Quote Originally Posted by SmilinEd View Post
Jack,Wayne and Greg

I will be hitting lake erie with a 1992 thompson 240 Hardtop hopefully next yr 2012.. Just bought the boat this fall, having some upgrades done as we speak. Trim tabs, epoxy floor with wash down, 2200 gpm bilge with alarm, 5yr bottom paint with some other extras.

Been reading alot on the Lowrance HDS systems. LSS-1 add on also. I see where Lowrance has a dvd to help you with learning curve.

What i can gather is the hds model whether it be the 8 or 10 in screen they are the same as far as functions.

I think they all have built in gps.

My question would be what bells and whistles i need and can live without.

Just a thought on the raymarine fogging up the first hr of use. Maybe put plastic bag over unit after using it. Sounds like moisture is getting into unit, seal broken..? plastic bag and rubber band. just a thought.

Watching Pro Bass, Cabelas, and Amazon. I love Al Gore. Lol

I hope to use the boat 2-3 days a week after april 15.

Boat came with the standard black 3 or 4 in compass. But know exactly what you mean..!

I'm also in the market for a broken mid range lowrance fish finder. Thanks for the heads up.

Thank you all for the ideas and what to look for.

Any other thoughts are welcome.

Thanks

Ed
The HDS options are many, speaks for the 1500 price range. I have the Serius weather option which I like but has monthly fee. I could have the sidescan but its basically a different transducer. I have the radar option but dont have a radar. I probably dont use half of the options yet. I new a guy that was a salesman for a large outdoor supply place and knew the electronics very well. He liked Lowrance and Garmin equally, but that Garmin was easier to use. Lowrance, you have to open a few windows to make a change, not easy when running in 4 ft waves. For instance when I hit the manoverboard icon, but of course nobody fell over thankfully. Lowrance gives alot for the money if you want to use all the options, but if you just want to know where you are and can see fish on the bottom, you decide. Of our 2 boats, I have Lowrance and the other is Garmin. The use of data chips ( Navionics ) is good option that Lowrance has. Pop out the Lake Erie chip and enter a Gulf of Mexico chip.
More food for thought.