When I posted earlier about upgrading, I included some background information. When I fish from my front deck, I am either throwing a top water, wart, a jig, or I am jigging a spoon. These tasks require accurate and powerful sonar and little else. Especially since 95% of the time I am fishing an area I have spent 12 years learnng. My small bird up front currently uses the universal transducer in my MinnKota and goes crazy every time I hit the motor power button.
When I troll with either the big motor or the trolling motor, I do so from the rear of the boat. I do my exploring while seated there as well. That is the unit that needs to have screen room for sonar, down scan, and side scan. In addition, I want to change the unit position and availability for adjustment.
The advantages of networking under those circumstances seem minimal to me. I had looked long and hard at a Garmin twin set arrangement using two of their echoMap 70dv units plus their side vu module and transducer. The best prices I have found for that arrangement (Universalmania, and the GPSstore) would have totaled 2100 to 2200 dollars. With those units I would have acquired units with chirp capability and vast screen space. However, I really want the change to stay under $2000, including the mounting costs.
HB makes good units, but their proprietary screen set up wastes area for their left side information bar. A 7 is more like a 6 really. Still, I had considered linking my current unit with a upgraded twin, but that left me still in need of doing something up front.
That partially explains my convoluted thinking on the subject.
Now watch, the super cool latest bightest and bestest must have will be announced this next week.