Ray marine axion 3D

[thork9]

Does anybody have this unit? If so how is the 3D showing fish to each side of the boat. Would this be good for Ontario fishing or is this more for bass, any thoughts?

[ErieBuck]

Does anybody have this unit? If so how is the 3D showing fish to each side of the boat. Would this be good for Ontario fishing or is this more for bass, any thoughts?

I have the Axiom 9 with RV-100 transducer. I got all excited for the fancy 3D stuff after seeing the videos but to be honest I haven’t used it much. The pictures on the traditional sonar screen are “high definition” with the high frequency CHIRP and tell me everything I need to know. Maybe someday I’ll mess around with the 3D when I get bored but wanted to learn traditional sonar first.

I found that my RV-100 did not work in deep water (over 300 ft) during my first trip to Lake Ontario a few weeks ago, even the traditional sonar. They say it’s rated to 900 feet but I’ve read a lot people having problems in the deep. I remounted my transducer (moved it down so that half of it was in the water). I’m hoping that’s the ticket but won’t be able to find out until my next trip. In Lake Erie I mainly fish below 100ft and it produces a beautiful screen.


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[Rookie Fisherman]

2 hours ago, ErieBuck said:

I found that my RV-100 did not work in deep water (over 300 ft) during my first trip to Lake Ontario a few weeks ago, even the traditional sonar. 

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Are you not picking up bottom or not marking deep fish?

I have the same Transducer. Only use 2D for trolling deep, no problem picking up bottom offshore or marking deep fish.

Has to be angle of the transducer or placement.

I do loose bottom when running at speed in deeper water but once I slow down it comes back in.

[Sk8man]

If the frequency is adjustable set it to the lower frequency range for out deep

Edited August 25, 2020 by Sk8man

[ErieBuck]

1 hour ago, Rookie Fisherman said:

 

Are you not picking up bottom or not marking deep fish?

I have the same Transducer. Only use 2D for trolling deep, no problem picking up bottom offshore or marking deep fish.

Has to be angle of the transducer or placement.

I do loose bottom when running at speed in deeper water but once I slow down it comes back in.

Good to know Rookie, appreciate it.  It would be able to mark bottom but just wasn't marking anything.  I've had screens of blank sorrow in my day, don't get me wrong, I know a fishfinder doesn't mark fish when there isn't fish, but it was just blank all day, no bait, nothing, and yet we caught a dozen fish.  I'm thinking it was a placement problem.  After my remount, it definitely seems to be working even better in Lake Erie as I'm able to mark fish at higher speeds, 20 MPH plus. Fingers crossed for Lake O.  

[ErieBuck]

1 hour ago, Sk8man said:

If the frequency is adjustable set it to the lower frequency range for out deep

thanks Sk8man... yes, after this incident I've learned a lot about sonar trying to figure out what happened.  With High CHIRP you don't get to adjust freq.  Out on the lake I played around for hours trying to adjust the range, gain, etc. to no avail.  It is pretty much set up to run in auto mode and I just ended up making things worse and ruining my fun by messing with it.  So, I went ahead and replaced a non-working Airmar Thru-Hull transducer on my boat with a working one, so next time I'll at least have a backup plan.  I've hooked it up to the Axiom MFD with a Y- adapter cable.  With the Airmar, I'll be able to manually select 50 kHz for the deep.  

[Rookie Fisherman]

20 minutes ago, ErieBuck said:

Good to know Rookie, appreciate it.  It would be able to mark bottom but just wasn't marking anything.  I've had screens of blank sorrow in my day, don't get me wrong, I know a fishfinder doesn't mark fish when there isn't fish, but it was just blank all day, no bait, nothing, and yet we caught a dozen fish.  I'm thinking it was a placement problem.  After my remount, it definitely seems to be working even better in Lake Erie as I'm able to mark fish at higher speeds, 20 MPH plus. Fingers crossed for Lake O.  

 

[Rookie Fisherman]

When fishing deeper zoom in on the depth range you are targeting and crank up the gain. 

Use the A scope to see fish out of the target range or use split screen with different ranges on each.

[ErieBuck]

In playing with the range and gain settings I was able to occasionally mark some stuff but I couldn't get it to hold and there was so much noise it was tough to make anything out.  Never had to adjust anything before on it, so I've learned a lot from the experience... that's fishing!  What is A scope?  

[Rookie Fisherman]

A-scope is in your sonar setting. Turn it on. When zoomed in on a depth range it will give a band on the side of the screen that will still show surface to bottom, anything picked up by the sonar will show in this band. 

Ill take some screen shots next time out deep if I remember.

Below is a shot in 100 fow. As you can see the depth range is zoomed in the bottom 60 fow (40' down to 100') But the band on the right of the screen is whole water column. The A-scope is partially cut off in this photo. But if you see something in your A-scope that is out of your target range on the main screen you can slide the A-scope up or down to display it on main part of the screen.

