How to Mount a LiveScope Transducer to a Pole

How to mount a LiveScope transducer to a pole depends on which pole you mean. On a plain pole you supply, Garmin’s installation instructions for LiveScope Plus (LVS34), LiveScope XR (LVS62), and LiveScope 2 use the same sequence: wrap the rubber liner around the pole if it is 1 in. (25 mm) or smaller in diameter, clamp the two-piece bracket around it with four screws, attach the transducer with the knob, and secure the cable to the pole. On Garmin’s Spy Pole, a motorized pole mount, the transducer goes on a bottom mount or on a perspective mount on the side of the shaft, each with its own rules. This guide follows those Garmin documents step by step and says which steps apply to which transducer.

This guide covers the mechanical mount only. It does not cover connecting a transducer, sonar module, or Spy Pole to power. Follow the wiring section of the instructions for your product, and use a qualified marine installer for any electrical work you are not sure about.

Before You Start: Which Transducer, Which Bracket

The pole hardware differs by generation, so start with the instructions for your exact transducer:

The LiveScope Plus LVS34 instructions explain why the angle matters: the included shaft bracket is angled 8 degrees to reduce trolling motor barrel interference with the transducer beam, and on a pole you can buy a flat bracket with no angle if you prefer. The LiveScope XR LVS62 instructions include the flat bracket, and the LiveScope 2 instructions say installing on a pole is similar to installing on a trolling motor shaft and point back to the perspective mode mount diagram for reference.

Two cautions from the same manuals come before any screw goes in. First, mount the transducer where it will not be jarred when launching, hauling, or storing the boat. Second, Garmin warns that damage or loss when using a third-party or self-fabricated mount is not covered under warranty. The manuals treat a pole you supply as a supported place for the included bracket, but whether a particular aftermarket or homemade pole system counts as a third-party mount is a question for Garmin support before you buy it, not after. For tools, the manuals list electrical tape (preferred) or cable ties, and the hex wrench comes in the parts bag.

How to Mount a LiveScope Transducer to a Pole, Step by Step

These steps follow the “Installing the Transducer on a Pole” sections of the LVS34, LVS62 XR, and LiveScope 2 instructions, which match closely. Keep the parts in their labeled bags until a step calls for them, as Garmin advises.

1. Take out the bracket. Remove the back half of the bracket with its four screws, and the front half, from the bags the instructions name.
2. Check the pole diameter. If the pole is 1 in. (25 mm) or smaller in diameter, take out the rubber liner and wrap it around the pole where you plan to install the mount.
3. Place the bracket. Set the bracket halves around the liner, or directly around a larger pole. The pole sections refer you to the shaft-mount diagram for how the bracket sits, and Garmin marks the front half of the bracket with an arrow so it goes on the right way up.
4. Tighten the screws. Insert the four screws and secure them with the hex wrench from the parts bag: 5 mm for LVS34 and LiveScope 2, M6 for LVS62 XR.
5. Attach the transducer. Place the transducer against the bracket and secure it with the knob. If you do not plan to switch views often, all three manuals say you can use the included low-profile hardware instead of the knob for a more permanent position.
6. Secure the cable. Fasten the transducer cable to the pole or another secure location. On LVS34 and XR, the instructions add: route the cable to where the sonar module is installed. Garmin’s notice is blunt: damage to the cable wire or jacket can cause transducer failure.

On a small aluminum boat with a pole clamped near the bow, do this on the trailer with the pole out of the water, so one hand can hold the bracket while the other starts the screws.

Setting the Angle for Forward, Down, and Perspective

The LVS34, XR, and LiveScope 2 instructions all say you must angle the transducer correctly for the selected view to work properly. How you do that depends on the hardware.

• Which views a plain pole gives you. The pole sections do not list supported views. They use the same bracket as the shaft mount, and the LVS34 and XR instructions say a transducer mounted directly on the shaft can be used for downward and forward views but not perspective view. Plan on forward and down from a plain pole bracket unless your hardware states otherwise.
• Changing views. With the adjustment knobs, Garmin says no tools are needed: loosen the knob, change the orientation, and tighten it to set it. Align the marks on the transducer and mount to confirm the view before tightening.
• Perspective mode hardware. On the LiveScope 2 perspective mount, the notches are labeled on the transducer hardware and bracket (F and D for forward and down, P for perspective), with separate positions for port and starboard installs. The LVS34 and XR perspective mounts use unlabeled notches, so their manuals give tables and diagrams instead.
• The chartplotter setting. The LiveScope 2 instructions say the software should default to an automatic orientation setting that identifies the view from the transducer position. You can set it by hand under Options, Sonar Setup, Installation, Orientation; Garmin recommends Auto if you plan to change views while fishing.

If your transducer has an internal compass, the mount position matters there too. Garmin’s manuals say compass calibration needs the transducer installed far enough from the trolling motor to avoid magnetic interference, and the LiveScope 2 instructions say you may need to recalibrate after changing the transducer orientation.

