MarCums Flashers

[redtrucks]

It would be nice if MarCum would do one of their challenges in Western MN.

[Jim Almquist]

What good is a high power demonstration going to do on Red Lake? We aren't looking at a very big cone when fishing up there. Higher power means a better flasher?

There are 5 sites not just Red Lake. I think it would be great to have one on Burntside lake so the depth would be 50 or 60 feet and maybe on the side of island with a sharp drop and all rock. My pick would be the Marcum

[JP Z]

The Jaycees one will be fine, as you can be in 15 to 60 feet pretty easy there.....but of course that one you would need to be fishing the event.

[NCLaker]

What does it mean to be a Marcum Pro Staff or Staffer?

This is honestly an innocent question ... I've seen a few people with this title as part of their post signature, but don't know what it means or how you become one or get that title.

[Thunderman]

I have had a eagle fish easy for about 10yrs a vex fl-18 3yrs(sold) and a hummingbird(boat)1yr.Im into my 3rd season with my lx-5 and ALL of these units have produced alot of fish for me.My lx-5 is the best unit I have owned so far its nice to be able to fish with and not have all the interferance, look in the weeds and see there is some thing there, fish in different parts of the water colum, target seperation.My hat is off to the guys at MARCUM for the amount of time they have been around they have come a long way with these units.Its always nice to see a company thats always trying to improve what they are doing I give them alot of credit just for that.Thanks Marcum. Thunderman

[DTro]

NCLaker, most companies (not just fishing) have people that are designated as "Pro-Staff". These are people who the company determines would be good candidates to represent their product. Mostly in educating potential (and existing) customers in the benefits and advantages of their product.

Sometimes these positions might be paid and other times the compensation might be the use of the products they are promoting.

Obviously a well respected high profile name is going to be good candidate for a Pro Staff position.

I wouldn't necessarily shrug off a recommendation by a Pro-Staffer, not only are they well educated about the product, they most likely have used it extensively and are a good resource for asking questions.

Yes, there is a possibility for a bias here and there, but most Pro Staffers are there because they honestly believe in the product they represent.

[CNY Tim]

Well said DTRO. Couldn't of said it better myself.

NCLaker you would have to apply on-line at MarCum., good luck..

[NCLaker]

Thanks for the explaination guys.

[Random guy]

What good is a high power demonstration going to do on Red Lake? We aren't looking at a very big cone when fishing up there. Higher power means a better flasher?

The higher power is a must on Upper Red Lake. Basically for target separation and the ability to quickly identify fish or foul on the bottom. Another thing higher power does for shallow water lakes is when you are zoomed in you are not seeing a blown up version of what you have in the non-zoomed window. With the higher power and crystal clear separation of three colors you are seeing an enhanced or re-configured display.

Basically it works like digital photos, if you just zoom in the photo becomes pixilated and choppy, the Marcum units "reconfigure" that image just like the auto correct on digital photo software.

No big deal right? Well when you are dealing with Crappies that are "sucking" bait it is a HUGE difference when you can set the hook by your flasher and not by the feel of the rod; that and identifying bottom hugging walleye is the high power difference on shallow Upper Red Lake.

[redtrucks]

Kind of disappointed that my transducer went bad on my LX-3tc. I purchased it 3 years ago and maybe used it 30 times. Otherwise it is great, maybe someday I will be able to justify a LX-5.

[Dave]

All this info at one time, I can't handle it!!

I hope I can be persuaded better at the Ice fishing show next week. I am still undecided what to get. Hopefully they have a lot of hands on testing there.

When you are testing flashers at the show, pay particular attention to the target separation some of these guys are talking about in this thread. You will notice Marcum's LX-5 Super Fine Line (SFL)technology creates very distinct separation lines on its flasher.

I took this photo out of water so the depth scaling is off but, you can really notice how precise the separation of the LX-5 produces. This photo is in the Zoom mode so, the SFL is automatically turned on. The yellow and green markings on the top right are "zoomed in" on the bottom left.

[CNY Tim]

American Naval Engineering by ice fisherman. There's only one choice that stands alone and that's MarCum Technology!

[Thunderman]

[niterydr]

Does anyone have any review on the entry level Marcum VX-1? Gander is now listing that one for sale for $199 thru December 13th.

[CNY Tim]

I compare it to the Vexilar FL-18 with much better seperation and at a much better price. Solid unit... I have used for two seasons and I was hard on it and it took it just fine. This deal is the clear choice for entry level fisherman and a terrific back up unit for the LX-5. I know they won't last long at that price.

