I was sitting in my reading/thinking spot this morning and began thinking about my sad electronic situation and what I really needed. 

Ever one to think cheap and redneck, I got to thinking about the side imaging technology.  I'm not seriously thinking about trying this, maybe, but was wondering about a standard transducer pointed to the side.  I know the wide angle of the signal broadcast would make things read funny since it would pic up the bottom real soon and mess things up.  Trying to fix that issue, I was thinking about a more upward tilt to get the bottom edge to run more parallel to the bottom.  Knowing that would create a lot more of the signal to reach the surface, I had the questions.

What happens with the part of the signal that reaches the surface?  How does it effect the image given?
I guess it goes back to the angle of the signal cone.

I was reading an old Bassmaster article a few weeks ago from the 80's where a guy would do that with a standard transducer. It would only work in deeper water because of the bottom AND the surface. He had to experiment with just the right angle to keep it from hitting the surface.

I use to take my portable sometimes to a heated dock and "look around" with it sometimes.  Pointing it here and there.

Fishin,
Did you try anything? Did you try taking a regular 2D transducer and putting lead on two sides to collimate the beam, to see what it would do?
It sounds intriguing.

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The more you practice, the luckier you get.

I haven't had time or the inclination to play with the angle of a submerged transducer in the present water temps.  May look at it in a couple of months when the fish go into an early spring pattern.  Not been out much.  Today was a bust.  Was finally going to get out again and had motor trouble, but I think the motor just didn't want to go out on the lake.  Wind was pretty nasty.  I've got the shade tree, now I need to a become a mechanic.  Not much fun in the cold.