LX3 Mar-Cumfused

[alaskaruss1]

   I just picked up a new MarCum LX3tc. Videos made it look as if any idiot could operate it. Well this idiot tried it tonight and could not find the jig on the sonar. Wondering is it possible that the fact I was in 7 feet of water could be the problem as the 20 degree transducer isn't picking  it up due to the shallow depth?  Going to hit a deeper spot tomorrow and give it a try. New to the flasher game and any help would be appreciated. 

[jopes]

turn the sensitivity up.  pull the jig about 1 foot off bottom.  If you end up with the sensitivity all the way up put on a really big jig.  like a 3" jiggin rap.  If it can't find that the unit is not working.

[NatefishNY]

Yep you need to adjust your gain (sensitivity), I use mine in 5-7 ft of water all the time

[Moosedog]

Maybe your transducer is hanging crooked.  Is it in the same hole as the jig?  They need to be pretty close in shallow water.

[hardwater diehard]

Not much can be seen in shallow water ... adjusting the sensitivity can help but also add clutter  ..the Vexilars have a low power setting that seems to help some in shallow/weedy conditions .

http://s306.photobucket.com/user/servocam/media/Fishing/Flasher_DoC.jpg.html

[Bigassbassman]

I have the exact same unit -- as others have said, just adjust the gain until you can see the jig.  Try it on the bottom at first.  And yes, make sure the transducer is pointing straight down. 
You'll be very happy with the 3tc, I've never had any issues.

[Browngold11]

This is a little off topic but seems like a good thread to answer my question.  I am currently looking at purchasing a LX3 my only concern is the transducer.  More specifically the fact that it's a 20 degree.  I usually fish in 30-40 FOW and often times real close to shelves do any of you guys have experience with these kinds of conditions with the 20 degree ducer?  Does it do well at those depths or are you getting alot of interference/dead-zones?

[Bigassbassman]

This is a little off topic but seems like a good thread to answer my question.  I am currently looking at purchasing a LX3 my only concern is the transducer.  More specifically the fact that it's a 20 degree.  I usually fish in 30-40 FOW and often times real close to shelves do any of you guys have experience with these kinds of conditions with the 20 degree ducer?  Does it do well at those depths or are you getting alot of interference/dead-zones?

All sonar units will have a dead zone when fishing next to shelves or large structure.  This happens when the shallow part of the beam hits the shallower edge of the obstruction and bounces back before the deeper edge returns.  More importantly, the transducer angle affects the area of coverage at different depths.  The area of coverage on a 20 degree transducer at 40 FOW is around a 13' circle.  However, yes, you would potentially have some dead zones within that 13' circle.  The trade-off for a narrower beam is less coverage at depths, although you may have fewer dead zones within that smaller area.  It really depends on what you're targeting -- if you're fishing deep structure one day, but you still want wide coverage for schools of crappie at other times, you might look into dual beam transducers (i.e. 8 degree/20 degree).  My 2 cents.

[alaskaruss1]

Thanks one and all for your suggestions and help. Love the IS community.Looking forward to getting out and working with my new flasher.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone. 

[Mr.Seaguar]

My mom would say, "well, not just any idiot..." She isn't what you would call the nurturing type.

[bee]

When in shallow water you need to keep the xducer as close to the bottom of the ice as possible. By doing this you increase the area the cone will pick up.

[da man cave shack]

And check to make sure the bottom of the ducer is clean of  ice or junk as that can mess with the signal.

[fishslap]

What these guys said.  I always try to keep the bottom of the transducer at or just above the bottom of the ice.  You should actually be able to keep it a few inches above the bottom of the ice since the cone of view wouldn't widen enough to hit the ice at that short distance.  Also like others said, make sure your transducer is hanging 100% vertical and not touching the edge of the ice hole or angled in any way.  Also, make sure you have the depth range set to the lowest range that will pick up the bottom.  So you should have it set on 20 for shallow water.  The last thing is adjusting your gain until you have a solid bottom reading and your jig shows up yellow, maybe some green.  If that doesn't work, check your transducer and battery connections and if you still can't see the jig, call Marcum.

I was picking up my jig in 2.5 FOW on my LX-5 this weekend.  Picked up a 15" splake.  When it came in to that shallow of water, my bottom signal and jig just got a little stronger and fluttered some so I knew there was a fish near by that was adding signal strength.  Not enough room really to show a distinct separate signal until it took the jig.

[fishslap]

And check to make sure the bottom of the ducer is clean of  ice or junk as that can mess with the signal.

I also have issues on my LX5 when I get some ice build up on the transducer cable at the water interface.  When I break it off, I get good readings again.

[hnd]

Not much can be seen in shallow water ... adjusting the sensitivity can help but also add clutter  ..the Vexilars have a low power setting that seems to help some in shallow/weedy conditions .

http://s306.photobucket.com/user/servocam/media/Fishing/Flasher_DoC.jpg.html

marcums has sensitivity down to true 0 unlike the vexilars which is why they need the low power mode. 

your gain on the lx3 can sometimes be around 5-7  depending upon the situation and how small a lure i'm working. 

as far as the question on the 20 degree cone, feel free to purchase the dual beam ducer for your lx too.

[Browngold11]

as far as the question on the 20 degree cone, feel free to purchase the dual beam ducer for your lx too.

I was under the impression that a dual beam cone could only be used with an lx5 or higher.  If that isn't the case sounds like an lx3 with a dual beam would fit me great if not i think it would be the smartest to go with the lx5 rather then go cheap and wish i didn't later.  Thank you for the information...time to research.

[sonic344]

Lx-3 is a 20 degree transducer unit, Lx-5 and above have the dual angle option.

The gain settings should resolve the issue with the smaller jig.

Using a wider cone angle in deeper water might not be as advantages as using a narrower angle. The dead zone might overshadow a lot of structure and fish near the bottom. As Bigbassman mentioned the area of coverage might be huge compare to your your jig. In situations like this a narrow cone would probably perform better. If you are fishing in 40 feet of water, but want to see more things lets say 10 feet under the ice (suspended fish) then that wider angle might not be such a bad idea. Also, when your fishing in shallower water with structure, the smaller angle might do a better job at distinguishing fish next to a downed tree or in a pocket of weeds.

[twincities86]

If my girlfriend can figure it out in her own, so can you. Move your sensitivity up

[alaskaruss1]

Played with it out on the ice today and got a lot of it figured out due to all the help on here. THANKS to everyone.