Humminbird 597 CI HD

[alumabass]

Can someone help me figure out all of the parts I need to turn this into a ice fishing flasher? I can find the case, but no cradle. It looks like there is a hardware kit with the float and what I think is the cord to connect to a battery. I would also need the ice ducer and the base piece that the head unit would mount on. I have 2 Marcum units already, but thought I could make a 3rd if the cost is not too high. I also thought even if I cannot afford to make it into a flasher it might be nice to be able to bring it on the ice as a GPS and use my Navionics chip to mark waypoints. Thanks for any and all help.

[dairyman]

go to the humminbird site and go to the 500 series units and it will show you what is available. I've got a 788ci and other then having to buy the ice ducer and mount I made the rest.

[amateurfishing]

correct, go to HB HSOforum and find out exactly what part u need, then I went to the south American river HSOforum & bought it all there, portable pack, ice ducer, etc..., absolutely love using it on the ice...& a tip, its always easier on my eyes when using it on the ice with black color as background, then the other colors will "jump" off the screen right at you (a tip I got from HB rep at ice show)

they currently have the portable pack listed for $110

[alumabass]

Do you have a link? I tried to search for it but no luck.

[cold one sd]

Just google Humminbird home page.

[dunnym]

i got the humminbird XI 9 20 Ice Transducer for my 597 HD DI. then made a carrying case out of a old lunch cooler. worked great, holds battery , tackle , and a couple beers. MY 597 does not like to be around vexilar's though. horrible interference. love it when fishing alone. I would also agree with using the black background

[Tom Batiuk]

I did this to my 798. All you need is the following:

1) XI-9-20 transducer

2) PTC-U

or

PTC-UNB( no battery included).

If you already have a battery. I went this route and bought a 9AH battery so that I could use it for NAV too while running on the lake. The larger battery fits just fine in the case with the unit.

thebay had some good deals on the transducer and the mounting unit with the bag. if you do a search with those part numbers you'll be set.

Once you get those items set the unit up and turn it on without the transducer plugged in. you need to shut off your simulator mode in the head unit before you attach the ice transducer. Jason Halfen on YouTube has a how to video on what needs to be done. Then you're ready to rock and roll.

Good luck and Good fishing!

Tom

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Is this basically what you are looking for has a finished product?

[POPS57]

I just called Reeds told them what I had and a card number. And they sent me what I needed.

[mnfathead]

Try amazon.com, I've found some good deals on h.b. stuff on there before.

[iland99]

I bought my 597 on the bay and my ice ducer, soft pack, and Lakemaster chip on the river. Check the river site for warehouse deals, I happened to snag my soft pack for $50. All told I've got less into my entire setup (chip included) than most places sell just the base open water unit for.

[arctic_scrap1]

Would one of these be worth looking into if I already have a marcum lx5 and a garmin gps with an upper midwest chip? I checked one out at the store and they look pretty nice.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Would one of these be worth looking into if I already have a marcum lx5 and a garmin gps with an upper midwest chip? I checked one out at the store and they look pretty nice.

Nice units, but not going to really do anything different then what you have.

[Tom Batiuk]

Would one of these be worth looking into if I already have a marcum lx5 and a garmin gps with an upper midwest chip? I checked one out at the store and they look pretty nice.

It sounds like you're fairly set up in the GPS arena already. The reason i like my 798 on the ice is the lakemaster mapping capability. On LOTW and Rainy Lake its nice to have the 1 ft contours. The map detail was worth it to me.

[TruthWalleyes]

I asked HBird if there was an ice transducer for my 898csi.

It is the XI9-20.

They said that i will need to turn "Demonstration mode" OFF since there is no temperature in the ducer and the unit is looking for a temp. That will resolve any issues apparently. If i have time this weekend, i just might make a bracket n travel pack for my 898

[Iceman1026]

I was thinking about doing this also just wondering to the guys that already have do you get much interference with others in the Fish house with the vexilar's etc.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

I was thinking about doing this also just wondering to the guys that already have do you get much interference with others in the Fish house with the vexilar's etc.

