Swap Fishfinder Head Only?

[DaveJ50]

First, a little background, I don't have a clue what I am doing.<br /><br />My boat came with a Humminbird Piranha Max 20 fishfinder. I decided I would like to add a finder to the bow so I purchased a Humminbird 525. <br /><br />It turns out to be on the same frequency as the Max 20 and is actually a little larger than I want for the bow anyway.<br /><br />I decided to replace the Max 20 with the 525 but the transducer cable is not pulling out and there is no access to the cable tray.<br /><br />Can I just swap the heads and deal with replacing the transducer if it finally dies?<br /><br />They are both 200KHz and 20 degree. The one that came with the 525 is a little larger (I think) but the specs seem to be the same. Are there other specs I should be looking for?<br /><br />If this will work, I'll look for a small unit on a different frequency later.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[jtexas]

Re: Swap Fishfinder Head Only?

Same plug? Try it. Or an email to humminbird tech support. How long is the boat & what depth are you usually in...if you have one 'ducer on the transom & the other on the trolling motor you might be able to get away with it.

 

[DaveJ50]

Re: Swap Fishfinder Head Only?

The boat is 17 ft. The water is usually 5-25 ft or so.<br /><br />Both finders use the same power and transducer plugs. I plugged it in last night and the head knew it had a transducer and showed the temp.<br /><br />I didn't know why they would sell different transducers with each unit if they would be interchangeable.<br /><br />I will email their tech support and see what they say.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[JB]

Re: Swap Fishfinder Head Only?

It should work just fine, Dave. I have used as many as three different Lowrance units with the same xducer.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Swap Fishfinder Head Only?

I bet you could run those fishfinders together if the 'ducers are on opposite ends of the boat - might get some interaction in deeper water, but hey, worst case, you only turn one on at a time - at least you can see while you're fishing.

 

[DaveJ50]

Re: Swap Fishfinder Head Only?

They do work and play together. I did manage to get the 'ducer replaced with the new one so each unit has the transducer it was sold with.<br /><br />I also cheated and tied into the trolling motor leads in the bow. So far they are working fine with no interference from each other or the trolling motor.<br /><br />I need to re-do my connection. I just peeled about 1/4 in from the trolling motor wires and tried to wrap my finder power cable around and solder.<br /><br />I don't have anything that gets hot enough to more than a cold solder but I taped them in a way that should not let them get together if they fail to hold.<br /><br /><br />Thanks for the help<br />DaveJ