Portable Fish Finders?

[Will Wright]

Hey guys just wondering is there such thing as a portable fish finder? As in one you charge at home then take onto the water? I don't like the idea and hassle of a battery on my kayak. Thanks 

[kingie chaser]

I had a Hummingbird Piranamax 160 which I still use the portable housing that has the 12V battery in it but have replaced the hummingbird screen & transducer for a Lowrance

 

Not sure they do them here anymore??

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/193919452595?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/303753824512?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

[Will Wright]

4 minutes ago, kingie chaser said:

I had a Hummingbird Piranamax 160 which I still use the portable housing that has the 12V battery in it but have replaced the hummingbird screen & transducer for a Lowrance

 

Not sure they do them here anymore??

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/193919452595?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/303753824512?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

Is there anywhere you can buy the housing with the battery on its own?

[noelm]

A small battery to run a sounder will weigh next to nothing, and the right type won't spill if tipped over.

[SquibblyDibbly]

I found this one online, takes batteries, can attach to kayak, not a clue if it is any good 😂

https://www.a shop.com.au/Portable-Fishing-Handheld-Fishfinder-Transducer/dp/B07DLR7F9V/ref=asc_df_B07DLR7F9V/?tag=googleshopmob-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=341792260016&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7070221977397161454&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9071931&hvtargid=pla-874672189573&psc=1

[kingie chaser]

37 minutes ago, Will Wright said:

Is there anywhere you can buy the housing with the battery on its own?

The battery is just a 12V 7ah battery you can get anywhere like battery world or Jaycar, no idea about the housing, I double they sell them on their own?.

Hummingbird still have the Piranhamax on their Aus website so maybe send them an inquiry

 

https://humminbird.com.au/piranhamax-series/

Edited March 8, 2021 by kingie chaser

[kingie chaser]

Pretty sure Garmin do a stiker verson of a similar thing to the HB as well except with just using 2xAA's

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Garmin-Striker-4-Portable-Bundle-3-5-CHIRP-Fishfinder-with-GPS-Portable-Kit-/172866750125

 

Again, not sure how available they are here but just look them up.

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by kingie chaser

[Will Wright]

1 hour ago, kingie chaser said:

The battery is just a 12V 7ah battery you can get anywhere like battery world or Jaycar, no idea about the housing, I double they sell them on their own?.

Hummingbird still have the Piranhamax on their Aus website so maybe send them an inquiry

 

https://humminbird.com.au/piranhamax-series/

Would this battery do? And how long would it last with a electric and the sounder hooked up on it?

https://www.jaycar.com.au/12v-7-2ah-sla-battery-nbn-back-up-battery/p/SB2486

[kingie chaser]

1 minute ago, Will Wright said:

Would this battery do? And how long would it last with a electric and the sounder hooked up on it?

https://www.jaycar.com.au/12v-7-2ah-sla-battery-nbn-back-up-battery/p/SB2486

Electric ????

 

Thats the exact one I have, run time depends on the size/draw, you need to look at the draw of all the items being powered to work out how long you can get out of it but I would say I would get 3 or 4 four hour sessions out of mine.

 

I still charge it after a couple of trips anyway, lead acid batteries dont like to be drawn down more than 50% otherwise they reduce their lifespan.

 

If you look at that Garmin it runs on 2AA's, wont last that long, you would need to charge them every session.

 

I have a Garmin handheld GPS that uses the same rechargable batteries, if they run low I just pop in some normal AA's into it.

[Will Wright]

11 minutes ago, kingie chaser said:

Electric ????

 

Thats the exact one I have, run time depends on the size/draw, you need to look at the draw of all the items being powered to work out how long you can get out of it but I would say I would get 3 or 4 four hour sessions out of mine.

 

I still charge it after a couple of trips anyway, lead acid batteries dont like to be drawn down more than 50% otherwise they reduce their lifespan.

 

If you look at that Garmin it runs on 2AA's, wont last that long, you would need to charge them every session.

 

I have a Garmin handheld GPS that uses the same rechargable batteries, if they run low I just pop in some normal AA's into it.

