Cannon Digi-Troll 10 TS

leeccoll

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I purchased a set of Cannon Digi-Troll 10 TS back in 2015, I really wanted them to track the bottom so I could set my lures 3' off bottom and troll while they would automatically raise and lower via dedicated transducer. At the time I had a Lowrance 527 Fishfinder/GPS installed on my Grady. The downriggers were also able to run off of certain Humminbird models using the head unit's transducer with a Humminbird-CannonLink and some of the downriggers functions could be controlled up at the helm using the Humminbird fishfinder.

I decided to purchase the dedicated Cannon transducer and install it on the transom because 1) Already owned a Lowrance 2) The Humminbird-Cannon Link was discontinued a few years prior, and I couldn't source one from anywhere and 3) The Humminbird units the Cannon's were compatible with were not top of the line or current models. That was surprising to me since Johnson, Humminbird, and Cannon were all under the Johnson Companies umbrella by then.

After the transducer install I had problems. The Digi-Trolls were getting erratic bottom depth reads, and would either both raise the 10 pound weights I use, or worse lower past the bottom depth and creating a birdsnest in the wire cable = nightmare!

I researched the heck outta this online, and found some others that were experiencing the same problems, and seemed nobody figured out a reliable solution. Spent many hours on the phone with Cannon tech support. I kept suspecting it was a problem with the transducer feed, but customer service said that it was something else....

Fast forward to joining a forum on the East Coast who had a member that seemed to have figured out something but was a bit myopic about disclosing the solution, so I reached out to him. We connected by phone soon after. He told me there were a lot of unhappy customers with same problems. Seems that Cannon bought a bankrupt transducer company prior and decided to repurpose the unreliable transducers into the Digi-Troll system. Person I spoke with had to go through 4 transducers before one worked okay. I replaced transducer and system finally worked. Hoorah!! But after a fishing season, started getting false readings again, so I gave up and have been living with getting close to the bottom and adjusting the downriggers manually.

When the Digi-Troll system works as intended, the results are simply awesome. Picked up so many fish resting on the bottom. But seems like the transducer loses the bottom if it's soft, or I troll over a school of bait fish-forget about it :mad:

I have been searching for years for a used Humminbird-Cannonlink, and found a new unused one on eBay (from a Florida pawn shop of all places). Snagged that, and a used Humminbird fishfinder I found on eBay, new transducer for Humminbird and GPS puck. Not crazy about the electronics being dated, but more importantly now I can hopefully run the system from the helm, meaning raising or lowering the downriggers, setting bottom tracking, etc. through the Humminbird 1158c Fishfinder. And since the transducer should be tracking the bottom without false readings I should once again be a successful bottom troller ;)

Wondering if anyone else that owns the Digi-Trolls experienced these issues?

Installing new system is next!

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Doc Stressor

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Well, I've got bad news for you and possibly some good news.

It is very unlikely that the Humminbird system will solve your false bottom reading problem. Most likely, they will be worse. That's probably why Humminbird stopped supporting the Digitrol. I had a 1158c for several years that I used for fishing Pyramid and the Pacific Ocean. While it was a good sounder that had excellent bottom type discrimination, it was very prone to locking onto false bottom readings and then staying there until I did a full power down reboot. The problem was worse at Pyramid when at certain times of year you get a strong signal at the thermocline which is the result of desert dust settling to a temperature where the water has an equal density. I would be going alone at say 90 ft on the East side tracking bottom just fine until I'd hit a strong thermocline signal and it would jump to 50 ft. I had similar problems in the Pacific in deeper water when I would go over a school of krill.

Now here is the good news. After I sold my boat to a friend in Washington who fishes the Strait of Juan De Fuca, he added an Airmar SS60 transducer hoping that it would be able to stay locked on the bottom when going over krill or herring schools. That turned out to be the case and solved the problem. I have a B60 on my Grady and I used it along with Humminbird 997 and 998 units, which are the same technology as your 1158c. The B60/SS60/p66 transducer has about twice the punch of the stock Humminbird transducer in 2D mode. They are not expensive and should solve your problem.

I've fished in boats with the Digitrol system and they are indeed a PITA unless the bottom is pretty flat and depth changes are gradual.
 
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leeccoll

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Well thanks Doc!

I'll look at this as glass half full scenario.

Agree 110% they are a PIA at times, but I'm too far down the rabbit hole to give up just yet if you can relate. I only troll on flat bottoms with them. My thinking was because my Lowrance transducer always tracked the bottom without any hiccups, that a new dedicated Humminbird would do the same. Installed new Humminbird transducer today, as well as wired in 1158c, and GPS puck. Tomorrow I'll install the cannon link.

I'll see how it works, but it's good to know I can upgrade, so I am very thankful you took the time to advise me on this :cool:

I have a feeling I will end up changing out the transducer if it doesn't work as intended.

I'll update the results.
 
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leeccoll

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Cut out some of the upper helm electronics box frame with a dremel to accommodate new fishfinder today. Snowing most of the day, and high winds as per usual here makes for a uncomfortable installer.
Hope it will look nice and tight when flush mount installed after painting the 1/2" plywood backing frame off white. Used the old plexiglass on the boat as a partial template, but made it larger integrate with the existing electronics box.

New Humminbird does communicate with the Cannon downriggers on dry land. I'm hoping to get on the water tomorrow for a real world test-weather permitting.20200116_134517.jpg20200116_134527.jpg20200116_200258.jpg
 
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PNW_Drifter

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Good luck. I'm interested in hearing how this works as well. I'd love a system like this but they aren't cheap! Would be great for our King Salmon up here in the PNW.
 

leeccoll

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Good luck. I'm interested in hearing how this works as well. I'd love a system like this but they aren't cheap! Would be great for our King Salmon up here in the PNW.
Will update on this Drifter, one more coat of paint on the frame for the Humminbird 1158c, then I can flush mount into electronics box. Excited to test the system out.
FYI- Cannon is coming out with a new bluetooth downrigger system in 2021, but I'm sure it will be expensive. 22374.jpeg
 
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leeccoll

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Happy with the flush install. Onward to a real water test of this new system ASAP o_O20200119_145014.jpg20200119_145944.jpg
 
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leeccoll

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I was able to get on the water for a bit today.
Took some tinkering to figure out settings, and it was a good day.

I didn't have any glitches from the new transducer in areas where the old one would go batsh#t. So a positive first day on that note~!

Will head out again soon for a longer period of testing.

Attached video of the downriggers using bottom track today, I set the downrigger weight depth to follow the exact bottom the Humminbird transducer was reading, because of blowback they likely were 6-8' off the bottom at the speed/depth I was going. If I really wanted to hug the bottom, I would set the depth at minus 6-8'. I troll using this method on gradual bottom changes, otherwise too many things can go bad fast.

Very cool watching them do their magic automatically :cool:

 
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leeccoll

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Update: After 24 hours testing on multiple trips, the new system is doing its job!

I haven't had any loss of bottom with the new transducer, and went over plenty of bait schools too, so I am a happy camper.

For any fisherman that wants to troll on a relatively flat bottom and put the bait there with downriggers, it is a pretty neat system when it works as intended.

Really like the Humminbird 1158c Fishfinder too. Shows my downrigger depth on the right side of the screen incase I forget what depth I set them.

Halfway through the attached video, the spool automatically raises the downrigger a foot to adjust for the bottom contour.





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