will be looking for new locator

[bucketmouth64]

I broke my transducer on old inexpensive sonar on the bow. Found out a new transducer would cost more than the whole unit. I talked to a lowrance/eagle rep about mounting side imaging on the bow and he was telling me that to get the best picture you need to be traveling at least 3mph. Is this true with hummingbird too? So maybe a bow mount side imaging won't be the best choice since the trolling motor wouldn't be going that fast, but maybe have one on the driver console. What do you have on your bow and driver console? My console unit is really old too. Will need to upgrade to more current technology.

[thatoneguy]

That's not the case with Humminbird SI. You can get a good SI image under 1mph - you just need to match the graph speed to the boat speed. I have an 898cSI, and I love it. Worth every penny.

[bassfshin24]

I have a 858 HD DI on bow and 998C SI on console. Absolutely love SI. I've gotten pretty decent pictures going below 3mph on the console so I am guessing you can get a good SI picture on the trolling motor going 1mph. I actually wish I would have gotten a SI unit on my trolling motor but I'm happy with what I got. If you can't afford a 2 new units I would highly suggest put your money toward a SI unit for the console and maybe just putting something cheap upfront or just spin your console unit around to see from the front.

[Cecil]

You can get a decent SI image with either brand at 1mph, but your image will be better at about 3-5mph. The hard part with the trolling motor is that you are not going straight most of the time, so your image is distorted. If you went with a couple lowrance HDS units, you would only need 1 down/side image ducer on the back, and you can watch it on the front one and you don't need another transducer up there.

[rmkod]

I do like Cecil said. I have a HDS touch 7 at the console and a HDS 5 at the Bow. I can use the side imaging off the back ducer while up front. Granted the image I get may be a bit behind me but it works. I highly recommend the touch unit, I really like how quickly I can scroll through the menus and set waypoints. I haven't ever used a bird so can't comment on those.

[walleye18]

Stick with Hummin bird.....Lowrance is losing ground due to their customer service and warranty departments not taking care of customers like they use to.

Was a die hard Lowrance guy for over 25 yrs....made the switch after bad dealings on my 110, 111 and 112 units....never again.

Just my 2 cents.

[CASTnBLAST]

Personally I would skip the SI on the trolling motor for reasons mentioned above with the blurring effect when the motor turns. I never use mine on the 998 in front. Couldn't do without shared GPS waypoints between the two units very handy (do need two lake chip cards). The difference between an 1198 and the smaller units has to be seen, HD performance and comes with the upgraded GPS puck that doesn't constantly lose position when boat isn't moving (very annoying). Other guys I know are running comparable Lowrance units and like them also however. Either way it's a chunk of money, bargains can be found on online auction sites however.

[Cecil]

The product and customer service issues are long gone for Lowrance. They had some issues when the HDS units first came out with CS and manufacturing, but I can assure you, they are no more. The market share has been growing for the last few years.

You also only need one GPS chip with Lowrance and the internal GPS has been upgraded to be as good as any external puck

[bucketmouth64]

Thanks for the information. I haven't determined how much I want to spend, but I know I don't want to go overboard on this. More of a weekend type angler, no leagues/tournaments. Luckily, it's toward the end of the season and I can research this during the off season and maybe find a deal at the sports show or find a deal online. It's good to know that SI would work off the trolling motor. As far as brands, I'm leaning toward hummingbird, but I will also look into lowrance. I'll need to determine first what I want on the bow and on the console. Many combinations to think about.

[bassfshin24]

Keep your eye on the bass boat central classifies and the texas fishing forum for deals on electronics.

[fishhound2013]

I would definitely stay away from the transducer on the trolling motor. I had one and the noise from it interfered with the signal. Also, while you do get a return at slow speeds its just not what you get when you are at idle speed.

[RumRiverRat]

Stick with Hummin bird.....Lowrance is losing ground due to their customer service and warranty departments not taking care of customers like they use to.

Was a die hard Lowrance guy for over 25 yrs....made the switch after bad dealings on my 110, 111 and 112 units....never again.

Just my 2 cents.

Reading posts like this make me laugh.

Lowrance vs Hummingbird is the same as ford vs chevy.

Pointless arguments........

[bassfshin24]

I would agree rum. I only went with bird because I got good deals on my units. I would be happy with either one. Although I do like the wide screen of the birds compared to the more square of the lowrance.

[CASTnBLAST]

I would definitely stay away from the transducer on the trolling motor. I had one and the noise from it interfered with the signal. Also, while you do get a return at slow speeds its just not what you get when you are at idle speed.

Humminbird offers a free ferrel ring (spelling?)that filters the noise interference some people get especially when running Minnkotas' with the maximizer. Fish bass without a ducer on the trolling motor? Couldn't imagine.

[bucketmouth64]

I know that I like the internal gps units. Don't want to mess with an external puck. If I get a DI/SI on the console would I be able to get a unit that could get those images on the bow thru an ethernet cable? I was thinking if I get a bow unit with SI I could get the DI from the console thru a cable. Or I could just get two units that has DI/SI and not worry about a cable.

[Cecil]

You would be able to do it with any Lowrance HDS units. One 3D transducer in back, a traditional 2D up front and you are all set.

[bucketmouth64]

Is structure scan an additional piece that needs to be purchased to get DI/SI?

[ssaamm]

I have a HB SI on the console and a Lowrance Elite 7in screen on the trolling motor. They are both great. Lowrance has the best value in the 7 in screen. I was jaded by the 334c from Lowrance a few years back. This new one is pretty nice, and the price was pretty good.

[bucketmouth64]

What's the difference between a unit with gps and one with chartplotter? Looking at the hb 798 and 598 one has gps and other has chartplotter.