Ok thanks, would I be able to run an electric motor and a fish finder on that battery?

[kingie chaser]

23 minutes ago, Will Wright said:

Ok thanks, would I be able to run an electric motor and a fish finder on that battery?

I have pretty much of answered your question as best I can from this side of the computer screen, find out hour many amps or watts all the items draw & use a calculator like one of these to determine.

 

https://www.caravansplus.com.au/guides/calculating-how-big-your-battery-needs-to-be-a-44.html

 

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/tools/calculator-sizing-a-battery-to-a-load.html

 

http://www.referencedesigner.com/cal/cal_54.php

 

 

 

 

[Volitan]

I had the same need so bought a Garmin 301c and a sla battery and mounted them in a hard case I bought from Bunnings. It works well and is quite compact, although if you don’t have the transducer mounted then they are never very convenient. I have the same 7 ah battery as mentioned, plus a 5ah one which is about half the size and usually enough for a session. 

I also have one of the Lucky units which Squidly-Dibbly showed. I bought it very cheaply just as a quick and easy way to get depth measurements and haven’t really used it for finding fish. It’s quite a robust unit and accurate for depth and bottom type but I doubt it’s usefulness for finding fish. I think they are popular with ice fisherman who have a static view of the bottom so when a fish swims past its quite unequivocal.

[Will Wright]

3 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

I have pretty much of answered your question as best I can from this side of the computer screen, find out hour many amps or watts all the items draw & use a calculator like one of these to determine.

 

https://www.caravansplus.com.au/guides/calculating-how-big-your-battery-needs-to-be-a-44.html

 

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/tools/calculator-sizing-a-battery-to-a-load.html

 

http://www.referencedesigner.com/cal/cal_54.php

 

 

 

 

Cheers mate 

[savit]

My setup is portable - DIY, may be considered a bit ugly, however cheap, light and does a job for a kayak. 

- Lowrance 4 or 4.5"? with sonar/downvision/Navionics

- 5L? waterproof bag from Kmart (holds finder + battery on the bottom and protects from most splashes and any water inside kayak) 

- battery box -small  Sistema from Wollies,

- batteries - rechargable AAs from Aldi, aprx a dozen from memory.

- wiring/ AA batteries  case- from Jaycar

- removable transducer arm - cut and bent aluminium 'stick' from Bunnings.

Lasts 3 of 2-3hrs sessions (enough for me), all batteries have to be removed at home and charged, then packed back.  Total weight of battery setup - 300-350gram.

Almost forgot - removable  fishfinder  hood (protects from direct sunlight and also splashes)  - half-cut 1L Weiss ice cream box. I think they do not sell it here anymore since the company sale,  all goes for export.

[kingie chaser]

6 hours ago, savit said:

My setup is portable - DIY, may be considered a bit ugly, however cheap, light and does a job for a kayak. 

- Lowrance 4 or 4.5"? with sonar/downvision/Navionics

- 5L? waterproof bag from Kmart (holds finder + battery on the bottom and protects from most splashes and any water inside kayak) 

- battery box -small  Sistema from Wollies,

- batteries - rechargable AAs from Aldi, aprx a dozen from memory.

- wiring/ AA batteries  case- from Jaycar

- removable transducer arm - cut and bent aluminium 'stick' from Bunnings.

Lasts 3 of 2-3hrs sessions (enough for me), all batteries have to be removed at home and charged, then packed back.  Total weight of battery setup - 300-350gram.

Almost forgot - removable  fishfinder  hood (protects from direct sunlight and also splashes)  - half-cut 1L Weiss ice cream box. I think they do not sell it here anymore since the company sale,  all goes for export.

 

I like people who can think outside the square & come up with DIY solutions 

 

I'd like to see a picture if you have one?

 

During Covid lockdown & when I was out of work for a prolonged time I installed my own dual battery system in my 4x4, some of it was with things I bought like power control box & 1500w invertor but had to learn how about 12v power systems, wiring & put it all together.

 

Pretty rewarding & probably saved me about $1500/2000. 

