Using a transom mount transducer at an ice transducer

[bill marcus]

I was wondering if anyone knows of any technical reason you couldn’t use a transom mount transducer (in my case at Lowrance HST-WSU 83/200 kHz Skimmer Transducer) rather than purchasing a dedicated ice transducer (in my case a PTI-WSU 83/200 kHz Ice Transducer).  I’d think the only difference is the clever physical design of the self-leveling ice transducers, but if you devise something to assure that the transom mount style transducer can be inserted in the hole in the ice in a manner that keeps its downward facing and roughly in the center of the hole, I would suspect you’d be good to go.   Am I missing something that would prevent this from working or which would damage the transom mount transducer?  Has anyone been successful repurposing the model that I have?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or better yet firsthand experience

[RapShack]

Been done many times before.  The Lowrance trasnducer is the more difficult of the bunch due to how thick and stiff the cord is.  You'll need to make something to mount it to to keep it level.  It doesn't need to be in the middle of the hole, off to the side works fine.  Best to drill a separate transducer hole though as there's a lot there to get tangled up with.  It's not bad if you're going to sit in the same spot all day long but less than ideal for hole hopping.  If you can swing it save the hassle and buy the ice transducer.

[bill marcus]

Thanks for the quick reply, as you point out keeping it level is important, so I put this together ...



and from what I can tell from the minimal specifications on Lowrance's website the sonar specs are the same (same frequencies, same beam widths, same broadband ceramic) for both the transom mount and ice style transducers.  So functionally it sounds like I'm not barking up the wrong tree. 

That being said, I wonder if there is any environmental concerns, specifically should I worry about damaging the transom mount style transducer out on the ice -- not so much when its in the water, but when I take it out of the water -- like it freezing over (although I suspect that if I quickly dry it off that should not be an issue).

Thoughts? 

[RapShack]

Cold wont bother it, just don't bang it on the ice or cut the cord and you'll be fine.

[alexg425]

I did it for years. Garmins suction cup mount also had a plastic clip you could feed the wire through to help it hang straight. It would be fine for telling you the approximate depth but in order to mark your jig you would usually have to mess around for a few minutes, not ideal if you are looking for fish/hole hopping. This year I finally couldn’t take it any more and got an ice ducer for $80. It was well worth it.

I would say it would work if you know what spot you are going to and won’t be moving. If you are hole hopping it will get annoying. If the ice is clear enough try shooting through it rather than dropping the ducer in the hole.

No, the ice and cold won’t damage the transducer, just be gentle with the wire and try not to drop it too much

[FishGut]

I didn't pony up for a separate ice transducer for years, and used my portable through the ice just fine. There are numerous threads here on the Shanty that show how to knot the cord, build a PVC bracket, adapt an old tip up, etcetera in order to use a standard one on the ice.

[fishermantim]

I used to use an old Hummingbird 100, with the transducer attached to an old tip-up frame with rubber bands.
It worked well enough, but as with any electronics, the cold with play havoc with the battery life (if not insulated).

[sebago2jigtima]

 ^ x2

[bill marcus]

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions .. much appreciated!!!