adjusting gps chip for water level/ humminbird 385ci

[PFUNK]

Has anyone else ever heard of this? I read on another forum from a guy using a Humminbird 385ci fishfinder/gps combo with a MN Lakemaster chip that he could actually adjust the depth shown on the chip for variances in water levels from year to year. This seems to me like it would be a feature provided by the Humminbird unit and not the Lakemaster chip. However this would be a pretty neat feature. He also said that he could highlight a certain depth. For example, they were getting fish in 13-15 feet of water so he was able to highlight that depth range on the entire map so he could easily see where that water was located throughout the entire lake. It sounds kind of like that new Contour Elite software that Lakemaster is providing. On another note, does anyone have any experience with this sonar/GPS combo. Again it is a Humminbird 385ci. How he made it sound, you could switch between the normal sonar and flasher modes and he actually preferred the normal scrolling sonar to the flasher, even for ice fishing. Said it blew his Marcum flasher out of the water. It has neat features like being able to zoom to the bottom couple of feet kind of like you can do with vexilars and the bottom 6' of the water column. If this is the case, I might be tempted to buy one of these with a transom transducer and an ice fishing transducer. Saves money over a vexilar plus you get a sweet open water sonar/gps.

[Note From Admin: Please read forum policy before posting again. Thank you.]

[kfk]

I'm sure he means he can adjust contours on the depth finder and not the chip. The chip is definitely read only. I have a 798si and I can adjust depth contours according to current water levels and highlight contours. I don't know what other depth finders have this option but it's pretty nice to be able to do.

[PFUNK]

anybody know why it's giving me a note from admin saying to read forum policy before I post again? Not sure what I said that shouldn't be said?

[leech~~]

anybody know why it's giving me a note from admin saying to read forum policy before I post again? Not sure what I said that shouldn't be said?

Hit the contact button and ask? But it may have something to do with sponsors or non-sponsors talked about?

[PFUNK]

Hmmmm. Well didn't mean to step on any toes. Just thought this seemed like a neat gadget to think about and wanted to get some input from others.

[PerchJerker]

Humminbird and LakeMaster have a feature called Water Level Offset. It allows you to adjust the depth readings on the map card by + or - 30 feet. So for example, if you're in 15 fow on your sonar but your map card says you should be in 18 fow, you can go into the Water Level Offset menu option and decrease it by 3 to get the map depths to match up with the actual depth reading at the time you're there.

You can also highlight depth ranges as he said. HB has some nice functionality with the LM card, that's for sure.

In terms of the 385ci vs. a flasher for ice fishing, there are two situations where I would favor the 385ci over a flasher. One is if you did not already have a GPS unit, so the 385 would kill 2 birds with 1 stone. The other is if you were going to also use the 385 for open water, like you said you might do by getting an open water transducer for it too. In either of those situations the 385ci has some real benefits.

If I was getting a sonar just for ice fishing I would definately go with a flasher over the385ci, but if the multi-use ability of the 385ci appeals to you and you would take advantage of it, then the 385ci is an excellent way to go.

[PFUNK]

Thanks for the info perchjerker, that's all new info to me. Yeah I always thought that a flasher seemed so much more practical for ice fishing and didnt see how any other sonar could beat it. However it is getting more and more appealing to me for several reasons. One, like you said, is that you can use it on open water. Another feature I like is the Real Time Sonar bar that shows on the right side of the screen. If you think about it, that is basically just like a vertical flasher as well. So really you have a vertical flasher and a scrolling sonar simultaneously. You also have the ability to set the maximum depth that you are fishing as well. So say you are fishing in 12 feet of water, you program that into the humminbird and it will readjust the screen so that the entire ring on the flasher is used, not just the first half or so that would be used on a Vexilar for example. One downfall I have is that the transducer is a dual 20/60 degree instead of the tighter cones you typically find on an ice fishing transducer. Might be ok for fishing real shallow, but if you get deep or in heavy weeds it might be a real mess.

[PFUNK]

Just thought of another question to ask. I looked into it some more and found that they also make a Humminbird ICE 385ci especially for ice fishing. It comes with the ice fishing transducer and the carrying case for $450.00. The regular 385ci that comes set up for open water fishing is $400.00 Does anyone who owns one of these units use it for both open water and ice fishing? If so which do you suppose the cheaper option would be: buying the open water setup for $400.00 and buying all the additional accessories for ice fishing (ice transducer and carrying case/battery/charger) or just buying the ICE model for $450 and buying a transom mount transducer and a boat mount for the unit? I'm thinking when all is said and done after glancing at accessory prices on Humminbird's HSOforum, it might actually be cheaper to buy the ice unit even though it is a little more at $450 because then all i have to buy to convert it is the transom mount transducer and the boat mount. Anyone already gone through this process that may have a word of advice?

[kfk]

Keep in mind though that the contours are never changed on the card itelf, just what you see on the display.

It's not a Lakemaster feature, only a Humminbird feature.

[Ed Carlson]

For convenience sake after your purchase of the 358c ice package, you can buy the kit with a hi-speed ducer, power cord and e base receiver mount. This way you just switch the head unit to your boat and all else is ready.

Often it is just as smart to buy the standard summer package then latter on add the ice package. Buying the standard summer 385c package, and then buying the ice conversion kit works out about the same price wise.

The ice conversion kit on it's own for the 385c is about $130.00.

[PerchJerker]

PFunk -- we're in Waconia, very close to you. If you want to buy a unit now I can swing you a really good end-of-season deal on an Ice 385ci. We can get you the other stuff you'd need for open water too. You can contact me through the Pro Fishing Supply link in my signature if you want.