Elite 9TIi help

 Gday All, I am looking for some help/suggestions. My Lowrance Elite 9Ti is (in my opinoin) not reading right, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between sand and structure, I have had a Elite 5 in the past and was happy with the results however the upgrade on my new boat has been frustratingly dissappointing.  The images attached are sitting at Point Peron boat ramp on a calm day (no surge) with the motor turned off - makes no difference if the motor is on when not under way.  The image improves when in about 15m +, the bottom line flattens out and some difference in ground can be seen - unsure of reliability at this stage, the integrity of the picture holds while motoring at less than 3kn any faster and the picture darkens and Im back to not being able to determine ground.  Navico hace replaced the head unit and I was able to try a new transducer however there was no change to the outcome.  Any ideas or does anyone know of someone that can help.  Thanks in advance.

Image Upload: 

Bigwig's picture

Posts: 48

Date Joined: 19/02/15

You have it set to 200kHz,

Mon, 2018-01-08 14:21

You have it set to 200kHz, try 83kHz.

Posts: 11

Date Joined: 07/12/17

 Thanks Bigwig, I will try

Mon, 2018-01-08 16:18

 Thanks Bigwig, I will try 83kHz next time I'm on the water. Whats the best frequency for shallow water, I always thought that 200kHz was the way to go?

 

sstevee's picture

Posts: 472

Date Joined: 15/11/11

You may need to give some

Mon, 2018-01-08 16:58

You may need to give some more detail? Are you talking about the bottom line or the haze at the top? I think you will find that all sounders will give a poor picture in that depth. I do know that my Lowrance has some sort of function which clears up the top of the screen but as for the bottom, in that depth you will see just 10cm of rise and fall on the surface as a lumpy bottom.

Can also add that my Furuno would look very average in that depth too.

Posts: 11

Date Joined: 07/12/17

 Cheers sstevee. I was

Tue, 2018-01-09 18:28

 Cheers sstevee. I was referring to the bottom line and was comparing the image to my Elite 5 which at the same boat ramp showed a very even image consistant with a sandy bottom, wondering out loud but maybe the transducer or head unit punch out more power on the Elite 9Ti than the Elite 5 therefore doesnt read as well in the shallow water.  Appreciate the feedback.

Posts: 5806

Date Joined: 18/01/12

Im sure it isnt what you want

Mon, 2018-01-08 16:59

Im sure it isnt what you want to hear but while I know some people use them with success, I have one running alongside a 620 Furuno and dont bother with the Lowrance except every now and then.
I only use it in under 60 meters usually but they are just to damn awkward to tune or adjust compared to the Furuno.

____________________________________________________________________________

 Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...

 

 

The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.

Everyone's just winging it.

 

Posts: 11

Date Joined: 07/12/17

 Been tempted to look at the

Tue, 2018-01-09 18:32

 Been tempted to look at the Furuno, my Brother in Law has an old model on his boat and it works a treat.....will be on the wish list if I can't sort out the Lowrance.  Thanks for the feedback Rob.

Cruise Control's picture

Posts: 973

Date Joined: 03/11/10

 I would suggest that any

Mon, 2018-01-08 20:56

 I would suggest that any sounder is going to give a similar return at that depth. I am also not a fan of that colour palette as it does not display enough colours to assist in interpreting return. On my HDS, I use 200KHZ up to about 80m.

If you want expert advice go on to the Lowrance and Simrad users group on Facebook. There are a number of resident experts with heaps of Lowrance and Simrad experience who are happy to share their knowledge. I am sure that they could advise you.

Posts: 11

Date Joined: 07/12/17

 Thanks Cruise Control, I

Tue, 2018-01-09 18:29

 Thanks Cruise Control, I didn't know about the facebook page, will look them up, thanks for the heads up.

gruntre69's picture

Posts: 533

Date Joined: 15/10/16

 2 x for this, Andrew Homann

Sun, 2018-01-14 08:23

 2 x for this, Andrew Homann on there is very knowledgable and helpful.

