fishfinder power

[zanman]

good day all. i have a hummingbird fishfinder for my small boat.the outboard motor i have does not have 12volt output.would a motorcycle battery power this device,and for how long.im trying to keep the wieght down,so i thought a motorcycle battery would work.<br />thanks Z

 

[snapperbait]

Re: fishfinder power

I believe a motorcycle or lawntractor battery would work fine as long as it's 12 volts..<br /><br />Lcd fishfinders like humminbirds don't draw alot of power so it should run at least a couple hours if not more...

 

[roscoe]

Re: fishfinder power

You can get a very small deep cycle battery, that will have plenty of power for the locator, and it should last longer than a motorcycle starting battery. My brother-in-law has one and runs his locator and light off it. <br /><br />Cabelas sells them. <br />$25 <br />$30 w/charger<br />2 batteries and one charger, $50<br /><br /> http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...dId=0016916&catalogCode=UC&parentId=cat21402& parentType=index&rid=&cmCat=MainCatcat21276

 

[davepring]

Re: fishfinder power

Hi Zanman, I am running my fishfinder & VHF radio off a motorcycle battery with no problem. The battery is almost small enough to put in your pocket! The guys on this forum advised me to keep the battery on trickle charge when not in use (2 amp) Running it flat and recharging is not good for a long battery life.

 

[acc]

Re: fishfinder power

Your depthfinder manual should specify the average current drain of the unit....<br /><br />Divide that number(of amps) into the amp-hour rating of the battery......The result is the maximum number of operating hours that you can expect........

 

[SlowlySinking]

Re: fishfinder power

zanman, solid state micro-processor fish finders draw little power so the motorcycle battery sounds good, there are lots of ways to go, I power my handheld GPS from the flat 6 volt battery packs in Polaroid film cartridges.