The new sonar/fish finder is ready for action

January 21, 2015 - Wednesday

18 degrees/cloudy/calm

Pentoga Road

All assignments are graded. Check

The weekly test has been uploaded. Check

The wood stove is full. Check.

Minnows and grubs are packed and ready. Check

I think I'm ready to go fishing as soon as Sargie leaves for work. Today, I break in my new sonar/fish finder. 

Before I get too deep into anything, I ask for your prayers for our great niece, Caitlyn, who is very ill and on a respirator in Texas. Only two months old, the baby has a very serious virus and is staging a brave fight for her life. Please keep this little jewel in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers. Thank you.

Sargie was off Wednesday and it was a wonderfully lazy day. I finished canning the pike in the morning and can now go out in search of more meat for the table; get the larder stocked. 

The UPS man brought my sonar mid morning and I was like a little boy opening his big present on Christmas Day. I lay out each part and in my mind, designed the system that might convert it from a unit meant to be used on a boat to a more stationary one for fishing through the ice.

Sargie and I went to town for our usual day-off drive. I purchased what few electronic parts I needed for the conversion. Sipping Cokes, we made a tour of a local lake or two and were soon home.

One thing I forgot to purchase in town was a wing nut to fit the long bolt that goes through the transducer (PVC pipe.) What to do? I found a wall anchor that worked just fine. 

The rest of the day was spent working on the sonar. I wanted to utilize the box I made for the old sonar, yet I didn't want to remake it as I believe I've found another that will be used for ice fishing and at that time, I'll reconvert this new one for boat use.

Sargie LOVES for me to use our living room couch and coffee table as a work bench. Even Grandma was looking on in excitement.

It took some doing, a new wooden brace, an in-line fuse, an addition, a subtraction, multiply here and divide there, but in the end, I turned on the power and the sonar powered up in display mode. I'm ready to go fishing.

The PVC pipe used as a through-ice transducer came from a factory floor stand that I didn't use on the solar panels. The wood was salvaged from the remodel of the fish shack.

Then there're those all-important zip ties that hold the electronics onto the end of the pipe.

Sargie's back to work today. I'm heading out the door shortly.

The hole on the opposite side is for the transducer of the older unit; the one I hope to fix and get going again in another couple of weeks.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...