Flasher power

[evobassfish]

will a  flasher with less power be more susceptible to interference than the one with more?

[Chris338378]

I submitted this topic to the Myth Busters now we have to hope they bit on it and try it out.     If anyone is interested here's the link to the post I put up. 

http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9701967776/m/98719724111

[kasilofchrisn]

I submitted this topic to the Myth Busters now we have to hope they bit on it and try it out.     If anyone is interested here's the link to the post I put up. 

http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9701967776/m/98719724111

Thanks! Not sure if they would be willing to test it or not. Lets hope they do.

[greenbackhunter]

I agree too much power is horrible.  I have a vx1 and I am willing to trade with anyone with a lx7.   I do believe you will catch many more big fish with my low powered vx1.  The offer stands just let me know

That doesn't hold water with me.... Here on lake winnipeg, the average depth is 10 to 13 feet in the south basin. Hundreds of 8 pound and up to 14 pound walleye are caught, and they hammer the baits, flasher or no flasher.

[Lifeguard]

Ok, let me add this.  When you adjust the gain of your flasher, do you think you are adjusting the output power of the unit.  I tend to lean in the direction that you are, and if that's the case, then these "high powered units" are rarely putting out high power.  On the other hand, when adjusting the gain, you could be adjusting the sensitivity of the receiver, at which point the flasher would be putting out their rated power all the time.

Oh, and just to clarify the watts=voltsxamps thing and how can the battery support that kind of power.  You are right in the fact that P=VxI in a DC world, but in an AC world things change.  I can tell you that the ouput is AC as they state measurements in units like RMS, peak to peak, peak, etc.  And if they are changing the battery DC voltage to AC, they can pretty much make it any AC voltage they want.  The higher the voltage, then the less current you need to make the same amount of power.

[Todd_NE]

Do fish feel things? Yes they do. Their lateral line is an incredible detection device. Do they use it for predatory and self-preservation efforts - a very obvious yes. Do fish "think" and determine a sonar ping is worth avoiding?  Very hard to know. The same fish swim into gill nets.  I've caught fish in aquarium clear water underneath my 36v trolling motor on speed 3 in 3' of water directly under the prop.  We overestimate the brain power of fish to avoid us and fail to understand their reasons for being in a location when we don't catch them there in my opinion.

Power - no way around it. Power properly harnessed with transducers, screens and operating systems generates cleaner, crisper and better images - especially at depth. Knowing the various proprietary transducers and so on is the realm of engineers.  I think most of us can look at units side by side in operation and decide which is better in that situation.  Situations change, brand loyalty is involved, pride, etc. Besides, what's good today may not be good or best tomorrow.  Bottomline - I buy equipment with my eyes and brain, not my heart. I believe what I see on the water.

If you can mark your jig and quarry you are 75% off of the game. Now you are at least to presentation.

[bpiatt]

Ok, let me add this.  When you adjust the gain of your flasher, do you think you are adjusting the output power of the unit.  I tend to lean in the direction that you are, and if that's the case, then these "high powered units" are rarely putting out high power.  On the other hand, when adjusting the gain, you could be adjusting the sensitivity of the receiver, at which point the flasher would be putting out their rated power all the time.

Oh, and just to clarify the watts=voltsxamps thing and how can the battery support that kind of power.  You are right in the fact that P=VxI in a DC world, but in an AC world things change.  I can tell you that the ouput is AC as they state measurements in units like RMS, peak to peak, peak, etc.  And if they are changing the battery DC voltage to AC, they can pretty much make it any AC voltage they want.  The higher the voltage, then the less current you need to make the same amount of power.

I was told that when you adjust gain you are infact adjusting the sensitivity of the receiver. You can actually test this theory if you have the time/motivation. Charge your battery to full, run it til dead on the lowest gain setting. Then charge it to full and run it till dead on the highest gain setting. If there is a difference than you are adjusting the output power with the gain knob. The only company that makes units with adjustable power output is Vexilar. Their "s" cable cuts the power output in half for shallow or weedy areas. The fl18 and fl20 have the "s" cable built in for depths 20ft and less.

[ice dawg]

Another little ditty from an internet search.



"Gain is the most fundamental aspect of a Fish Finder. Many believe that Gain is related to how sensitive the sounder is. This could not be any further from the truth. Gain is a sound amplifier, it takes the return signal received from the transducer and multiplies it.   As sound travels through the water it gets weaker. Much in the same as in air, if someone is yelling at you, they will be quieter the further away you run. Gain is used to amplify the return signal to offset the loss from the fish (running) being further from the transducer (yelling).  Turn it up too much and you’ll get overstated fish sizes and a lot of noise and clutter. Turn it down to low and you’ll miss critical information on certain fish, bottom structure, seabed life etc."

[Gillfisher]

The only company that makes units with adjustable power output is Vexilar. Their "s" cable cuts the power output in half for shallow or weedy areas. The fl18 and fl20 have the "s" cable built in for depths 20ft and less.

Just want to throw this out there; why do so many people say that Vexilar is inferior because their power is so much lower than Marcum if Vexilars need an S cable to reduce their power in shallow or weedy water?

I believe that the Marcum units use variable power based on what depth setting you are using, I was playing with the LX-7 the other day in the garage and noticed the ticking coming from the transducer was different for each depth setting I selected. This was not a scientific experiment, just an average Joe observation; because I really do not care as long as it shows my lure and the fish attacking it.

[adam_mcd]

I for one think this has nothing to do with power/watts/digital/analog/old school/new school.  Every year there is one of these discussions about this time.  I think everyone is getting grumpy waiting for it to freeze.  So here is what you do.  While you are out in the garage tonight testing out how long your battery lasts on different gain settings, have your wife sneak up behind you and dump a 5 gallon bucket of ice water down your back.  Your mind will instantly be thrown back to last winter.  Call it a "reboot" and that should help you make it through the next month waiting for ice. 
Supposed to be 3 degrees here Sat. night.

[bpiatt]

Just want to throw this out there; why do so many people say that Vexilar is inferior because their power is so much lower than Marcum if Vexilars need an S cable to reduce their power in shallow or weedy water?

I believe that the Marcum units use variable power based on what depth setting you are using, I was playing with the LX-7 the other day in the garage and noticed the ticking coming from the transducer was different for each depth setting I selected. This was not a scientific experiment, just an average Joe observation; because I really do not care as long as it shows my lure and the fish attacking it.

I didn't mean to come across as putting vexilar down with my post. I believe the marcums do constantly put out the same power regardless of depth. The different ticking you are hearing may be related to the amount of echoes being sent out for each depth level.

[Gillfisher]

I didn't mean to come across as putting vexilar down with my post. I believe the marcums do constantly put out the same power regardless of depth. The different ticking you are hearing may be related to the amount of echoes being sent out for each depth level.

You didn't come across as putting Vexilar down, I was just using your text as an example of what keeps getting said over and over. I switched to Marcum last year because the fish marks and lure marks are better than the globs on the Vexilars, I still own 2 Vexilars and they served me well for a number of years. I like the tech of the LX-7 better, so that's what I use now.