Airmar TM-275LHW ......

[BCI]

Gill travis on the hull truth usually does good deals or have a look on defender.com ...

Lat time I spoke with Gill he said he doesn't usually sell B175HW into Canada as there just isn't enough profit it in for him.

Sent him money a few years ago after he helped me decide which transducer... then he politely explained he was sending the money back as there is zero profit left by the time he ships, does the customs paperwork etc..

Good guy though.

 

[wildthing]

Lat time I spoke with Gill he said he doesn't usually sell B175HW into Canada as there just isn't enough profit it in for him.

Sent him money a few years ago after he helped me decide which transducer... then he politely explained he was sending the money back as there is zero profit left by the time he ships, does the customs paperwork etc..

Good guy though.

thats a bummer but its been a while since i been on the THT......
lots of good sounder info on that site .......
my SS175-HW i got here but two years ago now think it was close to $1800 but try HC .... PNT and PA for local prices for anyone looking this side of the boarder.....

 

[TelStar26]

Hey Guys,
Thanks for all the reply. 'Greatly appreciated.
As expected, everyone running a 1kw HW freq seem to be very happy with the results.
And as a couple people here have chimed in, the LH Freq might not be very useful, specially around here.

Either way, I think i'm going to take the plunge and get the TM 275LH-W. Here's my thoughts:

Pro list: (or so I tell myself, lol)
-It of course has the HW freq, which will be used 99% of the time. I assume.
-Its in stock on the island. I can have it later today.
-its the same dimensions as the TM185HW.
-having dual sonar plugs allows me to simply unplug the LH freq if I end up never using it, (keeping the HW plugged in) I could still go for a third Freq at any point and not have three transducers hanging off the boat.
-it will be fun playing around with the two freq for the first 10 minutes......lol

Cons:
Price.... I think that's it?

Ive already had it in my head this money is spent. And for the price i'm getting it for, and the fact I can have it right away, it'd not a few weeks out at best, Im comfortable with the purchase.

My only real reserve is not going with a Bronze thru hull. I hope i'm able to get the TM dialled in correctly, to get me good readings on the plain. This boat is trailerable, so spending some time with the TM location isn't a huge deal.
Lack of stock, and because this unit is for a new to me (second) boat, im not yet comfortable going with a thru hull.

Thanks again for the feedback boys!

 

[TomicTime]

sometimes a bit of a roostertail on the big transom mounts but i agree with your other points, a bird in the hand on tge island is worth a lot heading into the season….

 

[TelStar26]

sometimes a bit of a roostertail on the big transom mounts but i agree with your other points, a bird in the hand on tge island is worth a lot heading into the season….

Good point about the rooster tail. It had crossed my mind at one point, but forgot about mentioning it above.
I wonder if the a TM has an easier time reselling down the road. Not needed to be a specific hull angle...

 

[ab1752]

Just to close this off on my part, Hodges Marine filled my order and its now up to FedEx to get it here on time (haha). The one I ordered is the B175HW / 20 degree with the 8 pin Garmin cable. I think I will end up using the existing cable attached to the B150 instead of running the new cable, I believe both are the same and will find out soon enough.

I did not install the existing B150so I am guessing they used something awesome like 5200. So, my plan is to simply cut the existing one out as the hole for the B175 is 3.7" and the B150 is 2.9" at its largest. I hope that holds true as I won't even need to remove the nut on the exiting one either.

Hodges also seemed to have a good price at $1,058.26 plus $131.57 to Fedex (plus whatever they will collect at the border).

 

[CBsqrd]

Just to close this off on my part, Hodges Marine filled my order and its now up to FedEx to get it here on time (haha). The one I ordered is the B175HW / 20 degree with the 8 pin Garmin cable. I think I will end up using the existing cable attached to the B150 instead of running the new cable, I believe both are the same and will find out soon enough.

I did not install the existing B150so I am guessing they used something awesome like 5200. So, my plan is to simply cut the existing one out as the hole for the B175 is 3.7" and the B150 is 2.9" at its largest. I hope that holds true as I won't even need to remove the nut on the exiting one either.