[niterydr]

I compare it to the Vexilar FL-18 with much better seperation and at a much better price. Solid unit... I have used for two seasons and I was hard on it and it took it just fine. This deal is the clear choice for entry level fisherman and a terrific back up unit for the LX-5. I know they won't last long at that price.

Excellent! This is the sort of information I was looking for.

[harvey lee]

I hope many go to the marCum High Power challenge to learn more about this flasher.

I have used and own both the LX5 and th FL18 and from what I could see with the units I owned is that the MarCum had much better target seperation. Hands down better.

[PerchJerker]

I'm in the group that has used many marcums and many vexs and feels that the seperation on the marcums is better. Noticably better.

[Random guy]

I own a FL-8 and a FL-18 along with a LX-3,LX-3tc and LX-5. I can notice huge difference in target seperation for the Marcum unit. I feel this is mainly due to the fact Marcum uses three seperate colors verses Vexilars two colors that blend to make the third. Take that advancement and team it up with the razor sharp Super Fine Line you can tell just how scared your minnow is as the fish closes the 3/4 inch gap that shows up on the screen.

[CNY Tim]

I have used every vexilar and marcum, minus the lx-3, and from what i've seen the vexilars had much better separation, hands down.

Are you sure about that? Let's check the numbers shall we..

MarCum Technologies LX5(Made in USA) Engineering Comparison to Vexilar FL20(Made in Japan)

Receiver sensitivity :

Receiver sensitivity is the measurement of a sonar receiver’s ability to detect an input signal. This measurement tells just how small of a return signal the unit is able to pick up and display. The LX5’s receiver is more sensitive.

Measurement:

LX5- 24uV

FL20- 40uV

Receiver Gain:

Receiver gain is a measurement of the total system gain or amplification. Typically the more gain a receiver has the smaller signal it will be able to detect.

The LX5 receiver has more gain.

Measurement:

LX5- 89.77db

FL20- 70.89db

Receiver distortion:

Receiver distortion is a measurement of the sonar receiver to filter, amplify, detect, and display a return signal. A receiver with less distortion will give a more accurate display. The LX5 has less distortion.

Measurement:

LX5- less than 1%

FL20- more than 40%

Transmitter power:

Transmit power is a measurement of the output power into the transducer. This is usually defined in Watts peak to peak or Watts RMS. In the sonar world more power means a better return signal with less noise and less filtering. The LX5 has more power.

Measurement:

LX5- more than 2000 Wp-p or 300 Wrms

FL20- more than 400 Wp-p or 50Wrms

Conclusions: The LX5 surpasses the FL20 in every sonar measurement that was made. With these measurements it becomes clear that the LX5 is a superior product in respect to its receiver/transmitter design. These measurements were made on off the shelf units using an industry standard tester.

What this means to the ice fisherman is that with the LX5 you will get a clearer, less distorted picture of what’s below the transducer. We at MarCum believe that these measurements reflect what LX5 users have been seeing on the ice. The MarCum Technologies LX5 is truly the best and this can be backed up and verified by scientific measurements.

Duane Cummings

Chief Sonar Engineer

MarCum Technologies Inc.

Note: measurements were made on an EDI sonar tester. These measurements are undisputed...

[CNY Tim]

I will!

[Steve Eddicus]

Has anyone compared company strength between the flasher companies? I did some research and was not impressed with the performance of some of them.

[polarsusd81]

I have a Vexilar FL8-SLT from years ago. It has worked fine over the years and I have fished with an FL-18 and an FL-20. My buddy just recently picked up a Marcum VX-1P and after seeing that thing on the ice my next purchase will be a Marcum. The target seperation on the VX-1P was better than what I saw on the FL-20 when I got a chance to use it last year on Lake of the Woods. The fish up there were literally a max of 1" off the bottom and with the FL-20 the bottom just became a bit thicker. We did not have a Marcum on that trip but I am sure after seeing it the last few days on the ice that it will outperform the Vex on target separation. I have been a faithful Vexilar owner and user for years always backing them, but I will be switching when I get the money for an upgrade.

[Dave]

While waiting for the ice to thicken, I like to experiment and learn more about my LX-5; bouncing signals off the floor. I snapped this photo and I would like some of you users, and experts, to tell me what these small markings might indicate, if you saw them on your flasher.

Teardrop jig with sinker above?

A fish entering the sonar signal, swimming toward a jig?

If a fish close to the jig, would one of the marks be red but still that fine (thin)?

I think this photo represents just how fine of a line a LX-5 can produce. I just have to understand what its telling me more. Thanks.

[CNY Tim]

Forage minnow with one spike but it's awfully close to a knacker with one spike Dave...