Edited March 8, 2021 by kingie chaser

[kiwibrown]

15 hours ago, SquibblyDibbly said:

I found this one online, takes batteries, can attach to kayak, not a clue if it is any good 😂

https://www.a shop.com.au/Portable-Fishing-Handheld-Fishfinder-Transducer/dp/B07DLR7F9V/ref=asc_df_B07DLR7F9V/?tag=googleshopmob-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=341792260016&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7070221977397161454&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9071931&hvtargid=pla-874672189573&psc=1

i've got one of these as it seemed like a really easy/lazy option for someone with little diy capability. Didnt want the hassle of installation on my kayak which is just one of the generic online jobs.

I cant compare it to other sounders but by all accounts its pretty accurate re depth and bottom make up. I'm not too sure about its accuracy in marking fish. I mainly use it as a depth reader but somehow now feel a bit naked without it. Its as easy to use as youd think. Drop the reader thingy over the side about 15cm underwater and turn it on.

[savit]

3 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

 

I like people who can think outside the square & come up with DIY solutions 

 

I'd like to see a picture if you have one?

 

During Covid lockdown & when I was out of work for a prolonged time I installed my own dual battery system in my 4x4, some of it was with things I bought like power control box & 1500w invertor but had to learn how about 12v power systems, wiring & put it all together.

 

Pretty rewarding & probably saved me about $1500/2000. 

Photo attached. Could not find the one on a 'boat' as old photos were back uped somewhere during old phone replacement.

A few other things.

-  another/bigger waterproof bag - to keep a small bag (with finder/battery) and a transducer with its cabling together  and as extra layer of protection - when transporting or going through surf with some chance of U-boating.

- blue promotional bottle cooler with zipper protects transducer when moving places

- blue foam ring  helps keep trans leg in a fixed position related to kayak.

- carabiners -  to keep the bag with goods connected to a kayak.

- 1.5l water bottle is just for a size comparison.

A bit of sweaty challenge in this DIY project was a making a hole in a softer Alu stick (to connect a transducer) with a screwdriver  LOL (due to limited tools in availability), the rest was a piece of chalk 😀.

Edited March 8, 2021 by savit

[Dobson]

Hi 

I own a "Lucky" brand hand held fish finder/sounder that I bought on line from "Wish" in China.

I have used it for about 3 years , it's USB rechargeable , does everything the cheaper fixed units can do and has been really reliable /has a floating transducer that I have tethered to an old hand caster

It's waterproof but make sure you get the better ones as I can't speak for the sub $100 units 

[anthman]

as some may have said above, consider the following setup - little bit of effort upfront, but then very easy to setup when you go out:

1. Small sounder - Striker series, for example

2. Install sounder in a "through-hull" configuration. Basically inside your kayak you make a little mould for your transducer, with space all around and above, and silicone it - make sure there are no bubbles :

3. Make a little box for a lifepo4 battery - very very light and will last all day. Make box from a spare tupperware container, modded to pass through cables and sealed with silicone

4. drill hole to allow signal cable through to the top where you would mount/dismount your sounder (i use a spare rod holder slot - modded a PVC tube to hold the sounder).

[Volitan]

Hey Anthman,  I hadn’t heard of Lifepo4 till you mentioned it. Looks interesting but can’t get the details I want with Google. Can you show us your battery - and give us details like price, weight, size and ruggedness.

 

cheers

Volitan

[anthman]

On 4/17/2021 at 7:28 PM, Volitan said:

Hey Anthman,  I hadn’t heard of Lifepo4 till you mentioned it. Looks interesting but can’t get the details I want with Google. Can you show us your battery - and give us details like price, weight, size and ruggedness.

 

cheers

Volitan

Hey Volitan, I got it wrong, it's lipo not lifepo4 (though you can buy lifepo4 aswell, it's not what I have). Here is the link to the exact battery I use: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-battery-5000mah-3s-25c-lipo-pack-xt-90.html?___store=en_us

Depending on your budget, Id prob go a 5ah lifepo4 for better ruggedness and chemical stability (lower risk of blowing up supposedly!)

Edited April 18, 2021 by anthman