Versa Electronics
www.marcumtech.com
Tips For Using Your Showdown 5.6
Setting up the transducer for ice-fishing:
When used in conjunction with the
retractable pivoting transducer arm and rubber stopper, the Showdown’s
transducer will automatically level itself in your ice hole. To begin operation,
simply insert transducer cable into rubber stopper at desired depth. Extend
transducer arm; insert cable into open end of transducer arm, and allow the
rubber stopper to rest in the open end of the transducer arm. We
recommend setting your stopper to have the transducer down the least
amount possible. The Showdown Dual Beam puts out enough power that in
most cases it is not necessary to have your transducer down more than a
few inches below the water line to get a good reading. When the ice
thickness is over two feet, it may be necessary to have your transducer set
farther down. Remember-- the less transducer cable you have out, the
easier it is to pull it out of the water when bringing in a fish, or to move to a
new location. Under no circumstances should you ever have the ducer below
the ice as this can lead to the ducer becoming damaged.
It is also important that you keep the cable near the center of the ice hole.
We
frequently hear from anglers who allowed their cable to freeze into the
side of the ice hole. If this should happen to you, make sure the unit is turned
off before attempting to chisel it out. If you accidentally cut the ducer cable,
do not try to use that ducer again.
Reading the ShowDown 5.6 sonar signals:
The ShowDown 5.6 displays the water column in its natural state (vertically),
rather than in a circular configuration as with traditional dial flashers. On the
ShowDown, top is the surface, and bottom is the lake bottom. Bottom
appears as a dark solid bar above decreasingly solid bars below. A thicker
“bottom band” indicates a harder bottom composition, such as rock, gravel
or sand. A thinner band indicates a softer bottom.
Generally, a solid band that appears on the screen between the surface and
bottom indicates some form of aquatic life (gamefish, baitfish, insects,
plankton, etc.), or your lure. A thicker or more solid band implies a stronger
signal, possibly from a larger fish. This is due to the nature of the
ShowDown’s sonar signals. Stronger or denser objects return a stronger
signal back to the transducer than smaller objects. However, even a smaller
fish or your jig may give a very strong signal depending on your settings, the
water depth, and the target’s position relative to the transducer.
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At the same time, even a large fish may not return a strong signal until it
swims directly beneath your transducer. This is because the transducer
emits a cone- shaped signal that increases in diameter as the signal travels
deeper. Therefore, not only will a fish appear to grow in size as it travels
beneath the transducer (the signal has become stronger), but it will also
appear to be swimming from deeper water to shallower water, even though
this may not be the case at all. A fish that’s swimming at 25 feet may not
display at 25-feet until it passes directly beneath the sonar transducer.
That’s simply because the sonar signal travels further to return an echo
from a fish that’s off to the side than it does for a fish that’s directly below.
