depth alarm set button - Maxum Boat Owners Club

pascavone · 06-11-2012, 07:35 PM

ok,

some one tell me how to use the depth alarm button on the dash?

do you rock the switch up to set the alarm when you are in the low water?

or dose it just turn on an beep when your in the shallows?

there some kinda of letter that lights up when you click the button up, and down is off.....

seapuppy · 06-11-2012, 07:52 PM

you know...I'll have to go to my boat and pull the manual out....the danged thing is always a mystery too me since I rarely use it...I use the depth on my chart plotter...more accurate....

SP

mcoffey · 06-11-2012, 08:19 PM

Not sure if yours is the same as mine but on my 1996 2100SR I have 2 switches for the Depth Sounder. On is a simple Off/On switch that just turns it on and off. The other is an Off/Momentary On switch that enables the shallow water alarm and adjusts the depth at which the alarm sounds. Now mine stopped working altogether last year so I am going off memory on this

Push to On and then let go will enable/disable the Alarms itself. I think an A or something shows when the alarm is enabled.
Push to On and Hold will start adjusting the depth of the alarm. I think it goes from 3ft up to 15ft or something like that. Just let go of button once desired depth shows on screen.

The issue with mine was that each time you turned the depth sounder off with the on/off switch, the alarm would reset to Off and to the default depth (I forget what that was though).
Kind of a PITA if you ask me but better than nothing (which is what I have now since mine stopped working).

Hope this helps a bit.

shrew · 06-12-2012, 05:16 PM

Push and release the alarm button and you should see on the display the dpeth the alarm will sound. Keep pushing and releasing and you will cycle through the depths. Stop on the depth you want the alarm to sound. Now, whenever the depth guage is turned on, if the depth is less than that selected for the alarm, teh alarm will sound.

pascavone · 06-13-2012, 01:43 AM

ok,

i played with it

there is a SAL and a DAL:

then the number click up and down then the work OFF comes up.

Not sure D= depth i guess, but not sure if its from the keel to the bottom depth we are talking with a thru hull transduser. I would think 3.5 feet would be the min, since that the length of the bravo III.

not sure about the other.

mcoffey · 06-13-2012, 02:30 AM

SAL = Shallow Alarm
DAL = Deep Alarm

I think this is the model you have:
http://www.standardhorizon.com/downl...pplication/pdf

ss3964spd · 06-13-2012, 02:59 PM

It does measure from the spot where the transducer is to the bottom. Idealy you need to know how deep the hull and drive sit in the water when at rest (draft), when coming up on plane, and while on plane. When coming up on plane the stern squats so the drive goes deeper than while at rest. Once on plane the boat rises out of the water so the draft is less.

If you assume the spot where the transducer is located sits under the surface of the water by 1 foot while the boat is at rest, and that the depth from the surface to the bottom is 4 feet, then the gauge should read 3 feet. You'd also need to know how deep the drive hangs down from where the transducer is.

In more practical terms, if you could find a shallow-ish and clam spot to anchor you could simply get out of the boat and measure from the water line of the boat at the stern to the bottom of the drive skeg - that'll be it's normal draft, but do that with a full tank of fuel. Say that the draft is 3.5 feet. If the transducer is 1 foot below the water line, and the gauge is reading 3 feet, you'll know you're in 4 feet of water. Subtract the 3.5 from the 4 and you only have half of foot between the skeg and the bottom.

pascavone · 06-13-2012, 03:46 PM

ok,

i got productive and found the Horizon D40BD digital depth sounder owner's manual.....

for two buttons to push, its pretty complicated, odd you have to push the button down, and stand on one foot, and hop.....

I will check it and then see if it resets every time you turn the thing off...

shrew · 06-13-2012, 05:35 PM

As said, it is measured from the transducer. There are two "offsets" (for lack of a better term) to consider.

Actual Depth = Sounder Reading + Distance from transducer to water line

Draft = Sounder Reading - Distance from transducer to lowest point on running gear.

Actual Depth is helpful for things like determining scope when anchoring, or 'will it be over my head if i jump/drop something into the water'. Draft is helpful to determine if you're going to go aground.

Also stated, Draft will vary depending on whether you are at displacement, semi-displacement, or planing speeds. However, planing speed I find to be somewhat useless since the transducer is typically in the back. At 25 knots, even with the alarm it goes: BEEEP... BANG!!! in about 1.2 seconds.