TIPS ON BEING A GOOD SONAR OPERATOR

[GENETRON]

WE HAVE RECEIVED MANY E-MAILS ASKING ABOUT THE WHYS AND WHEREFORES OF SONAR OPERATION. WE HAVE ALSO READ THE MANY POSTS ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT SONAR OPERATION. SO IN A VERY SUMMARIZED MESSAGE WE WILL TRY TO GIVE YOU SOME HELPFULL HINTS.

1. REMEMBER THAT THE SONAR OPERATORS IN THE U.S. NAVY GO TO SCHOOL FOR MANY MANY MONTHS TO LEARN HOW TO "READ" A SONAR. THEY GET SO GOOD THAT THEY CAN TELL YOU WHAT KIND OF SHIP IS IN THE AREA WHEN THEY ARE UNDERWATER IN A SUBMARINE. HOW DO THEY DO THIS? BY LISTENING!! YES, LISTENING TO WHAT YOUR SONAR IS TELLING YOU, AND INTERPRETING WHAT THAT SIGNAL IS TELLING YOU, IS THE KEY TO BEING A GOOD SONAR OPERATOR!!!!!

2. SO HOW DO YOU DO THAT YOU ASK? KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT!!!!! YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO FIND OUT ALL YOU CAN FROM THE MANUFACTURER OF YOUR FISHFINDER SO THAT YOU CAN KNOW WHAT THE FISHFINDERS CAPABILITIES ARE AND ALSO ITS LIMITATIONS!!! YOU MUST FIND OUT ABOUT THE TRANSDUCERS IN PARTICULAR!! YOU MUST KNOW THIS IN ORDER TO FORM A "MENTAL PICTURE" OF WHAT THE SCREEN IS TELLING YOU!!! IF YOU DO NOT TAKE THE TIME TO DO THIS YOU ARE SHORTCHANGING YOURSELF!!!

3. YOU MUST KNOW THAT YOUR EQUIPMENT IS WORKING PROPERLY!! MANY PEOPLE GO OUT FISHING NOT KNOWING THAT THERE TRANSDUCER HAS BEEN HIT AND DAMAGED AND IT IS NOT TELLING YOU THE COMPLETE STORY!!! THIS MIGHT BE A LITTLE SELF SERVING BUT THAT IS WHY THE GENETRON IS ONE UP HERE BECAUSE IT WORKS IN THE AIR. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO WITH A UNIT THAT WORKS IN THE AIR IS SIMPLY KICK YOUR FOOT UNDENEATH THE TRANSDUCER WHEN THE BOAT IS ON THE TRAILER AND SEE IF IT PRINTS ON THE SCREEN. IF IT DOES NOT PRINT SOMETHING IS WRONG!!! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHOSE FISHFINDERS DO NOT WORK IN THE AIR THE TASK BECOMES A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED. YOU MUST DO THE SAME TASK IN THE WATER WITH AN OBJECT THAT YOU CAN GET DOWN FAR ENOUGH TO GET IT TO PRINT. REMEMBER THIS ALSO. THE TEST MUST NOT ONLY SHOW THE SECONDARY TARGET BUT ALSO THE GROUND IF YOU TEST IN THE AIR OR THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE IF YOU ARE TESTING IN WATER. YOU SHOULD DO THIS TEST EVERYTIME YOU GO FISHING!!!

WELL THERE IS SEVERAL TIPS THAT MIGHT HELP YOU BECOME BETTER SONAR OPERATORS. KEEP THE QUESTIONS COMING THANKS DICK KNUTSON GENETRON

[iamwalleye1]

Do you have to use all caps? Are you yelling?

[Rich Ramsbacher]

Dick has trouble seeing and needs to do this to be able to see.

[Reels]

Way to go Bill....

:-)

<{{}}><

[Cangl]

Practicing and having a good understanding of the bottom and aquatic features of the lake will lead to better understanding your graph. Slowly idling along here and there can put more fish in a boat then a "blind" rod. With a puck transducer try this get a glass pane take a dab of lard and "glue" it to the pane. Turning a flasher on you now have a range finder, point it at the neighbors house, car and in feet you have it, double feed back also if close enough I have yet to try this with LCG so I can't say for sure whether this works with all or any of them but. Eagles do give you a bottom reading throuh the air off a transom to the ground but the depthis exagerated. That I know of 600 and 275 watts do.

[s.f.]

"If they ain't there, you can't catch'em".
That understatement is very telling in reference to your ability to using your fish finding eyes. In fact, that is the key to how you plan and ultimately stratagize as you fish walleyes. By developing the ability to ENVISION what the bottem of a lake actually looks like and how fish live relative to that vision, and then being able to go out and put that ability to work with your depthfinder creates amazing results. Hunting for fish is so much more interesting and challenging if you realize and FEEL what you are seeing on the screen. So take advantage of what's out there. As has been said, no question is undeserving of a good answer. Insist on answers from seminar speakers. Hound the reps at shows for the REAL answers to your questions. Present actual on the water scenarios to convey your questions. And afterall, use the advice consistently. That is the key to understanding your equipment.
"If they ain't there, you can't catch'em."
Do you have the best glasses for hunting walleyes there is? Do you understand all the key differences? Feel free to ask and learn.

Hunt before you fish...

Steve Fellegy
#49

[Blake]

I was at Lake of the Woods a couple of years ago and found out Genetron was doing on the water demonstrations, but I wasn't able to
get in on it. Is that something you will be doing anywhere this year?

