Hand held Sonars

[Ranger1157]

Can anyone help me, I'm looking to buy a hand held sonar. I'm leaning towards the Polar Vision, but I'm told the Marcum LX-1 is very good also. I would be using it to shoot through the ice to find depth.

[Angler Don]

I researched them all before deciding on the Marcum Lx-i. Got the pro pack which includes a carrying case and battery. ( thank you, santa ! )

I like the extra power, the readout is on top, so I don't have to bend over to see it, and it saves a lot of time and unnecessary hole drilling.

I have been very happy with mine .

Good luck,

Don

[Ranger1157]

Angler Don,

Thanks for you response your points were well taken.

Ranger1157

[cliffy]

I also bought an LX-i last winter...awesome little unit. I like having the read-out screen on top...makes it so much more easy to read than the other units on the market .

[fsnrod]

Do handheld sonars mark fish when you shoot through the ice.

[cliffy]

The LX-i does "mark" fish. Its goes through a cycle where it will tell you the depth and then it waits a few seconds and then the sonar goes off for a few seconds again..and if there are fish..there is a little symbol that shows on the screen. It does not tell you the depth of the fish.

[buzbunni]

Quote:

---

It does not tell you the depth of the fish.

---

Actually the Lx-i does show the depth of the fish it marks. After showing the initial bottom depth, if a fish is marked, the unit will beep and then show a new depth. That depth is where the fish was marked. It's a nice feature to have when charting.

[cliffy]

Hey, thanks for correcting me..I guess I didnt realize it did that. I normally just drop my LX-3 down the hole to check for fish. Cool.

[hoggs222]

I have an older model handheld. I think it's a strikemaster. The thing that I don't like about it is that you have to get the ice wet first. (I use a map gas torch). Do you need water on top for an accurate reading with the LX-1?

[buzbunni]

I think with most units you need to have a thin layer of water on the ice to "seal" the transducer to the ice to make the read. You don't need much.

I carry around a water bottle and squirt a bit on the ice to make the connection.

I don't know of any transducer that works without a bit of water...but I sure don't know much .