 

Also the deeper I am the faster I increase the scroll speed.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Rookie Fisherman

[ErieBuck]

got it, appreciate it.  So you primarily use "zoom" on the water column when targeting a certain depth?  How does zoom compare with range?  

[Rookie Fisherman]

Yes use zoom primarily. Range is adjustable when in the RV sonar mode for width distance.

[Sk8man]

9 hours ago, ErieBuck said:

thanks Sk8man... yes, after this incident I've learned a lot about sonar trying to figure out what happened.  With High CHIRP you don't get to adjust freq.  Out on the lake I played around for hours trying to adjust the range, gain, etc. to no avail.  It is pretty much set up to run in auto mode and I just ended up making things worse and ruining my fun by messing with it.  So, I went ahead and replaced a non-working Airmar Thru-Hull transducer on my boat with a working one, so next time I'll at least have a backup plan.  I've hooked it up to the Axiom MFD with a Y- adapter cable.  With the Airmar, I'll be able to manually select 50 kHz for the deep.  

Good thinking and good luck with it.

[thork9]

Thank you I think I’ll stay with Lowrance 

[ErieBuck]

Thank you I think I’ll stay with Lowrance 

I’m making my second trip to Lake O next week. Anxious to see how It does now that I fixed the position of the transducer - so far in Lake Erie it’s been awesome, clear signals at 25 mph! The high freq CHIRP is insane on the axiom. High def. So I’m guessing it will be a whole new ballgame in the deep water as well and I bet the 3D stuff will be much more effective so I’ll have to learn it.


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[Rookie Fisherman]

 

Fished last night from 290-350. Fish were deep. 100-220 down.

Took this shot you can see DR ball on Starboard side at 140 down and no problems marking fish.

SOG shows 1.5 but was running 2.2- 2.5 at the ball for reference. Port side rigger out of the cone at that speed/depth but at normal fishing depth it gets both balls as shown in the bottom picture. If you look at the bottom picture on the top rigger line you can see the ball and my Fish hawk probe making separated returns. When I fish cheated spoons they can also be made out as a separate return.

Having the transducer adjusted right is the key. The RV 100 marks fish and bait at speed better than any other transom mount transducer I have had. So many times while heading to a spot and I stopped or turned because of what I was seeing on the graph while running.

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Rookie Fisherman

[ErieBuck]

27 minutes ago, Rookie Fisherman said:

 

Fished last night from 290-350. Fish were deep. 100-220 down.

Took this shot you can see DR ball on Starboard side at 140 down and no problems marking fish.

SOG shows 1.5 but was ruining 2.2- 2.5 at the ball for reference. Port side rigger out of the cone at that speed/depth but at normal fishing depth it gets both balls as shown in the bottom picture. If you look at the bottom picture on the top rigger line you can see the ball and my Fish hawk probe making separated returns. When I fish cheated spoons they can also be made out as a separate return.

Having the transducer adjusted right is the key. The RV 100 marks fish and bait at speed better than any other transom mount transducer I have had. So many times while heading to a spot and I stoped or turned because of what I was seeing on the graph while running.

 

 

 

That's awesome, thanks so much for taking the time to share Rookie.  You certainly have that baby dialed in to be able to see the probe separately and cheater spoons wow!  I'm pumped to give it another go next week.  So you are just zooming on the water column and letting it run on auto -- no manual adjustments?  

[Rookie Fisherman]

2 minutes ago, ErieBuck said:

That's awesome, thanks so much for taking the time to share Rookie.  You certainly have that baby dialed in to be able to see the probe separately and cheater spoons wow!  I'm pumped to give it another go next week.  So you are just zooming on the water column and letting it run on auto -- no manual adjustments?  

Shallower water I'll leave on auto. Deep water, deep targets I adjust on the fly. I have a screen at the stern of the boat as well as my FH & troll controller so I don't need to go to the wheel for anything. 

[ErieBuck]

Shallower water I'll leave on auto. Deep water, deep targets I adjust on the fly. I have a screen at the stern of the boat as well as my FH & troll controller so I don't need to go to the wheel for anything. 

What are you finding is the “cutoff” for shallow/deep? 250 ish?


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[Dan M]

How do you guys like the Axiom? I'm going to be buying new electronics this winter and I was set on the Axiom, but read a bunch of bad reviews and people saying that the lack of buttons was hard to operate in rougher water - so I was going to go with the Element instead.

You happy with the Axiom? I see they have an Axiom+ out now (not the pro - that one is crazy expensive)

[Rookie Fisherman]

19 minutes ago, Dan M said:

 people saying that the lack of buttons was hard to operate in rougher water -

 

This is a valid point for sure. When running at speed, especially if its choppy it can be a little tough to operate the touch screen.

Although for us trollers we spend 95% trolling and 5% running. So for me it's not a big issue.

To answer the question yes I am happy with them.

