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Identifying Transducer Connections

Discussion in 'Chris Craft Connies, Commanders & Catalinas' started by Mike Guiswite, Oct 27, 2018.

  1. Mike Guiswite

    Mike Guiswite New Member

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    I recent purchased a 1974 Chris Craft 35 Catalina. The are no electronics but it has a Garmin GPS antenna and two transponders. They appear to be Airman thru hull. These are the two connectors. Can anyone identify these connectors? I would like to purchase used depth/fish finder, gps or chartplotter.

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    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 27, 2018
  2. ranger58sb

    ranger58sb Senior member

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    Perhaps you mean transducers? And Airmar? Details about the connection type and compatible gauges could be questions Airmar would be best able to answer...

    And/or perhaps you could discover more info about the missing units from the previous owner?

    In lieu of that... you might be able to guess that the missing GPS display or plotter might have been a Garmin product, and that could lead to the hypothesis that the depth finder or fishfinder was also a Garmin product... or even that both location and depth (or fish) were displayed on a single Garmin unit... but all that would be very tenuous at best.

    -Chris
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2018
  3. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Thread title corrected; transducer.
  4. Trak

    Trak Member

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    Follow the transducer cable down to the transducer. Look for a label on the cable or transducer. This may help you identify the transducer. Not sure about other brands but Garmin has an adaptor box that lets you cut the connector off you existing ducer, wire it in, and adapt to Garmin.
  5. Mike Guiswite

    Mike Guiswite New Member

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    Thank you Chris and Trak. I did mean transducers and Airmar. I entered that from my phone so I could upload the pictures and auto correct took over. I traced the cables and didn't find any labels. The previous owner said it never had any electronics and didn't even know the transducers were there. This is a picture of what the transducer looks like on one side, but the connector is different. The one on the port side looks like this without the small paddle wheel. b56.png
  6. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Without the speed wheel? Without the temp sender?
    Were guessing.
    What equipment are you wanting to install? Once that is decided, send that connect pic to Airmar and what you want to use. They can direct you to an adapter cable or tell you the pin-out to make the connection.
    Airmar makes most OEM ducers. They know what mfg used what connect.
  7. Mike Guiswite

    Mike Guiswite New Member

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    Thank you Capt Ralph. I will contact Airmar this week. There are two transducers on my boat. The one on the starboard side of the hull looks like the picture with a 5 pin connector. The one on the port side is the same shape and size but it doesn't have the paddle wheel which I assume is the speed sensor. It has a 2 pin connector. I would like to add a depth/ fish finder. I also have a Garmin GPS antenna. I would like to add a GPS/chartplotter.
  8. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Any history of what equipment was onboard before? Residual manuals?
  9. Mike Guiswite

    Mike Guiswite New Member

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    Chris Craft Catalina

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    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 29, 2018
  10. Mike Guiswite

    Mike Guiswite New Member

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    This is the two pin connector from the transducer on the port side of the hull. The appears to be mounting hole for two different head units, but not brackets or other markings. No manuals.

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  11. ranger58sb

    ranger58sb Senior member

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    So the previous owner never looked at the hull when it was out of the water?

    Anyway, sometimes it's easier and better all around to just start fresh. Bag the old stuff altogether. Pick what you want, new, make sure it all integrates the way you want it to, etc. Should actually work, might inspire more confidence, periodic updates (charts and software) could be available, and so forth.

    -Chris
  12. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Chris is correct.
    Let me lean on it some more.
    The previous owner did not know it was there.
    No telling how long ago it was used and the ods of it working now is a gamble.

    Transducer and display technology have changed so much lately, you may have to change out the old stuff any way.

    Rip it all out, install all new and boat safe with confidence in fresh equipment.
  13. Mike Guiswite

    Mike Guiswite New Member

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    Thank you all. That's what I was thinking, but I just wasn't sure on the quality or age of the transducers. I didn't want to tear out the brass ones and have someone tell me I was nuts for getting rid of a high quality brass ducer.
    One question, do most of the through hull ducers use the same size hole?
  14. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    do most of the through hull ducers use the same size hole?
    It's one of 3 usual sizes.
    Unless you see a tag or stamp, You don't know the frequency of the ducer also. 50/200Htz are common. My old Sitex used 107 and 207Htz.
    Other Mfgs tried their own custom ideas from time to time as they are doing now again.
    And you don't know if your abandoned units are any good.
  15. ranger58sb

    ranger58sb Senior member

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    Don't think you can count on that, and... the plug isn't (necessarily) the transducer. Our plugs only sense the temp and speed (STW) info, not the depth reading. (I'm not exactly sure how depth info gets from the surrounding part to the plug to the cable en route gauges. Magic, maybe.) I don't think either of our plugs will interchange, but haven't tried it.

    -Chris