Important Priority

The first display after turning on the Target 2 Depth Sounder
The second display after turning on the Target 2 Depth Sounder
GPS Units
Royal Corinthian Yact Club Juniors racing

There were certain priorities today, and sailing wasn’t one of them, but I was able to find time for trying to sort out the NASA Target 2 depth sounder and for rewiring the GPS units with shorter lengths of wire from the ship’s battery. I had a few hours out on the boat while I attended to these things, besides having lunch and watching the juniors from the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club racing their Optimist, Lazer and RS dinghies. Altogether I had a pleasant time afloat while the sun shone and the wind was quite light from the east.


Despite a thorough examination of the depth sounder, including the transducer and the cable, I was unable to rectify the fault. I tested the transducer by placing it directly in the water, but the readings were the same as if the cable had not been connected. The first readout after turning on the power supply showed a ‘U’ over a ‘dash’ and ‘0.0 metres’. Almost immediately this was followed by the word ‘out’. I can only assume the sensors of the depth sounder recorded that the transducer was out of the water. I checked to see if this was the case, but the internal transducer was mounted correctly in a bath of olive oil sealed to the inside of the hull below the waterline, and not far from the bow. This arrangement worked perfectly well last year. Nevertheless, I refilled the reservoir with new oil, which made no difference.


The Installation and User Instructions Manual for the Target 2 does not mention anything about the symbols I’ve described. I’ve looked at a couple of Internet Forums where the Target 2 has been the topic, but I cannot find a reference to the fault happening with mine. If there is anyone reading this who knows how I can make my depth sounder work again, please contact me via the comments facility of the Blog. I can manage without an echo sounder; however, having one gives me reassurance when I’m sailing in shallow waters. My Lowrance GPS and Garmin Etrex GPS provide accurate readouts as to where the yacht is, but the extra input of the exact depth of water via the Target 2 is very helpful when I’m navigating in restricted waterways.