chris3179 Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 i am going to bite the bullet and buy a nice sonar. i am looking at the lowrance 5hds. then purchase the structure scan at a later date. what do you guys use?
jeb Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 I use HB. I have a 798 on the front and a 997 at the console. Both have Side Imaging and Down Imaging, as well as GPS. Great units that for sure help me catch more fish. I think Low makes a good product now too (they had horrible QC and customer service issues a couple of years back). But I think the HB's are a better bang for the buck since you don't have to spend extra to get the SI and DI features and you only have to mount one transducer per unit instead of two like the Low's. HB's customer support has an outstanding rep, too. HB also regularly rolls out free updates for the units. When I got both of mine, there was no such thing as down imaging. But when it came out, all I had to do was download an update from the HB website and update my unit. Voila, instant down imaging, for free! No additional hardware. Gotta' love that kind of support. John B 08 Skeeter SL210, 225F Yamaha
chris3179 Posted October 18, 2012 Author Posted October 18, 2012 thanks for the info! i'll have to look into the hummingbird. everyone i have talked to has pushed the lowrance hds. dealers (b/c they are selling them), but other fisherman as well. is there anything you don't like about your hummingbird?
Guest Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 I use HB. I have a 798 on the front and a 997 at the console. Both have Side Imaging and Down Imaging, as well as GPS. Great units that for sure help me catch more fish. I think Low makes a good product now too (they had horrible QC and customer service issues a couple of years back). But I think the HB's are a better bang for the buck since you don't have to spend extra to get the SI and DI features and you only have to mount one transducer per unit instead of two like the Low's. HB's customer support has an outstanding rep, too. HB also regularly rolls out free updates for the units. When I got both of mine, there was no such thing as down imaging. But when it came out, all I had to do was download an update from the HB website and update my unit. Voila, instant down imaging, for free! No additional hardware. Gotta' love that kind of support. I totally agree. HB's are hard to beat for the value. I've got a 788HD DI Combo. Its strictly down imaging with sonar and gps. Too bad I can't get a download for the side imaging.
chris3179 Posted October 18, 2012 Author Posted October 18, 2012 Another hummingbird user. Anyone with a lowrance care to comment? I have a chance to get a hds7 gen 1 for 600, but now I am unsure. It looks like I'll be researching hummingbirds tonight.
jeb Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 thanks for the info! i'll have to look into the hummingbird. everyone i have talked to has pushed the lowrance hds. dealers (b/c they are selling them), but other fisherman as well. is there anything you don't like about your hummingbird? Sure. None of these are perfect. The 898, 997 and 998, for example, don't have very bright screen backlighting and can be a little hard to see in direct sunlight. I put a Raptor Cap on mine, and it helps a lot. HB has announced that the 998's and 898's coming out next year will have a brighter screen. Otherwise, not much. Mine have been very good units. I have 1400 hours on the 798 in 3 years and it's been rock solid. My 997 has been equally reliable, but it does not have nearly as many hours. Not to be a net nanny, but there is no "g" in the Humminbird brand name. Common mistake, for obvious reasons. I think I'd steer well clear of the gen1 HDS's. I'd be concerned about quality issues with those. John B 08 Skeeter SL210, 225F Yamaha
Feathers and Fins Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 HDS5 on the front HDS7 on the console with structure scan. Love them, use to be a HB fan but no more. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beaver-Lake-Arkansas-Fishing-Report/745541178798856
gramps50 Posted October 19, 2012 Posted October 19, 2012 I have an old Eagle Easy Fish on the console, cam with the boat, & a HB 597 ci HD DI upfront. Haven't gotten to use it much but so far I really like, think I should have saved a little more and gotten SI too. I have the transducer mounted on the TM and I don't really like it mounted like that seems to effect the DI but work well in 2D.
chris3179 Posted October 19, 2012 Author Posted October 19, 2012 Thanks guys. I am confused as ever. Just kidding. I guess it's the old Chevy vs. Ford debate.
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