Conversion of Hummingbird 597ciHD for Ice Fishing.

[rocstar]

I have a Hummingbird 597ciHD GPS/Mapping/Locator on my boat. Does anyone out there have any experience with using these for ice fishing? I see it has a flasher ice fishing mode and was wondering if it is worth my time and money to purchase an ice transducer, spare mounting bracket and battery to set it up for portable use. I see a person can buy a Portable Conversion Kit for about $120 but it does not come with the ice transducer. You could buy the separate components and build a case. With the Lakemaster chip it might be a pretty nice tool for searching out on the ice.

[muskiemanAD]

I have the same set up. I bought the ice transducer online and made a box for it to carry around. It is a awesome setup, it is super sensitive too. Definitely worth your investment its nice haveing a gps on your setup too.

[SpecialK]

I bought both the case and ice ducer for my 728. Good bang for the buck and you might just find yourself yourself using the regular mode more than the flasher mode. I swap between the two alot while I am out.

Battery life is excellent but I don't have a built in GPS in mine.

[lazyhounedaleth]

i got the 597 ci di converter to ice setup ,but i'm having depth issues. When i'm on 20 fow and the 597 depth reading are from 20 fow to 100 fow and keeps changing is that normal for you guys? but it show the bottom .

If i set it on auto it would show all the way to 100 feet.

[amateurfishing]

i have exact same unit, was hearing great ice reviews bout it on here in oct. already so i took the plunge and got everything @ amazon for $160 (portable kit, ice ducer, extra power cord that i dont need). It works great, i just need help learning what the screen is telling me. I do like the switch fire and split screen modes (1 with bottom zoom) & picking out my bait is great, then u can see if anything is swimmng to it and u can adjust instantly in your motion if u like.

I know what u mean bout the auto depth, i was having issue with that last week, for now i just keep changing screen till i get to something i can under stand.

if u have not been told, a great hint on this unit for ice use is put backround color in black, it really makes other colors jump off screen more & easier to read when something is going on.

[lazyhounedaleth]

i know that is not normal with the auto depth , too bad they are closed today i was going to give Hbird a call and see what they say. my is also a brand new unit

[jake23]

I had the same problem with my 587 I changed interference a couple of times an it went away. Not sure if that is what actually helped or not. Biggest negative to mine is that every time I turn it on I have to go to the menu button an switch to normal mode since it won't recognize the transducer.

Does any one know if all humminbird models do this?

[rocstar]

How do you guys like the portable soft pack? It seems a little pricy for me in that it does not come with the ice transducer. Is it well made and adequately protect the unit?

[Brad B]

i got the 597 ci di converter to ice setup ,but i'm having depth issues. When i'm on 20 fow and the 597 depth reading are from 20 fow to 100 fow and keeps changing is that normal for you guys? but it show the bottom .

If i set it on auto it would show all the way to 100 feet.

are you trying to use the Down Imaging. if so it will not work with the ice ducer. the ice ducer is strictly 200kh and the DI runs in 455Kh. you would need to run the unit on either the flasher screen or on the 2-D traditional sonar(set to 200Kh and not 455Kh. there is that option to change between the two when using the 2-D traditional sonar and not just the DI. the DI gives you the option of 455Kh or 800Kh).

[lazyhounedaleth]

i'm just useing them on the 455kh graph mode . that maybe why. i guess i have to wait to get out there and test it out again =\..

thanks for the tip

[remington 300]

jake23, i have a 788ci and mine does this as well, must be part of self check it does during startup,

mike.

[eagle_3464]

I am very happy with my 798 conversion. When I converted I purchased the soft pack conversion and the ducer for $128 through Amazon and then got $30 off for signing up for credit. These two items are all you need so IMO, it was well worth the money especially since I already had the Lakemaster card. Search Amazon for the best buy. I think mine came through Reds Gear.

I run mine on the flasher ice mode. No problem with an auto-ranging bottom. I set my lower limit at 1-2ft deeper than the actual depth. From there I zoom into just the bottom to get ultra fine separation. I haven't compared my 798 to other high end ice units but regardless, it has surpassed my expectations.

IMO, if the Vex, Marc, Bird regular ice units don't start building GPS and mapping into the units as standard equipment, these conversions will become more popular.

[Mike Wallace]

For my new 788ci HD, I couldn't justify the price tag for the soft pack so I found a tacklebox that would work for everything. I can store all my tackle in the two small plano's, clippers and depth finders on top of the lid, battery, ducer and head under the lid.

I needed a place for my rods so a trip to the hardware store and I got the clips and brackets for holding broom handles

I'm cheap but really happy with about $50 invested for the ice.

[amateurfishing]

is the portable pack pricey, kind of i guess, you could make your own case like the above did.....i did not know bout those ideas at the time, i am very happy with my portable pack, but cheaper is always nice.

[rocstar]

One thing I am is cheap but more than that I enjoy the challenge of building the better mouse trap. Now you have to add the light for the fishhole. Good job guys and keep er coming. Thanks.

[SpecialK]

How do you guys like the portable soft pack? It seems a little pricy for me in that it does not come with the ice transducer. Is it well made and adequately protect the unit?

I really like the soft pack and the fact that it comes with everything you need to have to run it (Plastic bottom mount, soft case, cable mount, cables, battery and charger) plus the suction cup mounts for your boat and the price doesn't really seem that high.