Lowrance Elite 7 with trolling motor?

[SkunkedAgain]

I spent two hours last night looking at the Minnkota and Motorguide websites, along with various other message boards including this forum. As I understand things, if I upgrade my old Minnkota Powerdrive v1 40 to something new, I won't be able to link it with my Lowrance Elite 7 graph to do things like spot lock (anchoring), following contours, etc. Is that correct? It's very confusing so I thought that I'd ask the community.

[Hoey]

Lowrance is with Motor Guide

Humminbird is with Minnkota

[delcecchi]

1 hour ago, SkunkedAgain said:

I spent two hours last night looking at the Minnkota and Motorguide websites, along with various other message boards including this forum. As I understand things, if I upgrade my old Minnkota Powerdrive v1 40 to something new, I won't be able to link it with my Lowrance Elite 7 graph to do things like spot lock (anchoring), following contours, etc. Is that correct? It's very confusing so I thought that I'd ask the community.

The US2 on minnkota works fine with an elite 7, although you don't get the dsi,

If you want to use a link type function, then the previous poster was correct.  Only Motor Guide talks to Lowrance (and I would check that Elite works) while only Humminbird/Lakemaster talks to Minnkota.  

Where is the FTC when we need them? 

[SkunkedAgain]

Yup, I knew about the Motorguide/Lowrance partnership. All of this is ridiculous that you have to choose one brand over the other, but it is what it is. From what I saw, it looked like you needed an HDS level of graph to get the spot lock and contour stuff that I want. If that's the case I'll just have to live without it as I'm not buying a new graph and a new trolling motor. However, I want to know if the Elite 7 can work with any of the available systems.

[delcecchi]

I looked at the lowrance and motorguide sites.  I am afraid, near as I could tell, that you are out of luck.  Then NMEA port on Elite-7 appears to have been deliberately crippled so as not to provide the level of function required to talk to the pinpoint gateway. 

Pinpoint will do spotlock, just not via the Elite-7, but manually.  

I hope I am mistaken and someone will correct me...

[SkunkedAgain]

That's the point that I got to as well. It seems as though that my Elite-7 won't hook up with any of the trolling motors, but since it is a confusing subject I thought that I would ask the masses in case somebody came out and said, "Yeah, I've got an Elite-7 and it works with xxxx trolling motors."

[delcecchi]

But let me say that I have a regular ipilot and it is quite useful even though I didn't pay a bunch more to get the ipilot link.   It spot locks, and follows a programmed path among other things.

[SkunkedAgain]

Hmmmm, maybe that's the route I should be going anyway. I'm mainly looking for the functionality itself and incorrectly thought that it all had to run through a graph. Thanks Del.

It looks like my Cabelas points are going towards a new Terrova.

Edited March 31, 2016 by SkunkedAgain

[delcecchi]

Glad to help.  I love my terrova although I think I might love an ulterra more, at my age. 

 

[SkunkedAgain]

I saw Billy Rosner gushing about his in that Al Linder fishing episode on Vermilion. It's taken me a long time to perfect the technique for deploying my Powerdrive v1, so I'm pretty sure that I'll get along just fine with the Terrova.

[delcecchi]

Terrova way better deploying than pd.  You will like it. But as an old guy, if I am doing a lot of spot hopping just pushing a button starts looking pretty good. 

On the other hand it is more money and one more feature to break.

[SkunkedAgain]

Well Del, I ended up cashing in my Cabelas points today for a new 55lb Powerdrive with ipilot. I heard people say that the Terrova was easier to deploy and maybe quieter, but for a $300 difference I decided to pass. My 40lb Powerdrive v1 is a bear for others to deploy, but I've got my technique down. I figure that the v2 is probably slightly better so I decided to save a few bucks. Now's I've got something new to read about now that all of my spring boat maintenance chores are done!

Thanks for the advice.

[delcecchi]

You will love ipilot.  My technique must have been deficient, since I find the terrova way easier.  But I am old and feeble, so that might affect my judgement.  

A friend uses the programmed tracks on the ipilot all the time.  Run the weed edge and record, then let the ipilot replay.  I use the anchor feature often.  Keeps me from losing anchors that get stuck in rocks on Vermilion...  And way easier too.  

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm a reader so I inhaled the ipilot manual last night. Afterward I turned to Mrs. Skunked Again and proclaimed that this trolling motor will change the way I fish. I had visions of recording tracks along weed edges, contours, and around rock piles and then being able to fish uninterrupted, instead of constantly re-adjusting my heading. The spot lock is another one of those incredible functions that should keep me from needing to deploy my anchor in most situations.

The only thing that I failed to purchase was the breaker. I had a 40amp fuse hooked up to my current trolling motor and a spare 50amp in my boat box, but apparently need to buy a 60amp. Oh I am excited.

Thanks for all your help.