Fish finder??

[wakina]

Looking to buy a new fish finder/ chart plotter combo unit. Which one will give me the biggest bang for my buck???

What are wanting to do with it? Do you want to network it through the nmea2000 networking circuitry? If you do then in the Lowrance line you will be limited to the HDS units, if not then you can use the HDI units. You would also need the networking capability to run most of the better Autopilots on the market today. Remember if you are not going to network you will be spending money for features you will not use if you buy the HDS line of chartplotter/sonar combos. I use a stand alone HDS 5X sonar and a stand alone HDS 5M chartplotter. I also have the Navonics chip, model #DMSD/649P+ Platinum Plus for Lake Erie and Lake St Clair Marine. Do I like them? Yes and no!

For my style of fishing and for what I use my sonar for, I would not buy another HDS unit, same applies for the GPS/chartplotter. I would go with something of lesser complicity and put the savings into a larger screen and or, more, even better fishing equipment. Here is why! An Airmar B21 will set you back an additional $100.00 and the ever popular B60 will set you back an additional $200.00+. Then the cost of the networking circuitry and connecting cables to make the whole thing work as intended is not cheap either. These are all things that you have to consider when you lay down your money for the different units. Not trying to discourage you from buying a HDS unit but trying to inform you of the added cost in trying to make it all work as intended. Also if you do not fish or boat enough to become totally familiar with the operation of the unit(s), the pages buttons and the different programs, you then have to become a Philadelphia lawyer in order to remember how to use all of those features when you need them without having the manual handy. If you fish every day and use the different functions every day, or at least often enough to be able to become familiar with them then they are worth what you have spent on them if they actually really help.

The statement that the factory supplied transducer for the HDS Units are not very good is actually an understatement. It is my opinion that they are just slightly better than no transducer at all.

It would be nice to be able to link your GPS to your VHF radio in case of emergencies! But on the other hand there are only 3 things that would keep me from doing the same thing manually. First if I could not talk, second & third if either my GPS or VHF is not functioning.

At this time I am in the market for a stand alone unit that offers both a chartplotter/sonar and is basically a turn it on and go fishing unit without all of the bells and whistles, bells and whistles that I will never ring or use anyhow. If the unit shows me where I am at and what is underneath me then that is all that I need to know, it is all that I need!

[Madd Matt]

Wakina,

Nice post, and good information! I agree with Wakina about the HDS really only being worth the extra money if you are going to integrate it with other system.

I bought my HDS Gen 2 with no intentions of networking it. Last year however I bought the Lowrance "Point 1" external GPS that updates 10 times / second. Then I plugged my marine radio into the HDS as well. Now my radio displays my GPS position, and... and... If I want to I can "share" my location through my radio and any of my friends can "see" me on their Lowrance HDS units, and I can see them if they have one.

I realize that you are buying it for a fish finder, but if you can see your friends and you can get reports from them, then it is better than seeing what is in the water. For example: I can tell a buddy, "Hey, from where I am right now go NW for 1 mile trolling 2 MPH. We just picked up 6." He doesn't have to ask where I am, and he already has my exact GPS coordinates.

This was not something that I thought about when I bought it, but now it is something that I wouldn't go without.

Wakina is also correct in that any autopilot or radar system is quite easy to set up with the HDS systems and almost "plug & play."

However, he is also correct about needing to be an attorney... lol

My brother who owns the boat with me is an attorney in Pittsburgh and he spends a couple hours each year reading and learning about some new feature for us to start using... It's pretty comical that Wakina mentioned being an attorney in Philly!

-Matt

[wakina]

Madd Matt

My father-inlaw grew up in your neck of the woods at Millfield, Ohio. My wife still has alot of relation down there in Glouster and Corning, we get down there a couple of times a year for visits.
I have seen some monster Whitetail bucks outside of Glouster as well as a Black Bear just north of town. Just wondering if you ever hunt those big bucks there in Athens County?
Some of those roads are scary curvy, in fact they are so bad you can see your own tail lights when you go around some of those curves. Found that out when we cut across from Rt. 33 to Rt. 13 Beautiful rugged Country in that part of Athens County.

[Madd Matt]

Madd Matt

My father-inlaw grew up in your neck of the woods at Millfield, Ohio. My wife still has alot of relation down there in Glouster and Corning, we get down there a couple of times a year for visits.
I have seen some monster Whitetail bucks outside of Glouster as well as a Black Bear just north of town. Just wondering if you ever hunt those big bucks there in Athens County?
Some of those roads are scary curvy, in fact they are so bad you can see your own tail lights when you go around some of those curves. Found that out when we cut across from Rt. 33 to Rt. 13 Beautiful rugged Country in that part of Athens County.

I hunt when I can... Typically only have time for gun season, but I actually sighted in the cross bow today. Who knows. Maybe I'll get time to get in the woods.

We do have big deer compared to those large dog looking things up North. lol

-Matt

[thebige22]

Wakina
I've been very happy with my Raymarine Dragonfly 7" screen. It has CHIRP hybrid technology on the sonar and the GPS works as it should. Not network compatible. I bought the unit this past spring with Navionics gold chip for around $700.
TheBigE22

[wakina]

Wakina
I've been very happy with my Raymarine Dragonfly 7" screen. It has CHIRP hybrid technology on the sonar and the GPS works as it should. Not network compatible. I bought the unit this past spring with Navionics gold chip for around $700.
TheBigE22

Thank you for the first hand information on the Dragonfly 7 it is much appreciated.

My current chip will not work in the Dragonfly 7, the Navonics Platinum Plus chip is to large for the memory. To many MB's, the Hot Spots Premium chip will work and so will the Gold and Silver chips. I have a new Hot Maps Premium East so I will probably just get the bare unit with transducer and use the chip that I have. I am keeping both HDS units, I have no complaints with the HDS 5M GPS it is an excellent unit but am tired of replacing transducers on the HDS 5X Sonar. The sonar has never performed as well as I had originally hoped it would, most likely due to the transducer issues.

So, I am going back to something that to me is more enjoyable and easier to operate. Something that doesn't have several different electronic pages and enough settings to confuse a fighter pilot all while you are trying to figure out the fish. When I started fishing the big lake we only had a compass and no sonars or GPS units. My first unit was a Ray Jefferson flasher I bought at Sears. Then I had a LORAN C unit made by Sitex and a Sitex video sonar as well. Also used various models of those paper graphs with the replaceable stylus and rolls of paper.

For me, to be constantly fooling with electronic gadgets takes the fun and relaxation out of the fishing, I go fishing to rest my mind and have fun. So I am going back to the K.I.S.S. system. Kind of like those set them and forget them ovens you used see on TV.

[eriepro]

Look for the NEW HDS-GEN 3s due out after the holiday season.....