I've just started to use the LSS-2 transducer on a Lowrance HDS Gen2 touch and is really impressed by the sidescan performance. It can't match the performance of the Klein 3000 that I use at work but on depth shallower than 10 meters it performs very well with good coverage and you get excellent positioning of objects.

I have the transducer mounted on starbord side and if I trim up the engine a couple of deg I get good performance on both sides until I try to use long range on shallow water. The theoretical limit for a sidescan on a flat bottom is around 10 times the water depth on each side and I'm close to that on starbord side but on port I get limited.





I'm planning on adding a second LSS-2 transduced on port side and use a Y-cable that is normally used for the through hull transducers. That means that I will use left element on port transducer and right and down element on startboard transducer. Has anybody tried this?

I attach a picture showing the same path of a canal that I pass in both direction, I've flipped one of the images so it matches each other. The depth is around 3.5 meters. The cloud looking image is reed groving at the canal.

/hakan

Sorry, but I don't think that would work. There is no way to make the HDS understand wich side on each LSS it should use.

There are two cables to each element and the Y-cable simply reroutes the signal to/from the left element on starbord transducer to the left element on the port transducer so the Lowrance topside doesn't need to do anything, so this will work. I was just curious if I'm the only one having problem with the side scan performance on port side and has solved this by using two LSS-2.

They have this option for the thru hull transducers where they only use the left element on port transducer and down and righ element on the starbord transducer. They sell that kit as a pair with the Y-cable since they have saved some money by just having one element on the port transducer and 2 elements on starbord transducer. I've talked to Navico and the Y-cable has a part number so it should be possible to buy.

If you use the LSS-2 you will of course have two elements on port side that isn't connected to anything and one element on starbord side that isn't connected to anything either.

Check the link below where a guy has connected his Humminbird to a LSS-2 transducer!

forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=4371.0

/hakan

I'm aware of the through hull version and how it works. (I have even used it, although not on my boat.) What I'm not so sure about is what will happen with the DS/SS-timing since you will effectively have twice as many of all the elements then the through hull kit. But if you have discussed it with Navico, I guess they know their own kit. Worst case scenario you could use Richards schematics to disconnect the pins for the elements not in use.

Cool thread btw.

That how I use my Humminbird with 2 Y cables, one to separate 2D from side Imagin and one Y cable to separate both side of each transducer because of my hull make shadow if I don't 2 transdicers.

The Y-cable wasn't such a good idea....
It had nice coverage and no problem with the outboard blocking the view but the pictures wasn't sharp!!!

My theory is that due to impedance mismatch in the Y-cable connector the signal from the transducer got reflected and caused a second echo on the sonar screen very close to the real echo. This is a Lowrance original cable!




Forgot to describe the picture.
The left part is using the port transducer only, the middle part uses the Y-cable and two transducers, the right part is using the starboard transducer only.

/hakan

I can't confirm this, but someone just told me that LSS-1 will work with the splitt. Might be worth a try if you still want to run a dual setup.

Thanks for the info!
I will return the y-cable and probably build a tow fish using the second LSS-2 transducer so I can get nice side scan mosaic on bigger depths. An ethernet CAT6 cable seems to be the way to go, cut the cable and add 10-20 meters. Soldering and shrink tube with shielding will make a nice connection with small impact on the signal quality I hope. Another option would be to make a bow mount for the second transducer for the high quality work to get avay from all noise sources and get a clear view and then switch transducer by switching connector.

/hakan