Ulterra Mega SI & transom Mega SI on same Helix 10 Mega SI unit?

I’ve been trying to find an answer to the above question, and it seems like there are alot of very knowledgeable members on here who can help. I just purchased an Ulterra Mega SI/DI TM, and a complete Helix 10 Mega SI/DI G3N head unit with transom mount transducer. My intention is to find a way to connect both transducers to the same head unit. My reasoning is that my Ulterra will not be in the water all the time, therefore I will not have the benefit of the sonar readings, etc. Thus, the transom transducer will be usefull. I was thinking that there should be a splitter or transducer switch that I could use, but I can’t find anything on the issue. Am I approaching this the wrong way? What are some suggestions? Another networking head unit would be expensive, but if thats the case… Can I network an lesser unit w/o Mega?

I’m unsure of the answer but, will you need the 5 port hub unit so your Helix could access the trolling motor and stern mounted transducers. This is providing that the Helix can switch between the ducers.

My setup is with the link system and 2 Solix with port hub and Ulterra, but I do not use the 2d ducer on my TM.

Humminbird only makes a TS3 switch. Its not compatible with DI/SI or even chirp. There is no switch for those sonar modes that I’m aware of.

Call Fish-lectronics and they can weigh in on your question.

JP

I think you have to have a head unit to read the sonar regardless of it’s a TM or puck. Here are a few examples which might help.
https://www.humminbird.com/sites/humminbird_site/files/2020-hb-installation-diagram-2.pdf?_ga=2.21993019.1478048854.1619446926-430404302.1619446925

They have a transducer switch, but it’s only for analog sonar and doesn’t work with SI, Chirp, etc.

I added an SI-capable unit at the bow on my boat to run the Ulterra’s SI transducer, and networked the system via the 5-port hub mentioned earlier so I can see SI returns from either the transducer up front or in back.

It sounds like you all are suggesting the 5 port ethernet hub with another head unit. I see how that will work, and share info from different transducers through networking. However, I was trying to stay with only one head unit, Helix 10 Mega SI, and choose between the two transducers.

Call humminbird directly and ask them if it can be done with one head unit. I don’t think it can.

IMO, transducer on the bow mount is not very practical.
Take your two ducers, and mount them both on the transom. One port, one starboard. Then you run a Y cable meant to joint two SI into one unit. This way, you’ll get the clearest image as the SI won’t be trying to look past the dirty part of the boat (the motor).

I don’t know why you want one on your TM, but i’d advise against it personally and opt for two on the transom.

I received a response from Humminbird:

“Thank you for contacting Humminbird Technical Support and we appreciate your support of our products.

Unfortunately no, the unit only has one transducer port and there is not a y-cable or transducer switch that support the application where you connect both a trolling motor transducer and a transom transducer to one unit at the same time.”

I think for the time being, I’ll just unplug one & plug in the other when not in use.
Thanks for all the replies

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

IMO, transducer on the bow mount is not very practical…I don’t know why you want one on your TM, but i’d advise against it personally and opt for two on the transom.

it might not be practical for the fishing you do, but i find it practical enough that i’ve spent extra thousands of dollars to get my boats rigged that way. the biggest limitation to the Ulterra was that you couldn’t easily add an SI transducer like you could on the Terrova – but now they solved it with the integrated version.

having SI on the trolling motor means a 20′ head-start on the images. that means capturing more suspended fish and baitfish high in the column that the boat scatters before the rear transducers have a chance to see them, and when trolling very tight to structure it increases boat control as i can turn in time to avoid bumping the rocks and place my lures more precisely.

I won’t discount those things you mention. As they are the benefits. But i’ve always weighed the negatives against those. If you are using your TM to show SI, then you are probably not steering the boat with the TM. If you are, they are contradicting each other in a few ways.

#1, with trolling motor not necessarily pointed in the direction of travel, planting a waypoint is highly inaccurate.
#2, Trying to maintain a good Si image and good boat control are now points of conflict. IMO, boat control catches more fish and if your sacrificing boat control for SI, that seems a net loss, to me.
#3, Few people are experienced at interpreting images that are skewed due to turning. Turning of the boat with SI on rear is a gradual turn. Turning SI on the trolling motor should retail nearly useless info during those instances.

If i run off transom, i have a clear image and accurate waypoints. This allows me to approach the structure or fish a second time with best boat control and accuracy. Fish under that scatter, aren’t on SI anyway. They’re on 2d. Fish scattered to the side, are still on SI.

To each their own.
OP seemed like he was new to the game, so i wanted to bring this up. This is something i’ve considered since 2009, so i have put a little thought into, and discredited the notion every time as i think it would bring about inefficiencies that are not present when running off transom.

Thanks for the info though Michael.

yes, you’re right that if/when you turn the trolling motor head the images stretch, but only while it’s actually turning. once you’re back online they’re immediately clear again, and gps waypoints are accurate. i mostly forward troll with my kicker motor, so that’s generally much less of a limitation. having the trolling motor down in the water already also helps when you get a snag or hook a fish and want to spot-lock.
i’ll offer that while pulling spinners with the bowmount on Lac Suel and Devil’s Lake we’ve spotted pods of walleyes with the SI, adjusted in time to intercept them, and caught them. with the SI in the rear and short-lining bottom bouncers we’d have had to mark them and come back around for a second pass.

i also like to use SI from the bowmount when casting, as even with the somewhat skewed images, it’s easy to identify large structure changes. i find this to be very useful for shouldering an inconsistent weedline – you can see when it’s coming towards you or moving away and adjust the boat to maintain your desired distance. nothing worse than sliding the boat up into the milfoil on a stained lake, and this helps prevent it.

in many ways all of this is what 360 was meant to “solve,” but i don’t want extra poles hanging over the side, so until they make an Ulterra with a lift motor that can handle a 360 attachment, this works pretty good.

While I don’t have a mega SI / DI trolling motor, and I don’t have a bow mounted head unit, I did run the transducer cable for my terrova back to the console where I have two head units (one primarily for sonar & one for mapping) and when I’m exploring a map that’s not well mapped / want to see the depth changes so I can adjust trolling motor direction sooner than the back transducer I’ll plug that cable into the mapping unit & run it split screen. Just a consideration.

Me personally would never be without SI on the bow, along with what Michael said fishing schools of Crappie on the move much easier to keep track of where they are going. Fishing a bunch of downed trees or cribs easy peezy mark them from the bow hit go to and done, no searching with DI or 2D in fact you would not even know they were there unless they were marked previously.