Routing the Cable on a Pole

The pole steps say little about the cable, so take the rest from the cable sections of the same manuals:

• Tape rather than cinch. Garmin says zip ties and cable clamps can over-tighten and damage or break the cable. Black electrical tape is the preferred fastener; if you use zip ties, do not over-tighten them.
• Keep it away from other wiring. The manuals say not to route the cable close to electrical wires or other sources of electrical interference.
• Leave slack for view changes. The LiveScope 2 instructions say to leave a small amount of slack before securing the cable so the transducer can rotate between viewing modes.
• Allow for any joint that moves. For a trolling motor, the LVS34 instructions call for securing the cable above and below the rotating joint with a service loop at least 10 in. long. The pole sections do not mention joints, but if your pole pivots, folds, or rotates, copying that loop around the moving part is the cautious approach.
• Extend, do not stretch. If the cable will not reach, the manuals point to optional Garmin extension cables from buy.garmin.com or a Garmin dealer.

Mounting LiveScope on a Garmin Spy Pole

Garmin’s Spy Pole mount page describes it as motorized sonar control for LiveScope and GT360UHD transducers. The Spy Pole Mount installation instructions say it is intended for a Force trolling motor using the included bracket, or for the gunnel with a gunnel mount accessory, and that installation by a qualified marine installer is recommended. Before attaching a transducer, the same instructions have you route the transducer cable up through the Spy Pole shaft, with the rubber grommet at the bottom.

The LiveScope 2 instructions give two ways to put the transducer on a Spy Pole:

• Bottom mount. Remove any other device from the bottom mount, pry off the old adapter disc, peel the adhesive liner from the new disc, line up its pegs with the holes in the mount, and press it on. Attach the transducer with the knob, hand-tightened, then secure the cable to the Spy Pole shaft so it is not pinched when the pole is deployed or stowed. Garmin says this method supports forward, downward, and perspective views. The adjustable perspective bottom mount page lists forward (0 degrees), down (0 degrees), and adjustable perspective (0, 7.5, 15, or 22.5 degrees) modes.
• Side of the shaft, with the perspective mount. If the Spy Pole is on a trolling motor, Garmin says you must use the dogbone stabilizer when the LiveScope 2 goes on the side of the shaft. Point the arrows on the inside of the bracket’s front half upward, and line up the notch in the bracket with the grooves in the Spy Pole shaft grommet; Garmin warns that misaligning them and tightening the bracket can damage the Spy Pole. Then cycle the pole from deployed to stowed and back to check the bracket position, a step Garmin lists as optional.

Two more rules apply to every Spy Pole setup. The Spy Pole instructions say not to install more than two transducers on it, because exceeding that can cause premature wear or damage and voids the warranty. And on a trolling motor, set the depth-indicator ring so anything on the bottom of the pole sits at least 1 in. (25 mm) from the propeller; Garmin has you partially deploy the motor with the boat out of the water to see that distance.

Garmin also sells the adjustable perspective shaft mount separately. Its installation instructions say it secures any LiveScope transducer to the side of a compatible trolling motor shaft or Spy Pole, with a different back piece for each, and that an LVS62 cannot go on this mount when the Spy Pole is installed on a trolling motor; use the bottom mount for that case.

Checking the Install

• Move the pole through every position it takes on the water, including stowed for the trailer, and watch for anything that could knock the transducer or pinch the cable.
• Update the chartplotter software if you have not already; the LiveScope 2 and LVS34 instructions say you must when you install the transducer.
• On the water, confirm the view on screen matches the marks you set. If it does not, check the Orientation setting before you move the hardware.
• On LiveScope 2, the status LED helps: per the instructions, continuous green blinking means the transducer is connected and operating, and continuous red blinking means it has power but is waiting for a chartplotter connection.
• After the first trip, check the bracket screws, the knob, and the tape again.

A pole isn’t for every setup. If all you want is the transducer on the trolling motor, the barrel and shaft mounts in the box already cover that, and a plain pole adds parts without adding a view. Transducer brackets and other mount styles are covered in our Mounts & Transducers section, Garmin’s live sonar in Forward-Facing Sonar, and our method on How We Review.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you mount a LiveScope transducer on a trolling motor?

Garmin’s instructions give a barrel mount, which clamps to the motor barrel with a hose clamp over a rubber liner, and a shaft or perspective mount, which clamps around the motor shaft. The LiveScope Plus, XR, and LiveScope 2 instructions say a barrel mount gives forward and down views but not perspective view.

Can you mount LiveScope on the trolling motor shaft?

Yes. Garmin says to mount the transducer on the shaft as far from the motor as possible to avoid obstructions in the sonar image. For LiveScope 2, the instructions recommend the rubber liner on shafts smaller than 1.5 in. and say the perspective mount does not support shafts smaller than 1.25 in.

What size pole fits the LiveScope bracket?

The pole sections do not publish a size range. They say to use the rubber liner on a pole 1 in. (25 mm) or smaller in diameter, and the LVS34 and LiveScope 2 shaft-mount steps call for longer screws, in a separate bag, on shafts larger than 1.65 in. (42 mm). Check your pole against the hardware in your kit before you buy one.

Which way should a LiveScope transducer face on a pole?

That depends on the view you want. Set the angle with the knob, align the marks on the transducer and mount for forward or down (or perspective, on hardware that supports it), and leave the chartplotter’s Orientation setting on Auto if you plan to switch views.

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