Thanks
Blake

[GENETRON]

BLAKE. THAT IS TRUE ABOUT OUR SONAR SEMINARS ON LAKE OF THE WOODS. FOR MANY YEARS WE HAD A 3 DAY SEMINAR AT SPORTSMANS LODGE. IT WAS GREAT FOR US AND OUR CUSTOMERS. CUSTOMERS CAME IN FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO LEARN SONAR THEORY AND ON THE WATER TRAINING. IT WAS ONE OF HIGHLIGHTS OF MY SUMMER TO GO UP THERE AND TEACH. AS MOST OF YOU KNOW SPORTSMANS IS ONE OF THE PREMIER PLACES TO STAY AT ON LOW. I GUESS IT DOES NOT HURT TO BRAG A LITTLE AND SAY THAT WE ARE VERY PROUD THAT MOST OF THE TOP GUIDES AT SPORTSMANS HAVE USED GENETRONS FOR OVER A DECADE. THE SAME GOES FOR ADRIANS TOP GUIDES, BRIAN NEY AND RUDY LUCEK, AND MANY OF THE OTHER RESORTS ON LOW. DICK KNUTSON GENETRON

[eyewitness]

Dick, I think what he really wanted to know was if you will be, or can offer this kind of seminar again. I would also be interested in this on the water learning. It's hard to spend that kind of money on something without seeing the advantages. What would it take to get Jerry to help put this on up at Sportsmans?

[MadMax]

Do you max the power out on a Genetron in lets say 20' of water for the best possable readings? or do you run it in a automatic mode? I am assuming that the power does adjust through the transducer from shallow to deeper waters. I am just asking questions trying to learn more about your unit. Thank you in advance.

[s.f.]

I definately advise to run MAXIMUM power with the Genetron ALL the time in ALL depths. Unlike other technology, the screen DOES NOT just clutter up. It stays the same, clear picture at any depth. The only time it clutters, but never to the extent I can't see bottem or fish, is when it is in heavy, dirty current, or when the transducers are creating too many bubbles at very high speed from the mounting height or depth on the transom.

Steve Fellegy

By the way, for those shallow areas you bring up, say, 8-15 feet, deep enough for the fish not to run from the boat, the 72 degree cone finds'em pretty slick. With a typical 20 degree cone, the viewing area at those depths is pretty small. Tough task for any unit. And they will usually be glued to the bottem in those areas. One flick of a switch, and I can go from 20 degrees to 72 degrees.

Good question!

Steve Fellegy

[s.f.]

Allow me to clarify. When I used the word "power", I meant the "gain"
control. The power is determined within the unit relative to the depth or range settings being used. I think....lol I just turn all the dials wide-open and leave'm there.lol lol

Steve

[MadMax]

I see.....so in shallow water the unit automaticly reduces the wattage at the tranducer and increased the wattage at deeper depths. All you are doing is truning the gain up on the unit to define the picture more. Does the Genetron display a digital depth number on the screen and water temp number? If so, when running the other functions on the screen does it rob some of the power from the unit so you do not get as much definition on the screen? I have been told that on the other units so shut as much off as you can to get the max power of the unit for a better and truer reading of the bottom. Thank You in advance.

[GENETRON]

MADMAX. YES THE GENETRON AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLS "TRANSMITTING" WATTAGE DEPENDING ON DEPTH. WE ADVISE OUR CUSTOMERS TO RUN THE GAIN "LISTENING" FULL UP IN ORDER TO DISPLAY AS MUCH INFO ON THE SCREEN AS POSSIBLE COMING FROM THE TRANSDUCER. YES THE GENETRON HAS A DIGITAL DEPTH READING AS WELL AS SPEED AND TEMP STANDARD. TWO SEPARATE TRANSDUCERS ARE ALSO INCLUDED WITH THE GENETRON. WE DO NOT INTEGRATE THE TWO BEAMS INTO ONE TRANSDUCER BECAUSE IF YOU DO INTEGRATE YOU WILL LOSE BOTH IF YOU DAMAGE THE SINGLE TRANSDUCER. WE TRY TO MAKE THE GENETRON AS BULLET PROOF AS POSSIBLE BY USING TWO SEPARATE TRANSDUCERS,NARROW AND WIDE, SO THAT IF YOU DAMAGE ONE YOU ARE STILL IN BUSINESS. ALSO BOTH TRANSDUCERS HAVE SPEED AND TEMP IN THEM. DICK KNUTSON GENETRON

[GENETRON]

EYEWITNESS. EVERY YEAR WE EITHER HAVE A GENETRON SEMINAR FOR GENETRON OWNERS AT SPORTSMANS OR I MAKE MYSELF AVAILABLE TO GENETRON CUSTOMERS AT SPORTSMANS BECAUSE I SPEND MUCH OF JULY AND AUGUST THERE. JERRY IS WELL AWARE OF THE SEMINARS AND WE HAVE HAD AN EXCELLENT WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH SPORTSMANS LODGE FOR MANY MANY YEARS. DICK KNUTSON GENETRON

[eyewitness]

SOUNDS GOOD DICK. JUST WONDERING WHEN A GOOD TIME WOULD BE TO COME UP AND GET AN ON THE WATER DEMO. I'M ONLY 2 HRS. FROM BAUDETTE SO I CAN COME ON SHORT NOTICE. PLEASE EMAIL ME DETAILS. THANKS!