Wattage of graphs?

[moreyes]

Just wondering about the wattage of graphs. I have a X-85 which is 3000 watts Pinpoint is 3600 watts and the Vexilar Edge I think is 1200 watts or something like that approx and the other Eagle/Lowrance units are 600 watts. You talk to Vexilar people and they claim the same target seperation as the others and any thing the others can do they can do with less power. I like the Pinpoint units which will be my next unit but the Vexilar is also interesting too.Any thoughts or comments from the real experts out their and that is the people that use them.

Thanks & "GOOD LUCK" moreyes

[mike]

3000 watts of power does more than target separation. it will also keep your sonar unit in contact with the bottm at higher rates of speed and will also be able to detect smaller objects in deeper water than the 1200 watts. one word of warning if you are going to buy pinpoint,I understand they are very good units but finding parts and accesories can be a nightmare in most areas. there are not a lot of dealers and if you need an acessory in a hurry you might be out of luck. with lowrance almost every city with a marina or tackle store carry lowrance, and sometimes thier accesories can even be found at walmart.

p.s. before buying any of them, check the new X-15's out up to 8000 watts of power and they have the ability to generate your own depth maps and mark your own fishing spots on the map.

[SeaCat]

Careful in comparing watts of power on depth sounders. You will commonly see two different figures quoted -- RMS and Peak to Peak -- sometimes without description of the measurement.

Generally, good fresh water sounders will have a minimum of 300 watts RMS power. Many of the higher quality units will be in the 400-600w range and many "salt water" units go higher than that.

The Peak to Peak figure is basically measuring the same power output in a different way. The key is to compare figures between units using the same measures.

To me the better way to compare is using the RMS figures as many of the high end units will not list P to P figures. In general, the P to P numbers will be much more exaggerated in comparisons as it is usually about 8 times the RMS value. Since it is a significantly higher value, you will find many low end units using P to P as it makes them look good. Also in most cases a higher power rating will be listed for a unit that runs a low frequency or dual frequency transducer (ie: 50 khz vs 200 kHz)

Other factors also consumer power -- like scanning sonar like the Interphase Advantage; side finder features - need power for the 2nd and 3rd beams; and dual frequency or dual transducers.

Some examples from web sites and Consumers Marine catalog:

Unit.................RMS.......................P to P
Lowrance X65...........75.......................600
Lowrance X85..........375......................3000
Zercom LPG2000........400......................Not listed
Lowrance LCX15........500 (200 kHz)............4000
.....................1000 (50 kHz).............8000
Furuno 600L...........350 (200/50 kHz dual)....Not listed
Raytheon L750.........500 (200/50 kHz dual)....Not listed
Interphase Advantage.1000 (200/50 dual)........Not listed
Garmin 240............400......................Not listed
Hummingbird Wide3D....600......................Not listed
Simrad CE50C..........dual 1000w...............Not listed

(Sorry about the "....." but it would not format in columns very well.

Ryan

[Jeremy]

The peak to peak is 8x the RMS value

[Cangl]

I can hear your graphs already, locusts arn't common until July, SSTICK,TIC TIC TIC PING.....

[Stormsearch]

Seacat, you make a very good point. If using a finder with dual frequency capability and transducer, the power is split between them. Even if you only view one frequency, the other is still being powered, it is just not being used for the display.