Too Chirp or Not Too Chirp

[West Basin]

I'm not an expert, but I can tell you a few things I've learned researching fishfinder sonar.

A duel frequency transducer is a step up from a single frequency transducer. They have three frequency settings as opposed to the older single frequency transducers. One sonar frequency per angle. Wide sonar angle (low frequency) is good for showing a lot of the water column and bottom but shows the least detail. Medium sonar angle (medium frequency) is in the middle, better details of both the water column and the bottom but with a narrower sonar angle. Narrow sonar angle (high frequency) is the best at showing detail of the water column and the bottom but has the narrowest sonar angle. A wide angle sonar shows a wider area around the boat, it shows more of what's around you. The narrower you get, the less of the surrounding water column you see.

Different sonar frequencies are good at showing different things. Chirp, or multiple frequency transducers, send out anywhere from 30-40 up to around 100 sonar frequencies for each sonar angle, so they will show more detail because they use various frequencies thus building a more detailed image. They are still wide, medium, and narrow sonar angles, but produce a much more detailed image within those angles.

Go with a chirp or multiple frequency transducer. The technology is quickly evolving, so make sure you get a model that will be compatible with the next generation or two of screen units. You'll see a lot more detail and have a lot more ability to focus in on whatever you want to see.

While both the transducer and screen unit technology is advancing, the biggest advances are coming in how the computer software in the screen unit interprets the sonar signals. The more advanced that software gets, the better "picture" it will be able to produce from the sonar frequencies.

Most of us have little idea how these units will change fishing in the near future, the detail they will tell us. They already have, but as the saying goes, "you ain't seen nothing yet."