Helix 5

[Hagaandaz]

Does anyone have or had a helix 5 and not like it?  Why?  Did you have a flasher before? I've searched through a lot of the old posts and I got a little but hoping for more.  With the ice shows coming I don't want to show up and buy something without looking closer at how it works in the real world.  I have a Marcum flasher (mx1) but kinda looking for more options.

[nofishfisherman]

I have the Helix 5 portable unit that is set up for ice fishing with the mount and soft case.  If I'm fishing alone I like it.  Does everything I need it to do and also gives me the option of using it in open water.

 

If I'm fishing with others that have vexilars then it struggles with interference.  If you play around with it you might be able to clean some of it up but in the little playing I have done I wasn't able to get it below the annoying level.  This has only happened when I'm fishing in the same house as someone with a vex.  If I'm in my portable by myself I haven't had any issues from people fishing in other houses nearby. 

[Getanet]

I have the Helix 5 Chirp GPS II.  I know you're looking for complaints, but I honestly don't have any. It probably does fight with a Vexilar, but the version I have has a bunch of settings you can adjust if you're getting interference. I'm not sure the original Helix 5 had that option or not.

 

But sorry, no complaints. So far I would buy one again. I bought mine at the Ice Show in St. Paul last winter, which saved me about $50.

[nofishfisherman]

For reference I do have the original Helix 5 and its just the basic unit so newer units may be better with interference.  

[PurpleFloyd]

I have the Helix 7 Ice and there is no way you could pry that from my hands for a noisy spinning round dial thing. ( I was going to type flasher but I know what types of snarky GIF's would have been posted in reply to that. 

[Hagaandaz]

Thank you for the replies!

[rundrave]

I have a Gen1 Helix 5 and love it on the ice, but also use it on my kayak. If I were to do it over again I would have got the 7" or bigger. Its not so much an issue on the ice but DI/SI is hard  to fully utilize on a 5" screen.