything. I may have implied, but you inferred. Now that we have that straightened out.
Some of the difference you see depends on the Sonar are you running? They different sonars have different levels of power. An LCX-113 has more power than a X68. 8,000 Watts P-P vs 800 Watts P-P. Pretty sure it has more than an LCX-25 @ 4,000 Watts P-P. And most guys don't run as powerful a sonar on the bow, as they do on the console. Me included.
But it doesn't matter. I tweak my console mounted sonar to get better detail than I get while running it in Auto mode. That is with the Lowrance transducer. That is the point I am making. The difference is between auto mode, and setting your sonar settings for optimum. So maybe the Universal Sonar does not provide the detail in Auto that I can achieve manually. Neither does the transducer that came with the sonar. But I don't care. When I need to get to that level of detail, I am going to manually adjust it, US or not.
Edited by Shep 3/14/2008 2:14 PM
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Posts: 5874
| Merckid - 3/13/2008 1:10 PM
But if I were fishing on a professional walleye trail of some sort, I wouldn't be running universal sonar thats for sure.
Interesting, because nearly everyone I know in the FLW and the PWT that runs Minn Kota, uses the Universal Sonar, including the most successful team out there.
Agin, if you know your electronics well, you won't have to run them in automode. |
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| For eye fishing I think a regular transducer work's fine not so mutch for weed's stump's SHALLOW rock's.But for alround fishing I would taka a Universal sonar any day.After fishing with a puck on the bottom of a troller for 30 plus year's'dealing with wire's catching hook's weed's. You have to be nut's to buy any thing but a UNY. |
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Posts: 32959
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I'll be at the FLW Tour event in Ohio next week, and will ask a representative sample of the Pros there why they run what they run for a front transducer. Nothing like going to the source! |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I am not a walleye guy, so I cannot comment on using the US transducer for that application, but I used it for the first time on a Terrova last year, with an LCX-334. I found it to be easily configured to do anything I needed for structure trolling in Green Bay. And the identification & detail of baitfish pods was every bit as valid as with the Lowrance transducer on my LCX-38. I will say things got significantly better when I learned how to manually adjust the settings, but the "auto" mode will certainly get you in the ballpark.
I will be interested to hear what Steve's research discovers.
TB |
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