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Side-Imaging Depthfinders


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Your best angle of attack should come like this:

Do you need to control your trolling motor with your sonar? if so you have 2 choices. Lowrance uses motor guide and H-bird goes with Minnkota.

If that is not a requirement than the field is wide open.

IMO don't go with a screen smaller than 9" with side imaging there is so much detail that its hard to see on a 7" screen.

I'd stay away from garmin or any unit that doesn't have a true down scan ducer that uses software to produce a down scan image there is just too much stuff lost without it. 

 

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Its a whole new world down there with SI and DI.   After you learn what the picture is showing you,  you'll wonder what took so long to get it

 

I was a Lowrance guy for years and made the switch to H'bird this year with the new Solix with Mega chirp.  Very happy with it so far.  Amazing clarity and images.  

Edited by slammer
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1 hour ago, vtx1029 said:

Your best angle of attack should come like this:

Do you need to control your trolling motor with your sonar? if so you have 2 choices. Lowrance uses motor guide and H-bird goes with Minnkota.

If that is not a requirement than the field is wide open.

IMO don't go with a screen smaller than 9" with side imaging there is so much detail that its hard to see on a 7" screen.

I'd stay away from garmin or any unit that doesn't have a true down scan ducer that uses software to produce a down scan image there is just too much stuff lost without it. 

 

 

Is that the work around garmin uses to avoid licensing the Lowrance patent?    Or was the patent on something different?

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1 hour ago, delcecchi said:

 

Is that the work around garmin uses to avoid licensing the Lowrance patent?    Or was the patent on something different?

Possible but I'm not sure who owns what patent.

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VTX129 has a great point on nothing smaller than 9". I have a HB 998Ci HD unit. The bottom features that I can pick up are incredible- however I sometimes have a problem picking fish up on it. I have tried to keep my SI width narrower to help ID fish.

Overall fantastic tool. The hard to soft transitions are easy to see as are rocks and so forth.

On the HB units the larger screened ones come with the High Def transducer.  The smaller units come with a compact transducer.

You can find some great prices on models that are being phased out - but they also will quit repairing those units sooner as well. Trade off's.

Check out Universal Mania and some others online for pricing.

Bass Boat central has a lot of info under Humminbird and Lawrance topics.

 

Good luck

 

Steve

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I have the Humminbird Helix 7 G2N Chirp SI that networks to my Terrova Trolling motor. Trying it out for the first time on softwater this weekend. The newer Helix's come with Autochart Live which allows you to create your own lake map with depths and contours. Pretty unbelievable. I fish some remote lakes in Canada and this is going to be very beneficial. I also use it for ice fishing and have been very happy. I wish I would have gotten the Helix 9 but wanted portability for the snowmobile. I can see myself getting a 9 or 10 next year for just the boat.

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Thanks for the report Neiko.

 

I did some more research and talked to some more people.  Tomorrow, I am going to pick up my new Garmin 93sv.  It's got the 9 inch screen, side imaging, make your own map and has a GPS system as well as 17,000 lake maps built in, including Lake of the Woods, Rainy River and Rainy Lake.

The guys that I talked to were happy with it and the price beat both the Humminbird and Lowrance.

 

Thank you to everyone for the help!

 

Ref

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Yep.  So far, I love it.  The only glitch so far is that the high speed doesn't work when I am traveling.

The screen is clear,

The side-imaging is also clear.

It is VERY friendly to use!

 

I am very happy with it for a few hundred dollars less than Lowrance & Hummingbird.

 

Ref

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Ref. Is the screens going blank a locator issue, or could it be due to the location/ angle of the transducer? Had that problem with my bird. Changed the angle of my transducer downward. Made a big difference. Just a thought.

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