Need Advice On Sonar Options

[Champ188]

Darron, my advice would be to buy the best you can afford, then follow thru on your plan to take some guided trips and learn to set it up and use it properly. There are a number of guides on TR who are excellent with electronics. Bill Babler, Don House and Mike Webb come immediately to mind.

[Darron Cooper]

Guys as always thanks for the excellent advice. I will probably take at least one guide trip in early spring and make decisions after that point. Sounds like I need to spend the money which is fine. I hate buying something and wishing I had spent more. It always cost more later.

[Dutch]

If this is an electronics learning trip, I recommend that you pick a brand and then pick a guide with the same mfg electronics as they don't function the same way. You won't learn much useful stuff buying HB and going out with a Low or vice versa.

[Don House]

Darrin, well just like everyone else has talked about, buy what you can afford.. I have owned just about every one that is out there.. Some good some bad.. Two big players of course Lowrance and Humminbird.. I'm still on the Humminbird bus.. For really two reasons, 1) Customer Service is out of this world.. 2) Products that do what they say!! Here are a few things you might want to keep in mine while looking at these units..

1) What are you going to do with it..

Are you just looking for Water temp and depth? Will help you get the right model, find your basic needs and start looking for that in these models..

2) Easy of use..

This is a must if it is too hard for you to understand you won't use it.. I compare using my electronic to using a MAC instead of a IBM PC, easy point and click menus, external button for fast screen displays.. Some of my clients will make it too hard, best advise is to just go play with it, you won't break it.. And remember you can always reset back to factory defaults..

3) Need GPS? Internal or external

Need to look at both options, I prefer external but I need more perfection and exact location placement. It does matter.. If not Internal works great..

4) Screen resolution

Best screen resolution that I have found for a basic unit will be in the 640 x 480 for best pixel count and display.. This will allow for great display of your bait going down the screen for drop shot or spoon fishing ect..

5) Overall power watts..

Unit overall power watts will move up with each unit from 2000 watts up to 8000 watts like in my big unit.. This is one of those more is better...

6) Ease of installation.. Only thing I don't like about Lowrance is all of the cabling wire mess they have.. Don't forget on their SI units there is another transducer to be added along with your 2-d transducer.. little things like that you need to pay attention too..

7) GPS and Map add-ons.. My life blood.. With my Humminbird GPS I can go down to 10 feet and this is getting better every year.. A Must when you are fishing a deep water tree in the middle of no where.. Plus with the Humminbird I can be on any screen 2-D, SI, DI and move my cursor over and mark a spot even if it is 150 feet away and on my right side... Add-on maps is a nice items as well, but with these units the price does go up, Some units come with pre-loaded maps or one or two SD slots to add a map chip in the unit.. If you want to add-on maps look at units with atleast 2 SD slots.. One for storing data and one for your map chip..

8) Ad-on Accessories

Just about all of these units have some type of add-ons or upgrades, like stronger GPS transducers, SIrus Weather add-ons, Connection between units to share way-points, maps ect... Even with the New Lowrance units I seen the New Ipod adapter to run your Ipod music while you fish.. It is really neat but a very large price too it and a ton more cabling.. But still really cool..

Compare these units side to side internet is a great way to find a lot of information on all products.. Research it.. Find a model and a price and go for it!! Good Fishing and Good Hunting for your new units..

Capt. Don

[JEVPhoenixBass]

What Don said.......

[dtrs5kprs]

Does anyone know if the new Lowrance Elite 5 units require the 2 transducer arrangement? They look like they only shoot in image mode. Any info on the leak issues?

[getfished]

I think the leak issue has been fixed.

[dtrs5kprs]

Does anyone know if the new Lowrance Elite 5 units require the 2 transducer arrangement? They look like they only shoot in image mode. Any info on the leak issues?

Had one of the Q's answered this morning at Cabelas KC. The Elites are one transducer units b/c they only shoot in imaging mode, no traditional sonar mode. Since they are small and the $$$ is nicer, I am thinking of adding one up front by the old X15, sort of making a two unit split screen set-up of imaging/mapping and traditional charting.

Not 100% convinved on the leaks though, may wait a year to do anything.

[innova]

Had one of the Q's answered this morning at Cabelas KC. The Elites are one transducer units b/c they only shoot in imaging mode, no traditional sonar mode. Since they are small and the $$ is nicer, I am thinking of adding one up front by the old X15, sort of making a two unit split screen set-up of imaging/mapping and traditional charting.

Not 100% convinved on the leaks though, may wait a year to do anything.

In the fall of 2009 I fished with a guide out of my boat on Bull Shoals. He was a Lowrance follower, but he was impressed with my Hummingbird set up.

I run a 788CI on the Bow and 798CI on the console. What impressed him the most was I am able to run both units at the same time without Crosstalk.

Since I am not a Lowrance owner you will need to ask if Crosstalk is a problem, if you plan on running 2 units at the same time.