Side-Imaging

[berfish]

I want to get a side-imaging unit for my boat. I have a Lowrance 522C with Internal GPS. THat unit works fine.

Is there a unit out there Humminbird or Lowrance that has side-imaging W\Out GPS?I looked on the Humminbird site and lowrance site and didn't see anything. THanks.

[TruthWalleyes]

I'm sure you could just buy the Transducer and Head unit and skip the GPS receiver,(your not saving much money) but all the side imaging units are capable of having GPS - none of the newer (except the 700 series i believe) have an internal GPS.

Having the side imaging without GPS really defeats the point. Because seeing a log, rock pile, etc 75 feet to your right is cool, but unless you can cursor over to it and save it as a waypoint, you won't be able to easily boat over to it and fish right on top of it...

[thatoneguy]

as was mentioned above, you wouldn't get the full functionality of an SI unit without the GPS function. i just installed my HB 898 unit and it was a piece of cake even for a novice like me. HIGHLY recommended.

[Jim Almquist]

I would just use the Lowrance for your position. You can then keep your screen bigger on the Bird but I know I would want to have the GPS functional for marking spot with the SI.

[Ed Carlson]

Everything has evolved from analog to digital so going forward jumping to one or the other new units is the best plan.

Either the HDS or the Bird...no real intermediate steps to play with or options.

[TonkaBass]

As mentioned before, you will want gps and side imaging because you can scroll the cursor to structure you find with the side imaging and mark a waypoint right on it. Very useful!

[berfish]

Thanks for the replies! This site is such a good source for info!

I am planning on keeping my Lowrance but was wondering if it was possible to get a unit (lowrance or bird) with SI but with out having to pay for GPS. Yes it would be nice to have it all in one unit but I thought I might be able to save some $ and just run a plain SI next to my old lowrance. Basically using the Lowrance just as a GPS. I fished with a couple people who have the bird SI units and they could see the rock\rubble piles much better than I could not to mention bottom transitions.

[TruthWalleyes]

Like i said, all the SI units are GPS capable. The only money saving you could do is try to buy the head unit and transducer as separate purchases to avoid buying the unit/transducer/gps combo. Again, i think you aren't saving much money, and losing way more than you save.

Plus, you can use anything to mark GPS spots, but you cannot mark anything that the side imaging will show you without stumbling overtop of it on accident. And...Side imaging works best when going in a straight line. If you're turning all the time to get atop of what you just saw to the side of your boat your going to struggle. IMO. Sell the Lowrance since their customer service is next to that of a crack dealer, and put that money towards the SI.

[TooTallTom]

Sell the Lowrance since their customer service is next to that of a crack dealer, and put that money towards the SI.

Lowrance gives you the first unit free?!

I agree, if you want to save a bit of money on the deal, it would probably be best to try and sell your Lowrance unit. You really aren't getting the true benefit of SI if you can't use that unit's GPS capabilities to guide you to the spot you saw, liked, and want to fish. Dead reckoning the distance/ bearing to the spot and using your Lowrance unit to get there will probably not provide satisfactory results.

[berfish]

THanks again.

Ok....I guess I will be using the Lowrance for a while longer. The funds aren't there yet for an SI.

[PerchJerker]

Lowrance and HB both have FishFinders that do Down Imaging. These units don't do Side Imaging so they're not exactly what you're looking for, and they don't have GPS in them ---- and they are quite a bit cheaper than the combo units are.

Lowrance Elite-5x DSI at Pro Fishing Supply

Humminbird 596 HD DI at Pro Fishing Supply

Another option you might want to consider is the Humminbird 798ci HD SI at Pro Fishing Supply. It does Side Imaging and it has a GPS so it might be more than you're looking to spend, but we can work a pretty good deal on that unit right now. Using your Lowrance for GPS / Mapping and using the full screen on the 798ci HD SI for sonar and side / down imaging would be a very nice setup.

Hope that helps.