Gain Settings with Vexilars

[yellowhog]

Wondering what you guys are noticing with your Vexilars

I decided to buy a used Tri Beam end of last ice season as I wasn’t convinced the proview was best for my shallow water hunting. (I still have the proview stashed away for safe keeping)

The thing I find and maybe it’s just mine but when using either vertical or horizontal Walleye baits, the display is rarely ever a narrow Green line but rather a wide line showing too much stronger signal in red. Doesn’t matter if I boot it up in Weed or Low power mode or what cone angle I select (8/12/20) I prefer using the AZ feature and primarily sit over 20’ or less

I seem to remember on my old FL-18 when in low power mode with I believe the factory equipped 12* ducer, I could actually turn gain up around half way but this 28 the gain is Always always set to Zero and still too powerful.

Appreciate your opinions

[DR.SPECKLER]

shallow water and zoom i would expect a blobby screen.my flx28 with proview in lp,manual mode i have to turn gain near half way for a nice thin line display but i dont use zoom in shallow water.about the same settings with my tribeam too.

[hardwater diehard]

Used TriBeam may be the problem...does yours have a red band around it ..Vexilar had some issues with a batch and were swapping them out .

These are what the defective ones looked like ...you may see small cracks/fractures on the red part

https://fishingoutings.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Vexilar-TB0033-Ice-Ducer-Tri-Beam-Transducer-White-0.jpg

I got mine new used it a season or so ..when other IS members pointed out the defect issues ...after some checking noticed the cracks and some wonky readings .

[Buckshots]

The display on the 28s that I’ve seen have always been a big ol red/pink mark for the jig. According to the display, the jig or spoon usually takes up about a foot of depth. Even with the gain turned down all the way. I don’t think it is a ducer issue, I think it’s just the way the 28s are.

[DR.SPECKLER]

That is not the case on mine.i would never fish with a huge blob screen.if the jig or spoon is marking a ft in size whoever is using it has no clue on using it.either gain,wrong depth setting or not using lp when needed.ive posted numerous pics throughout the years of a clean crisp display.thats with the proview in shallow water too.

[yellowhog]

Used TriBeam may be the problem...does yours have a red band around it ..Vexilar had some issues with a batch and were swapping them out .

These are what the defective ones looked like ...you may see small cracks/fractures on the red part

https://fishingoutings.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Vexilar-TB0033-Ice-Ducer-Tri-Beam-Transducer-White-0.jpg

Thankfully I purchased the newer version of the TB ducer from a well respected Iceshanty member although he seems to not have very good luck with Lithium Vex Batteries he sent me a satisfactory transducer

I got mine new used it a season or so ..when other IS members pointed out the defect issues ...after some checking noticed the cracks and some wonky readings .

[yellowhog]

The display on the 28s that I’ve seen have always been a big ol red/pink mark for the jig. According to the display, the jig or spoon usually takes up about a foot of depth. Even with the gain turned down all the way. I don’t think it is a ducer issue, I think it’s just the way the 28s are.

Holy smokes brother no mines not that bad, at worse gain dialled right back to Zero I’m annoyed with a 4”-6” band on the display... here I thought mind was really bad that I can’t cut it back no matter what presentation I have on display to a narrow green or disappearing briefly then reveal green that these units should be able to display. Suppose the 28’s are more powerful compared to others Vex models?? Kinda wishing the 20 I had briefly late last winter to trade up to this one I’d maybe kept it instead.

[yellowhog]

That is not the case on mine.i would never fish with a huge blob screen.if the jig or spoon is marking a ft in size whoever is using it has no clue on using it.either gain,wrong depth setting or not using lp when needed.ive posted numerous pics throughout the years of a clean crisp display.thats with the proview in shallow water too.

Agreed Doc, I can’t imagine return signal that massive, you’d see a photo of a Vexilar in compacted form if that was as good as it got, wow !!!!

For what it’s worth now that I think of it while using the Tri beam while in the 20* mode, the green/yeller/red signal is narrowest/really not acceptable and gets progressively worse going to 12 and worse/wider blob of all flipping to 8*.. I’ll have to blow the dust off the proview and give it another try to see how it compares now that I’m aware of the characteristics of this TB.

[DR.SPECKLER]

I think they all run at 400 watts.not anymore powerful than other models.i have them all but a fl8se and 12.and all the ducers also.i have my gain half  way with tribeam and even the proview in lp mode to get a nice fading green line...strange yours wont tune.you have a option of trying a different ducer?

[meandcuznalfy]

I think they all run at 400 watts.not anymore powerful than other models.i have them all but a fl8se and 12.and all the ducers also.i have my gain half  way with tribeam and even the proview in lp mode to get a nice fading green line...strange yours wont tune.you have a option of trying a different ducer?

Yep, that's the way it should be, I could have a fading green line when I had mine.

[CO_Dinky]

My 28 only shows a larger return for my jig if I have the gain cranked way too far up.  I rarely have it much higher than 2 or 3 tops, and it seems to work fine.  I use LP mode in water 12' or less.

However, I only see a small, thin line return if I'm using pretty small jigs.  The return echo mark increases in size as I use larger jigs, as I would expect.  Based on the return echo size, I can tell if a spoon is fluttering sideways on the fall or falling rapidly point-first as well.  The echo return is pretty big when I'm using a 5/8oz blade bait, a W7 Jigging Rap, or similar larger lure, especially in water less than 20'.

The 28's aren't more powerful, but they ARE more sensitive.

[fieds]

To get a crisp line instead of a blob in shallow water try manual mode in a deeper depth range. I also use weed mode or low power. Has anyone tried an s cable? Or doubling the s cable? I might double up on s cables and use auto mode just to see the results. Its going to a number of weeks before i get back on the ice to try it but if one works shouldnt two work twice as good?

[DR.SPECKLER]

s cables are for vexilars with no lp mode.it will probably work but I don't need a s cable on my flx28 in any situation.i can fish a frostee spoon with dropper chain in 8ft of water and get 2 faint green lines.1 for the spoon and 1 for the hook/minnow head.

[smokey66]

I think they all run at 400 watts.not anymore powerful than other models.i have them all but a fl8se and 12.and all the ducers also.i have my gain half  way with tribeam and even the proview in lp mode to get a nice fading green line...strange yours wont tune.you have a option of trying a different ducer?

According to the Vexilar website- http://www.vexilar.com/pages/product-comparison

The fl-8se and the FL-18 have 400 watt output.  All the rest have 1000 watt output.

[DR.SPECKLER]

According to the Vexilar website- http://www.vexilar.com/pages/product-comparison

The fl-8se and the FL-18 have 400 watt output.  All the rest have 1000 watt output.

nice, it changed do to them going brushless on the other flx series units

[hardwater diehard]

[hardwater diehard]

May be play with the color mode to eliminate the green …

Color Mode 2: Red, Yellow Only
The more you use a Vexilar, the more you are confronted with
situations where you will often be seeing a lot of green
in your display. Heavy weeds, for example, or in some
lakes where tiny bugs are so thick on a lake at night they
trigger a green cloud on your display. By taking out the
green, you take out much of the confusing signals that
you normally have to fish around. In this setting, your lure
will be yellow and you will notice that fish will “suddenly
appear” more, since the weaker green signal is no longer
there to alert you of a fish on the outer edge of your coverage.