____________________________________________________________________________

 Marine trimmer NOR (available for clears, tops, carpet, upholstery, custom equipment covers)

Bigwig's picture

Posts: 48

Date Joined: 19/02/15

Dog1.1 Have had mine for

Tue, 2018-01-09 06:44

Dog1.1
Have had mine for about 12 months. Originally had set to 200, then about a month in started having the same issue as you. As I had been playing with the settings, I thought it was from an adjustment. I then changed to 83 and have had no issues since.
You are spot on with 200kHz for use in shallower depth.
I get clear image up to 155ft which is the deepest I have been and start to lose picture over about 12kn.

Posts: 11

Date Joined: 07/12/17

 Thanks Bigwig you have given

Tue, 2018-01-09 18:21

 Thanks Bigwig you have given me hope!

 

Posts: 115

Date Joined: 05/08/16

 I had a an elite ti 7 for

Thu, 2018-01-11 11:44

 I had a an elite ti 7 for abou a month before I spat it in shear frustration and bought a Furuno. There is no comparison I have sounded lumps up on the Furuno and had both units going the Lowrance wouldn’t even pick the coral lump up. Was well off it, that was only in 25m. Bought a Furuno and have never been happier it doesn’t lie 

Posts: 256

Date Joined: 13/08/11

For 1.2m of water I think you

Sat, 2018-01-13 08:48

For 1.2m of water I think you would be better off looking over the side.. Most issues are in the transducer set up, not the unit its self, the Elite Ti is a good unit and should give trouble free sounding.

When using 83 khz you will get a good look at what is below as the beam will give approx a 1metre of spread for a metre of depth, it is great for finding fish, however if you are looking for structure in detail 200khz with a much narrower beam will give you better definition. However you will see far less fish. You have a nice unit, spend some time on setting up the transducer and you will reap the benefits... Changing sounder brand is not going to magically fix your issues.

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

way too shallow to expect a result

Sat, 2018-01-13 17:31

 Your elite 5 may have worked in that depth, but the bigger one won't. You can get quite a good picture from any of those Lowarnces, and I've used most of them, albeit some time ago. currently using an Elite 7 CHIRP, I can pick difference in bottom types, even on flat bottom, no worries. 

Your Ti,being touch obviously has a different menu sytem to the older ones, but the links below should give you some ideas. My only real beef with those combos is the need to constantly change pages to get the relevant menus for adjustment, it just drives me nuts. Furuno setup and adjustemnt is certainly easier to use,  but it isn't a combo. First step is to get rid of that awful white background with yellow as the strongest return. Makes me want to spew just looking at it. 

fishwrecked.com/forum/hdi-7-elite-pics

 

fishwrecked.com/forum/hdi-7-colour-palette-pics-added

beau's picture

Posts: 4104

Date Joined: 24/01/10

The difference in the highs

Sat, 2018-01-13 19:14

The difference in the highs and lows of your soundings are only 10cm on average, 20cm max, thats just your boat going up and down and because the range is set so small you notice it quite large on the screen. It flattens out as you go deeper because say at 13m your range on the screen is probably at 25m so you wont notice bobbing up and down 1ft at a time. Losing quality at anything over 7knts is pretty typical of lowrance gear i think, my old hds5 was exactly the same, no issues with the furuno now though.

____________________________________________________________________________


Posts: 11

Date Joined: 07/12/17

 Thanks all for your input,

Tue, 2018-01-16 20:24

 Thanks all for your input, went out last weekend and tried changing to 83kHz (no change), different pallet (need to play around a bit more to identify ground change and weed types etc - but showing promise), feel that I need to play around with the transducer position (I feel that I should be able to travel at 15Knt and identify ground/see fish) - I know someone who can travel at 25knt and have a perfect picture (not a through hull transducer - using Simrad - maybe HD).

Cheers All for your help.