09-17-2003, 11:08 AM
[cool]Hey, hustler898, batteries are like most things in life. Confusing if you have never messed with them...simple once you got the hang of the language.
First terminology to look for is SLA...Sealed Lead Acid. These are also known as gel cells. They do not have the filler caps to which you add the sulphuric acid, like in most car and motorcycle batteries. They are smaller and lighter for the same output than the older style. Also, they require no special care and you do not have to make sure they are positioned upright in your tube to avoid spilling acid.
Next term is Amps or Amp/hours. When you locate a source of SLA batteries, they will be rated at anywhere from about 2 to 36. That stands for how many amps of 12 volt current they store.
The next thing you need to find out is the wattage...or power consumption of your sonar unit. Most of the lower end units, like the Eagle Fish Easy and the Cudas, only suck about 1/2 amp per hour. So, if you are going to fish for six hours, with the unit running continuously, you will use 6 time 1/2...or 3 amps of the stored power. Some of the high end units you would mount on a boat have high wattage and high output...and suck even big marine batteries dry quickly. You need to hook them up to batteries that are recharged during running of the engine.
I have always bought batteries with a minimum of 6 amp/hours. The ones sold by Cabelas and others for portable sonars and float tube use are usually about 7.5 amps. That is plenty of power for a couple of normal trips. However, I advise charging after every trip, and topping off just before you go out...especially if it has been a couple of weeks since the last use, and definitely if a month or longer. Most batteries will lose about 1 % of their charge a day if left idle.
Just like running a computer, running your sonar continuously is better than turning it on and off to conserve battery power. Once you hvae one on your tube, you will find that you watch a lot of TV...not just to see the little fishy icons swimming across the screen, but to keep track of the depth, bottom structure, contour and water temps...if you have that feature on your unit.
As I have said many times before, the real value of sonar to tubers is not just fish finding. You will catch a lot of fish that never showed up in the cone beneath your tube...especially in the typically shallower waters we fish. But, you can't catch them where they ain't...neither.
My single biggest value in having a sonar is to determine at what depth the fish are holding near the bottom, and then casting in that area or vertical jigging them. The sonar lets me stay in the right areas and the right depths. Often, the fish will be very depth oriented, and fishing too shallow or too deep will put you out of the action. I can't begin to remember how many days the sonar...and staying in the right depth...has meant the difference between zipping and zapping.
Hope that helped. By the way, will you be wanting to rig up your sonar for ice fishing during hard water time?
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First terminology to look for is SLA...Sealed Lead Acid. These are also known as gel cells. They do not have the filler caps to which you add the sulphuric acid, like in most car and motorcycle batteries. They are smaller and lighter for the same output than the older style. Also, they require no special care and you do not have to make sure they are positioned upright in your tube to avoid spilling acid.
Next term is Amps or Amp/hours. When you locate a source of SLA batteries, they will be rated at anywhere from about 2 to 36. That stands for how many amps of 12 volt current they store.
The next thing you need to find out is the wattage...or power consumption of your sonar unit. Most of the lower end units, like the Eagle Fish Easy and the Cudas, only suck about 1/2 amp per hour. So, if you are going to fish for six hours, with the unit running continuously, you will use 6 time 1/2...or 3 amps of the stored power. Some of the high end units you would mount on a boat have high wattage and high output...and suck even big marine batteries dry quickly. You need to hook them up to batteries that are recharged during running of the engine.
I have always bought batteries with a minimum of 6 amp/hours. The ones sold by Cabelas and others for portable sonars and float tube use are usually about 7.5 amps. That is plenty of power for a couple of normal trips. However, I advise charging after every trip, and topping off just before you go out...especially if it has been a couple of weeks since the last use, and definitely if a month or longer. Most batteries will lose about 1 % of their charge a day if left idle.
Just like running a computer, running your sonar continuously is better than turning it on and off to conserve battery power. Once you hvae one on your tube, you will find that you watch a lot of TV...not just to see the little fishy icons swimming across the screen, but to keep track of the depth, bottom structure, contour and water temps...if you have that feature on your unit.
As I have said many times before, the real value of sonar to tubers is not just fish finding. You will catch a lot of fish that never showed up in the cone beneath your tube...especially in the typically shallower waters we fish. But, you can't catch them where they ain't...neither.
My single biggest value in having a sonar is to determine at what depth the fish are holding near the bottom, and then casting in that area or vertical jigging them. The sonar lets me stay in the right areas and the right depths. Often, the fish will be very depth oriented, and fishing too shallow or too deep will put you out of the action. I can't begin to remember how many days the sonar...and staying in the right depth...has meant the difference between zipping and zapping.
Hope that helped. By the way, will you be wanting to rig up your sonar for ice fishing during hard water time?
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