[CA] [CA11] Problems with Obtaining Depth Info

[Lee P]

I have a Raymarine A65 Chartplotter & GPS and DSM25 Sounder Module. My system also uses a AIRMAR P58 Triducer as a sensor. The P58 Triducer is an "in hull unit" mounted in the bilge near the stern of the boat. There is no indication of the P58 protruding thru the hull of the boat.

All the systems seem to work properly except the depth indicator. About 66% to 75% of the time I see flashing dashes on the screen with no depth indication during operation. During the balance of the time, the unit shows a depth reading which appears to be correct. There is no pattern or timing reference as to when the unit will show a depth reading or not. It is completely random.

I checked the status LEDs on the DSM 25 and the lights show a green indication. According to my Owners Handbook, this indicates that the DSM 25 is operating correctly.

Based on the above, could the problem with not showing the depth be related to the P58 Triducer? If so, can the Triducer be cleaned? If so how? Does the DSM 25 need to be replaced? If so, is a replacement P58 or alternative compatible unit available? If so, where?

Any assistance in helping me resolve this issue will be greatly appreciated!

Lee P

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Lee,

The P58 transducer was not designed to be installed inside of a hull. Raymarine had offered the E66008 P79 transducer with E66066 Transducer Adapter Cable for such purposes. The P79's reservoir is also designed to compensate for deadrise of the boat's hull. The P58 was designed to be installed on the transom of the boat where it would be in direct contact with the water. That said, installations such as yours are not unheard of. The problem may be resulting from a failure of the transducer's bond with the hull, a failure of the transducer, or a failure of the DSM25's fishfinder circuitry. According, fault isolation should begin by verifying the the bond between the P58 and the hull has not been broken. The latter may occur if water gets between the transducer and the hull and freezes over the winter months ... this happened with my boat's factory installed depth sounder. Should no fault be found with the bond, then it would be recommended that the DSM25 be tested with another compatible transducer. Should the problem be fault isolated to the DSM25, then it would need to be replaced with a second hand DSM25, as Raymarine can no longer service DSM25s. Alternatively, the A65 and DSM would need to be replaced. Typically, an A65 would be replaced with an Axiom 7 DV MFD or Axiom 7 RV MFD. These MFDs may be adapted for use with the P58 transducer and/or may be simultaneously used with a DownVision or RealVision transducer.