I have an old hummingbird that I a going to upgrade. I am looking at ether a lowrance elite 5 or an elite 7 with down scan. From you experienced on the lake which would you recommend.both are quid expensive I don't want to go wrong.
Thank you
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I have an old hummingbird that I a going to upgrade. I am looking at ether a lowrance elite 5 or an elite 7 with down scan. From you experienced on the lake which would you recommend.both are quid expensive I don't want to go wrong.
Thank you
I use an Elite 5 DSI unit. Believe me when I say it's not all its cracked up to be. I haven't had one image displayed like I had imagined.
I don't know if there are other options but the cone angle on the transducer is very narrow too. I think I could have found a different unit to spend that much money on.
Anyone else have thoughts ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by riverrat
i am in the same boat so to speak as my latest and greatest hummingbird of 12 years ago recently gave up the ghostQuote:
Originally Posted by Hoss928
i have done a lot of research and saw the new dragonfly at west m. and was not impressed at all....too cumbersome to work the controls and very small screen
i was also looking at the lowrance 7" screen and thought it better but after Hoss's post, don't know what to use
oh well, i was waiting till this winter when the boat is out and have a lot of time to ponder it.....will stay posted to this thread.....good luck....:confused:
For a budget under a thousand the hds 7 with insight is a great choice. I can run spilt screen with no problem, shows great marks, great display. Sure I'd love to have an hds 12... but
In hindsight, I think I'd have rather gone with an HDS unit.Quote:
Originally Posted by walleye2go
Walleye2go, do you know what the cone diameter is at 30ft with the included transducer ?
I use to run a DSI unit. Now I run a HDS 10 without DSI and I love it. In my opinion you do not need Down Scan Imaging for open water trolling. I think the HDS 7 would be great for Erie.
Thank you for your replies I will continue monitoring this post
i have a hds 7 and hds5 great units. i would not get the insight on eny unit save the money and buy a good map chip they have better detail.
IMO the Furuno is above and beyond the Lorance products. I have had both. I run the Furuno fish finder with an Airmar p66 transducer along side a Lorance HDS7 chartplotter. I can mark fish while running on plane. I think a lot of people overlook the transducer and that is the key element. Most units come with cheap ducers that don't measure up to the potential of the unit.
Well said, Wes. I'm not familiar with the Furuno fish finder. I've only ever used Lowrance products. I could see where it wouldn't take much to beat the fish finder. I do like the chart plotter/GPS part of the unit though.
I do need to learn more about transducers myself to see if I can get more out if the unit I have though.
I'm with Wes on the Airmar. I mounted a through the hull Airmar B60 and can mark fish on plane. I haven't used a Furuno but have heard good things from quite a few people. Sorry I can't ever remember all the cone angle jazz with 55 and 200 but I'm sure somebody on here can tell you.
Greg
Are most of these transducers interchangeable ? I'd love to upgrade to be able to see better above 15mph.
Thanks to all with the feed back as I am looking to up grade I am not completely sold on lowrance so I will definetly check out the other brands
I think Airmar makes a transducer for just about any make of fish finder. From what I understand it's more about placement. You can take an 800 dollar transducer and put it in an area that has disturbed water running over it at high speed and you' re still not going to get the picture you're after.
The more I read on this stuff the more confused I get.
I just wish I had ReelTime money so I could buy one of each and return the ones I didn't like. lol
I have a lowrance HDS 5 with an Airmar B60 thru hull transducer as a fish finding unit and an older Lowrance LMS-332c as my chart plotter with the great lakes chip. I absolutely love my set up. The only issue with Lowrance products is that if you dump 1500 dollars into say an HDS-10 unit and after two years it goes bad, you’re up S%^$ creek without a paddle as they will not repair/replace their product after the 2 year window. You can send your broken unit in as a small rebate towards the purchase of a new/reconditioned unit. -Something to think about...
ReelTime is correct about the transducer. If I’m not mistaking, the B60 is 50 times more sensitive than the transducer you receive standard with your Lowrance unit.
If you had my money you'd be broke!Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoss928
Seriously, if you are running the crappy transducer that came with your unit you are missing out. Airmar makes ducers compatable with all sonars makes. They offer thru hull, shoot thru, and transom mount models. My P66 transom mount does a great job and it's not even their best offering. What I like about the P66 is that it has a 45 degree beam at 50 Khz.
If you really want good info. on these transducers or any other sonar related questions, you need to give this guy a call. He is a sonar guru and can explain it all to you in understandable terms. He will bend over backwards to help.
