Garmin chartplotter /sounder intermittant problem

[Don]

I have a garmin 198c chartplotter/sounder in my Albin 32 sportfisher. Sometimes the sounder(depth ) works & sometimes it doesnot work. does anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem could be ? I am thinking about buying a Airmar P79 inhull transducer Do the inhull transducers work satisfactorily ?? What is the thickness of the hull on a 1989 albin 32 sportfisher ? Any help will be greatly appreciated

[Jack]

Mine is a Garmin 546s and it requires mineral oil in the receptacle in the bilge that aims the ping directly downward. If the oil evaporates or leaks, it won't work.

[Russell]

Don You should be aware that the in-hull transducers will not work through the cored part of the hull. You might be able to find a solid section where you can place the transducer but if your present transducer is malfunctioning it may be simpler to replace it with something similar. I like the tilted element transducers and went with that option when I upgraded my electronics last spring.

[tego]

Don, Where is your transducer located on the hull? If it is anywhere that bubbles generated by your motion would pass over the face of the xducer, it will not work. Does it work all the time when you are going slow or are motionless? Maybe the problem is the location. The thru-hull transducers work well, but not if you fish deep (like 300 feet or so). They don't like hull thicknesses over about 5/8" either. That said, Mine works great in my 27FC. It's mounted on my keel bottom, inside, and is installed with a big blob of pure silicone (no liquid pot). I learned this from some commercial fishermen who got tired of keeping the mineral oil topped up. Mine is very accurate to about 250 feet, which I verified by leadline. I don't have any water deeper than that here in the river to verify deeper readings. Mine is the Airmar P79 also. Heed the advice about a cored hull, it will not work thru any type of foam or balsa core. Ben

[Don]

I'm sorry that I was unclear about my existing transducer . My transducer is a bronze thru hull(airmar b744v ), which is about ten years old. Thank you all for your comments.