Garmin Transducers

Your Garmin sounder is only as good as the transducer feeding it, and Garmin offers a full range, from GT-series transom transducers to Airmar-built thru-hull units. This collection covers them all. Choosing right comes down to matching the transducer to your sounder, picking the frequencies you need, and selecting the mount that fits your hull.

Match the transducer to your Garmin unit

The transducer has to speak your sounder's language and use the right connector. Garmin units use specific connectors, commonly an 8-pin or 12-pin plug, and the transducer must match both the connector and the sonar types your unit supports. Check your chartplotter or sounder model and its supported transducers before you buy, and use the correct adapter if you are mating an existing transducer to a new head unit.

Pick the frequencies and CHIRP

CHIRP transducers sweep a band of frequencies for sharper detail and better target separation than a single-frequency ping. Garmin GT-series transducers add scanning sonar like ClearVu and SideVu for photo-like images of structure. Higher frequencies give detail in shallow water, while lower frequencies and more power reach deep. Match the frequency range to the depth you fish.

Transom, thru-hull, or in-hull

Transom-mount GT transducers are the easy install for outboard boats and trailered hulls. Thru-hull transducers, often the Airmar-built bronze units, give the cleanest signal at speed and in rough water for offshore boats, but they need a hole and sometimes a fairing block. In-hull transducers shoot through a solid fiberglass hull when you cannot drill, trading a little sensitivity for a no-hole install.

Match power to your depth

Higher-power transducers, like the 1kW thru-hull units, mark bottom and bait in hundreds of feet for offshore work. Inshore and freshwater boats do fine with lower-power transom transducers that hold a bottom lock at cruising speed and sharpen shallow detail.

Confirm before you buy

Transducer compatibility is specific. Confirm your Garmin model, its connector, and the sonar types it supports so the transducer plugs in and performs, rather than ending up with a unit your sounder cannot drive.

Not sure which transducer fits your Garmin? Tell our techs your sounder model and hull, and we will match the transducer frequency, connector, and mount so you get sharp returns at the speeds you run.