MarCum lx5 owners

[skillet]

Any MarCum lx5 owners out there? I have a burning question thats driving me crazy.I just purchased a Marcum lx5. I turned it on and the transducer was making this awful clicking sound. Its so loud I can feel the vibrations in my hand if I touch the transducer. I like to fish shallow water for gills occasionally and I feel as though the fish will sense this noise. My buddies are all razzing me about how I am going to scare all the fish away. Am I over reacting? Is this machine not working properly? My vexilar did not do this. I need a vote of confidence that this is suppose to be happening. Do all other lx 5 machines do this? Help!

[KG243]

Every flasher I have ever used has made that noise out of water, once you put it in water it goes away.

[cold one sd]

It's normal.

[topcat3820]

Yes, that would be your "2,500 watts of peak to peak power" ... a Vex has a "20´ Low Power mode" to avoid actually frying any fish in the vicinity... have fun out there, eh .

[Will]

Yes, that would be your "2,500 watts of peak to peak power" ... a Vex has a "20´ Low Power mode" to avoid actually frying any fish in the vicinity... have fun out there, eh .

i dont care who ya are, that's funny right there!

[Esox_Magnum]

I fry mine in hot oil, my marcum just helps me catch them better than my vexilars did.... Clickings normal any of any brand I have owned does it....

[topcat3820]

Thanks Will... I try, eh . Esox, if it makes you feel better... just keep telling yourself that as the shallow gills go the way of the dinosaur in your local pond !!!

[hamms-scooter]

The clicking sound is the pulse being sent to the bottom as this is how a flasher works.

[Esox_Magnum]

Since I fish one of the best bluegill lakes in the world, I'm not to worried. We have put the LX-5 and FL-20 up against each other side by side last 3 years, you should see what your missing.....

[hamms-scooter]

Since I fish one of the best bluegill lakes in the world, I'm not to worried. We have put the LX-5 and FL-20 up against each other side by side last 3 years, you should see what your missing.....

Is that what you primarily fish for in the winter Esox? Love to fish gills!

[Esox_Magnum]

Whatever bites in the winter, only time I eat fish Gills get alot of attention during the day, evenings for eyes. But many places I set up you might catch anything in the lake at anytime...

[Ed Carlson]

No worries...the LX 5 It won't fry the fish in the water.

But...if you take 3 LX-5's and focus them in a triangle...then pour popcorn in the center of the 3...you get fresh popcorn.

You will need to melt your own butter though.

[Random guy]

I fish Upper Red lake and we MAX out at 15 feet and fish 7 as the norm over hard sand bottom and my LX-5's have never given me a problem or spooked fish. How do I know this? I am watching them on my camera. Funny thing is Marcum took flack for having so much power but look at other companies as they slowly creep up the peak to peak power on new models but don't put that in print. Hard for them to admit after years of chastising others for it.

Now I have missed a ton of fish from poor 2" target separation (way different than the new mysterious target ID) and blended colors before I made the switch to Marcum.

I do like how yet another negative product post has shown up from a new member with...1 post right before the ice show and the beganning of ice season. Funny how that works.

[marine_man]

Ever listen to your lowrance transducer when it's out of the water? Just as loud as the Marcum... funny... I don't recall any discussion about open water transducer noise.... why is it a bigger deal in the winter?

marine_man

[Esox_Magnum]

And those open water units put out several thosand watts.

[Random guy]

Trivia for you guys: How did Humminbird get its name?

[Ed Carlson]

From the "Super Sixty" sonar (Circa 1975). It gained it's name from the comparisons of the sound made by the wings of a Hummingbird beating while in flight, to the Hum of the"Super Sixty" while in use.

FYI: Vexilar preceded the Super Sixty by six years, in the spring of 1969, with the introduction of the first model 120 S.O.S. This was the first sonar unit to also provide an audible alarm. The 120 S.O.S had a preaty soothing Hum too.

[skillet]

Thanks for the quick responses. I waited a long time to get the lx5. I heard so many great things about it. Cant wait to use it. Sounds like the clicking thing is normal. I feel better about that now.

[Random guy]

FYI: Vexilar preceded the Super Sixty by six years, in the spring of 1969, with the introduction of the first model 120 S.O.S.

Like I laways say about Vex; good units, my grandpa used one for years...he also is still mad Studabaker stopped making cars.

[Chris Barlage]

Yes, that would be your "2,500 watts of peak to peak power" ... a Vex has a "20´ Low Power mode" to avoid actually frying any fish in the vicinity... have fun out there, eh .

Vex has that low power setting as a fix for there units lacking the ability to do what they should be able to do. When you turn the gain all the way down on a marcum the output is 0. When you turn the gain all the way down on a vex the output is not 0. Thus the LP mode to cut more power down because the unit cant do it with out it.

That noise is normal and every ducer will do it when out of water. have fun with the lx-5. It will help you catch more fish.

[DTro]

Some of the open water units put out 4000 watts. That must really sizzle em.

[DTro]

Chris, from what I gather, adjusting the "Gain" knob has nothing to do with power output. It's all about receiving the return signal. You still put out the same power no matter the setting.

However I would like to see some data showing that fish are affected negatively by any amount of "power" transmitted from a transducer.

[Will]

Like I laways say about Vex; good units, my grandpa used one for years...he also is still mad Studabaker stopped making cars.

[tsande00]

I like turning on the flasher inside the house and aiming it at a far away wall. It echos throughout the room, the wall amplifies the noise. The other fun thing to do is point it at the wife while she is sitting on the other side of the house. It sounds just as loud from 20' away. And she thinks your microwaving her brain, which also holds entertainment value.

[Ed Carlson]

OK, this ain't rocket science, but I was told in a conversation with a proffesor of fisheries biology once as we talked on this subject while fishing...that if you plug both ears with your fingers & press the ducer up against your temple...that is about half of what a fish would hear underwater in sound waves emitting from a sonar. Because they have a complex inner ear, and an "Otolith" thingy that also vibrates from sonar sound waves.

If you do wish to try it, and you fry your brain or go into an epileptic seizure...don't blaim me..Eh.

Especially you TopCat...ya know your going to try it.

LOL!