Hodges also seemed to have a good price at $1,058.26 plus $131.57 to Fedex (plus whatever they will collect at the border).

The 8 pin Garmin cable is hard-wired to the transducer, so I think you'll be running the new one unless you want to try splicing the new and old together! Just remember to tie a pull cord onto the end of the old one before you pull it out and it should go fairly smooth.

One tip, make sure the arrow on the top is pointing the right direction both before and AFTER the retaining nut is tightened down. I believe it is supposed to point to the keel. When I had my B175HW installed, I jumped on my boat (after they had launched it) and saw that the arrow was pointing 90-degrees from where it should have been - I have a feeling they lined it up, then everything rotated when they tightened the nut. The installer lifted and fixed on their dime so all good in the end.

 

[ab1752]

The 8 pin Garmin cable is hard-wired to the transducer, so I think you'll be running the new one unless you want to try splicing the new and old together! Just remember to tie a pull cord onto the end of the old one before you pull it out and it should go fairly smooth.

One tip, make sure the arrow on the top is pointing the right direction both before and AFTER the retaining nut is tightened down. I believe it is supposed to point to the keel. When I had my B175HW installed, I jumped on my boat (after they had launched it) and saw that the arrow was pointing 90-degrees from where it should have been - I have a feeling they lined it up, then everything rotated when they tightened the nut. The installer lifted and fixed on their dime so all good in the end.

Garmin does offer a "wire your own" but this likely isn't an option as you note above. I have been pouring over the instructions and lessons learned by others, so I will definitely have a helper to align it correctly.

Overall access in my boat isn't too painful, I just have to cut 3 or 4 holes in the side of the hull and I'm good

 

[Sir Reel]

Garmin does offer a "wire your own" but this likely isn't an option as you note above. I have been pouring over the instructions and lessons learned by others, so I will definitely have a helper to align it correctly.

Overall access in my boat isn't too painful, I just have to cut 3 or 4 holes in the side of the hull and I'm good

When do you plan to install? A friend made me a tool to hold the nut while you tighten. It’s in North Van but I am travelling until end of the month.

 

[ab1752]

When do you plan to install? A friend made me a tool to hold the nut while you tighten. It’s in North Van but I am travelling until end of the month.

ASAP...will PM you.

 

[ab1752]

I installed the b175hw tonight and it was definitely easier with 2 people. I simply used a 3.75" hole saw and chopped the existing b150 out but had to use a bit extender as of course my boat was in exactly the wrong spot on the trailer.

Anyway I also had to grind the hole a bit bigger as it seemed the body of the transducer wasa bit irregular. I used 4200 as that seems to be what most are using and I added a whack more to the first rubber gasket, and added the spacer and second gasket before tightening the gigantic nut down. So little space so I hand tightened it down and then gave it a tap. I think it is sealed and we will find out on Friday, and yes it's definitely pointing at the keel. 3 threads are showing on the collar and I will install the set screws tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to trying it out, thanks for the tips. Cheers

 

[wildthing]

I installed the b175hw tonight and it was definitely easier with 2 people. I simply used a 3.75" hole saw and chopped the existing b150 out but had to use a bit extender as of course my boat was in exactly the wrong spot on the trailer.

Anyway I also had to grind the hole a bit bigger as it seemed the body of the transducer wasa bit irregular. I used 4200 as that seems to be what most are using and I added a whack more to the first rubber gasket, and added the spacer and second gasket before tightening the gigantic nut down. So little space so I hand tightened it down and then gave it a tap. I think it is sealed and we will find out on Friday, and yes it's definitely pointing at the keel. 3 threads are showing on the collar and I will install the set screws tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to trying it out, thanks for the tips. Cheers

and i got 3 of them bad boys in the hull ss-175 high high wide and a low .....

 

[ab1752]

By the way I painted the transducer with foulfree so we will see how that stuff holds up. Half of which is on my face and I think I look younger already...take that botox.