A friend set up his 998 for ice fishing. I fished with him several times last year and zero interference with other units. We put a MarCum transducer down the same hole as the Humminbird and neither unit had an issue.

[amateurfishing]

I do like my portable carry pack but after the fact have heard of guys using coolers and such to make their own. they r insulated, waterproof, and can always hold a few extra electronic items in there if necessary or backup batteries. a and warmer or 2 and your electronics will never freeze

[TruthWalleyes]

Cooler is an interesting idea.

I just ordered the XI9-20 transducer.

Now i've got to make my 898 portable like my marcum.

[Hardwater_Fan]

Using a cooler is a good idea. Here's what I did. I found a used Ice Armor bag for really cheap and added a piece of plywood to fit snugly into the bottom of the bag (rounded the edges and painted it black). Then added velcro strips to the bottom of two vex batteries and the board so the batteries wouldn't slide around. Then added an ABS end cap to put the ice ducer in. I didn't have the 788 mounted when I took these pics, but you can see the holes in the wood from where I had it last winter. I like this set up because the bag has other pockets to hold tackle and what not. Downside is that it's fairly bulky, as a cooler would be. For this year, I ordered the portable pack and am looking forward to using that!

[ETH310]

I did this to my 798. All you need is the following:

1) XI-9-20 transducer

2) PTC-U

or

PTC-UNB( no battery included).

If you already have a battery. I went this route and bought a 9AH battery so that I could use it for NAV too while running on the lake. The larger battery fits just fine in the case with the unit.

thebay had some good deals on the transducer and the mounting unit with the bag. if you do a search with those part numbers you'll be set.

Once you get those items set the unit up and turn it on without the transducer plugged in. you need to shut off your simulator mode in the head unit before you attach the ice transducer. Jason Halfen on YouTube has a how to video on what needs to be done. Then you're ready to rock and roll.

Good luck and Good fishing!

Tom

I am thinking about doing this as well. Does anyone know if I need to buy a power cord that goes from the battery to the back of the unit too? The humminbird HSOforum doesn't say if the PTC-U comes with a power cord.

[amateurfishing]

FYI, love my portable pack, it has a guaranteed spot in 1 of my 2 5 gallon buckets that I always take, sits right on top of the minnow bucket vertically during transport

[TruthWalleyes]

Think an 898 would fit into the PTC-U?

[Hardwater_Fan]

Quote:

I am thinking about doing this as well. Does anyone know if I need to buy a power cord that goes from the battery to the back of the unit too? The humminbird HSOforum doesn't say if the PTC-U comes with a power cord.

The portable pack comes with a power cord that attaches to the vex battery. You also get the quick release mount so you don't have to take that off your boat either. Literally, all you need in addition to the portable pack is the Humminbird head unit, a vex battery and the 9/20 ice ducer. The portable pack I just got also came with some hardware to take the boat ducer and make that portable as well (with a suction cup, I guess so that you could use your unit in different boats). Obviously not needed for what you want to do.

I would suggest a 9 amp-hour battery as these units use a lot more juice than a traditional flasher. I took 2 batteries with me last winter and usually had to dip into the second one each time.

Here's some pricing if you're thinking of going portable with your boat's HB unit (pricing varies, depending on where you buy it):

Humminbird Portable Pack - $120

Battery - $25

Xl 9 20 Ice Ducer - $95

I linked to the appropriate pages on the HB site. There's a listing of which units the portable pack and the ice ducer work with. You can do a simple web search using the product numbers at the links above. Or go on the bay or the big river site to get better prices.

[ETH310]

Thanks Hardwater_Fan. I found the ptc-u for $100 and the ducer for $55. My h2o finally died, and I was looking at handhelds, but I think I can convert my 597ci hd to hardwater and have the gps for less money