Seatalk in hull transducer for I70

[Sfkjeld]

Just bought an I70 and bought the first transducer that appeared compatible. Mistake. I wound up with an analog transducer which evidently could work, but the Seatalk converter is crazy expensive. So this time, I want to be sure I am ordering the right transducer. I have a Seatalk starter kit. Which In Hull transducer should I order to connect to the Seatalk network? I am only interested in depth.

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Sfkjeld,

Raymarine offers no transducers which are designed to be interfaced to a SeaTalk bus. However, Raymarine does offer a limited selection of Smart thru-hull transducers (A22147, A22112, A22146, and A22111) which are designed to be interfaced as spurs to a SeaTalkng backbone. Such Smart transducers do not require an iTC-5 Analog Instrument Converter. At this time, Raymarine did not offer any Smart in-hull transducers. If seeking to install an in-hull instrument transducer (ex. E26001-pz P79 In-Hull Depth Transducer), then an iTC-5 will be required.

[Sfkjeld]

Wow, really? The only way I can make it work without drilling a [censored] in my hull is with a Seatalkng starter kit, an analog to Seatalk converter and..... a p79 transducer?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Sfkjeld,

Other alternatives include the following:
- installation of an i40 Depth instrument to which analog transducers may be directly mated to (ex. i40 Depth, i50 Depth, i50 Tridata) ... these instrument displays may also be networked via SeaTalk or SeaTalkng to an i70 MFID
- installation of an Airmar P79S NMEA 2000 Smart In-Hull transducer

[Sfkjeld]

Thanks. What is depth offset? Will the i70 display depth correctly? If so, where can I find a NMEA 2000 transducer?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Please see the updated response above providing a link to a compatible NMEA 2000 Smart Transducer. The latest i70 software update added support for Airmar's P79S NMEA 2000 Smart Transducer, thereby permitting use of depth related alarms and depth offsets when used with this transducer. By default depth instruments and fishfinding products report depth below the transducer. Should the operator desire to instead report the depth below the lowest point of the keel, running gear, etc., then a negative offset value (equal to the distance that the lowest point of the keel, running gear, etc. is located below the transducer) would then be configured within the instrument or fishfinding product. Alternatively, should the operator desire to have the depth instrument or fishfinding product report depth below the water's surface, then a positive offset value (equal to the distance that the transducer is installed below the waterline) would then be configured within the instrument or fishfinding product.

[Sfkjeld]

Thanks... Can you please direct me to the easiest way to get my i70 to show depth? As I understand it, I can use an analog P79 with a $250 converter. Or get the NMEA 2000 Smart Transducer, which is also about $250. The latter sounds better, but what else will I need?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Sfkjeld,

From a functional standpoint, both solutions will support the end which you are seeking. As prices vary between dealers of Raymarine and Airmar products, any prices quoted within this response are approximations. Should a SeaTalkng backbone already be installed onboard, then the iTC-5 ($265) w/E26001-PZ P79 ($130) will be interfaced to the SeaTalkng backbone via an appropriate length of SeaTalkng Backbone Cable ($25-$75). Similarly, should a SeaTalkng backbone already be installed onboard, then the P79S ($250) will be mated to SeaTalkng to DeviceNet (M or F Adapter depending upon the gender of the P79S's cable - $90) interfaced to a spur socket within the SeaTalkng backbone. The second option would appear to be the least expensive option.