[Dan M]

1 minute ago, Rookie Fisherman said:

 

This is a valid point for sure. When running at speed, especially if its choppy it can be a little tough to operate the touch screen.

Although for us trollers we spend 95% trolling and 5% running. So for me it's not a big issue.

To answer the question yes I am happy with them.

You feel like the axiom is worth the 3-$400 difference? I love tech, and I like the sleek screen, but not sure if I can justify the extra cost.

[Rookie Fisherman]

2 minutes ago, Dan M said:

You feel like the axiom is worth the 3-$400 difference? I love tech, and I like the sleek screen, but not sure if I can justify the extra cost.

When I rigged by boat 3 years ago the Element was not out yet so I didn't/couldn't consider it.

Yes love the sleek look! As far as cost you need to decide how much of the tech you will actually use.

Maybe with the lower cost on the Element you could consider a bigger screen (unless already looking at a 12") or possibly a second screen.

 

[ErieBuck]

The Axiom is awesome -- using mine with Navionics Platinum Plus card and the Raymarine Evolution 150 Autopilot.  That combo has caught me hundreds maybe thousands of fish in my first two years as a boat owner.   Don't underestimate the chart card -- it's critical to put your boat in areas more likely to have fish rather than just randomly trolling around.  It's the only system I've ever owned, so it's hard for me to compare, but people who come on my boat are blown away.   Like Rookie, I probably would have considered the Element, which is geared more exclusively to fishing I think, but it wasn't quite released yet.    Some of the multi-functionality of the Axiom I probably will never use (like radar, video cameras, flying a drone!!, etc.).  Can the Element integrate with Autopilot?  That's really nice to be able to touch your chart and have your boat drive itself there.  Also the Axiom is able to integrate with my engine data which is nice to have all my data in one spot.  

 

I would compare the capabilities of the built in sounder module of Axiom to Element -- what is the power capability and transducer compatibility?  I have the RV-100 transom mount and the high frequency CHIRP is incredible -- high definition.  You can spot lake trout /Kings laying in the mud in 120 ft of water, you can clearly spot game fish amongst bait clouds etc.  This setup can have some limitations in deeper water; some report ~300 ft as about where it starts to taper off as the RV-100 is only 250 watts I believe.  Mounting it properly is very critical for the deep water and going into manual settings (gain/zoom etc) in the deep can still deliver good results.  The Axiom Pro has a much stronger sounder module (and much bigger price tag) built in to be able to handle 600-1000w CHIRP transducers for high definition deep water fishing (mainly ocean!).  

 

I ended up adding a traditional 600w Airmar through hull transducer (not CHIRP) to my setup via/ Y adapter cable to have the option to use in 500 ft+ for my future summer King road trips.  However, after re-mounting my RV-100 properly prior to my second trip this year, it performed fine in the 300s... didn't have the chance to test it in the 500s.  

 

 

[Dan M]

1 hour ago, ErieBuck said:

The Axiom is awesome -- using mine with Navionics Platinum Plus card and the Raymarine Evolution 150 Autopilot.  That combo has caught me hundreds maybe thousands of fish in my first two years as a boat owner.   Don't underestimate the chart card -- it's critical to put your boat in areas more likely to have fish rather than just randomly trolling around.  It's the only system I've ever owned, so it's hard for me to compare, but people who come on my boat are blown away.   Like Rookie, I probably would have considered the Element, which is geared more exclusively to fishing I think, but it wasn't quite released yet.    Some of the multi-functionality of the Axiom I probably will never use (like radar, video cameras, flying a drone!!, etc.).  Can the Element integrate with Autopilot?  That's really nice to be able to touch your chart and have your boat drive itself there.  Also the Axiom is able to integrate with my engine data which is nice to have all my data in one spot.  

 

I would compare the capabilities of the built in sounder module of Axiom to Element -- what is the power capability and transducer compatibility?  I have the RV-100 transom mount and the high frequency CHIRP is incredible -- high definition.  You can spot lake trout /Kings laying in the mud in 120 ft of water, you can clearly spot game fish amongst bait clouds etc.  This setup can have some limitations in deeper water; some report ~300 ft as about where it starts to taper off as the RV-100 is only 250 watts I believe.  Mounting it properly is very critical for the deep water and going into manual settings (gain/zoom etc) in the deep can still deliver good results.  The Axiom Pro has a much stronger sounder module (and much bigger price tag) built in to be able to handle 600-1000w CHIRP transducers for high definition deep water fishing (mainly ocean!).  

 

I ended up adding a traditional 600w Airmar through hull transducer (not CHIRP) to my setup via/ Y adapter cable to have the option to use in 500 ft+ for my future summer King road trips.  However, after re-mounting my RV-100 properly prior to my second trip this year, it performed fine in the 300s... didn't have the chance to test it in the 500s.  

 

 

Thanks - gonna go for the new Axiom+ 9 this winter - so I can install autopilot next season.