cheap hand held depth finder

[fisheye]

This thing is advertised as a Portable DF2120PX Sonar System from Sharper Image for $35.

Does anyone have experience with it for ice fishing? How thick of ice will it work with? Easy to use? Any information would help.

[Fish-n-Freak]

I would guess that the $35 is just for the name -- the depth finder is just thrown in. :-D

I would say at that price, you won't see anything through the ice. I do like the FL-8 and the handhelds that run about $100.

[innate123]

hey...

i thought a guy talked about using one of those in this forum...maybe search around...looked liked it worked well for him

T

[innate123]

hey again...

it was this thread...

http://fishingminnesota.com/ubb/Forum9/HTML/002937.html

tim

[RogersResort]

Don't waste your money, save up and buy yourself something decent...

[fisheye]

I guess I will find out. I bought one last night on hsolist for $35. Will let you know how it works on ice as soon as I get it.

[pkevinb]

It works. Tried it out this morning. I was only shooting through 3"-4" of ice though.

I had a bottle of water with me and just squeezed some onto the ice and it gave me a reading. Seems to be quite accurate, I will find out more later today when I head out fishing and can compare it to my fish finder.

I will be more interested to see how it does on thicker ice.

Hope this helps.

[Beckman]

You got a good deal there, those work exactly the same as the other $100 handhelds. Those that said they don't work are you speaking from experience or just making things up?

[pkevinb]

I used mine today again while fishing and had my depth finder with me. It gave me the same depth readings.
I use an Eagle FishEasy II and with the skimmer transducer it just wont read through the ice for me. Thats why I decided to try this one, for me it is $50 well spent.

[gophish]

that is interesting,
i'm going to buy a vexilar tomorrow, but for 35-50 bucks its worth it. you'll save that much money in gas and energy by not having to drill a zillion holes.
anyboyd else had good experience with em

[innate123]

heya..

keep us informed...it would be good for finding dropoffs in the mississippi i would think..would save some drilling time

T

[andylee]

I purchased one of the G-Max ones on HSOList for $35, and got what I paid for. Worked ok for 2 weeks and then quit working. I was very careful with it too. The transducer cable is very thin, and I think that may have been the problem with mine. When it did work it would only shoot through about 8 inches of ice and then it would only pick up the bottom, no fish. It will only locate fish larger than 12 inches, not very good when searching for pan fish.
Andy

[Mongro02]

I saw it auctioned on HSOList yesterday too. I called Sharper Image @ MOA earlier today. The manager said that they portable sonars were a seasonal item being sold during Christmas.

All the ones being auctioned on HSOList are seasonal items that were overstocked. Retailed for $119.95

According to their HSOforum...if you buy one from auction you have 30 days to return if not satisfied. You can return it directly to any Sharper Image stores, even it you bought it online. There is three in the Twin Cities.

I'm thinking about trying one out...not sure yet.

[This message has been edited by Mongro02 (edited 01-11-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Mongro02 (edited 01-11-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Mongro02 (edited 01-11-2004).]

[pkevinb]

Used the hand held depth finder again yesterday on some rough and uneven surface on the ice and it wouldn't get a reading. Seems like it works best on nice smooth ice. Tried it on some ice that was milky in color and got a good reading though.

[fisheye]

Got my handheld from Sharper Image yesterday. Compared it to one that my buddy has from Strikemaster - the PolarVision. They are almost identical. I will be trying it out this weekend on 20+ inches of ice. Will let you know how it works. Only paid $35 for it on hsolist - hope it's not too good to be true.

[Mongro02]

I borrowed one from my friend who also ordered it on hsolist...

I tried it out on White Bear Lake and it was off by miles...so I don't know how reliable it really is. That was with the hole cut too...

He eventually returned it to Sharper Images at MOA...lost out on his shipping though.

[pkevinb]

My depthfinder is still working great, haven't had any problems with it and it is still right on as far as depth acuracy.

[fisheye]

Tried it out this weekend - seemed to work just fine. There were 20+ inches of ice and I was still able to get a reading as long as I found a spot where the ice was really clear. That was the hardest part. This late in the season there is hardpacked snow and many places where it melted and refroze. I tried it at various depths where I had drilled holes and measured previously. This thing would be great for early ice when you are trying to find the perfect spot. Well worth the money.