Gil Travis
(800) 925-0341
The Elite 5 DSI unit I have is limited with transducers. I just got a message back from Lowrance to confirm the one in the box is the only one that will work. They wouldn't let me know the cone angle so I suspect it is very narrow.
The things I've been reading about these Furunos the big money guys(ReelTime) have, the more wisely I think I could have spent my money.
I have a Humminbird 598CI HDSI COMBO that I bought just this spring that I am selling. Includes a RAM mount with rail attachment. I am selling because I am buying a boat that is fully rigged out, and there won't be enough room for this unit also.
Paid $700, open to offers.
I purchased a new furuno combo this spring the 1870w with a thru the hull transducer It works great. 8 inch screen about 1600 for everything including a nav chip. I bought it through Gill Travis.
I'm hearing this Furuno name a lot lately. I had never heard of it til I my first ride on the Eyehunter.Quote:
Originally Posted by penalty box
Is the 1870 much different than the 585 ?
Furuno all the way best fish finder on the market. Both boats have them in it.
I have a ELITE 7 and the DSI works nothing like those nice pics on the simulator mode.
this is a great thread!!....and im' in the market.....sure is a lot of knowledge on this forum...jmo...
Agreed 100%Quote:
Originally Posted by Firetiger
I was taken by the good marketing they did on that one.
As soon as momma allows, I will be in the market myself.
the 1870 is the same fish finder, they added the gps to the unit for the same price.
I am getting a lot of very useful info I have never heard if fumuno but will be checking them out I would have to assume they are very pricey but they sound like they may be worth it . Maybe it would be wise to buy a good fish finder then a GPS separate
I am looking into buying a Lowrance HDS touch screen.Any one have any insite on this one!
Some killer deals on Ebay. That's where mine came from.
I do not think it matters what brand you buy. It is how much you pay for it. They are made to compete with each other. If you spent 3 -4 grand on one you will not have any complaints. All the big name brands have good units. Just buy power and a good transducer.
I recently talked to Gil and he recommended the Gramin 547xs and the Tm150m transducer. He says it has CHIRP technology which is what all the manufacturers are going to. He sent me a bunch of info too. I you want it let me know... Im gonna order it when i round up the cash
I am considering buying a new fish finder.I have a humminbird 798cidi and have had nothing but trouble. I am looking at the lorance HD 7 touch model. Has anyone had any experience with the Lorance.
i have a hds 5 gen 2. absolutely love it. To date have not had any troubles. I am going to upgrade to a 10 this winter i think. I would reccomend the unit.
have a Garmin 5212 touch screen. Very fast to move around the screen. It gits er done. I think touch screens regardless of brand are a lot simpler to operate rather than 12 buttons. Garman has a no brainer menu.
I have the elite 7 combo unit without the down scan . I really like it .easy to use and I did not have to buy a map card .
The way I understand the DSI, you have to be moving around 3 to 5 mph for the image to be displayed accurately. That is ok when you are scouting an area but for the way we fish it doesn't really fit the bill IMHO.
I bought the Elite 5 DSI Gold package. After searching for something good on a budget, I picked this one. At first I wasn't impressed. View was real fuzzy and clouded with turbulence. But after moving the transducer a little farther from the outdrive, it is now looks just about like the simulator. It's is easy to use and move through the screens after playing with all the settings. The Navionics Gold card is the perfect addition. Actually after a few weeks I upgraded to the Navionics + and now it's perfect.
I had looked at all the expensive ones and could really see that they may be better. However for the prices for them I couldn't justify dropping that kind of cash. I'm not a charter captain, so for my recreational use the Elite 5 is a perfect fit. I got the best price from West Marine, while on sale, for just over $400. With both the fish finder and the GPS, that's a steal.
Just food for thought for the little guys. Placement of the transducer makes a world of difference. This is just my opinion and experience with this particular unit.
Anyone have any thoughts on hummingbird 898hd so? Screen big enough? Any thoughts on the humminbirds. Is the side imaging and or down imaging worth it? Would I be better off with a bigger screen and no side imaging like the 1158 c DI? Any input would be helpful. Or maybe a 958 c HD di?
Thanks,
Dan
Am thinking of a humminbird 898c HD so. Any thoughts would be helpful. How is the size. Is the side imaging worth it. Would I be better off going with a 958 c HD DI or an 1158 c DI?
Let me know everyone's thoughts and pros and cons of any of these units.
Thanks,
Dan