SONAR

[Jayfishin 63]

I am looking upgrade my current sonar. I have a good Lowrance (stand alone) GPS unit and am thinking of matching it with a good color sonar (possibly the 510C). Currently using two Garmin black and white units on front and rear of boat.

I may switch brands but I am looking for some feedback on specific models (either sonar or combo units) and reasoning?

Thanks in advance

Jay

[Bottom Bouncer 22]

I am looking upgrade my current sonar. I have a good Lowrance (stand alone) GPS unit and am thinking of matching it with a good color sonar (possibly the 510C). Currently using two Garmin black and white units on front and rear of boat.

I may switch brands but I am looking for some feedback on specific models (either sonar or combo units) and reasoning?

Thanks in advance

Jay

LCX 27c made by Lowrance on sale at Reeds Sporting Goods MN for $699.00 reg. $1,000. I have one and they work really well and has a 7" screen and GPS.

[Trevor Zimak 171]

I am looking upgrade my current sonar. I have a good Lowrance (stand alone) GPS unit and am thinking of matching it with a good color sonar (possibly the 510C). Currently using two Garmin black and white units on front and rear of boat.

I may switch brands but I am looking for some feedback on specific models (either sonar or combo units) and reasoning?

Thanks in advance

Jay

It depends on what you want out of your unit. Are you going to be running some big water? Where are you planning on mounting the unit? Are you mounting the unit in the console or at the back; if so, your may want a unit with GPS capabilities. If it's at the front, you may not need a GPS at the bow. Personally, I have been running 2 Lowrance LCX-38cHD's with a single gps networked (both units run off the same gps module) and recently upgraded to 113cHD's. I use a gps at the bow so I can pin point a spot and stay on it with the trolling motor, rather than have to keeping looking in the console.

But if you are looking to start upgrading, the Lowrance-LCX-27c is a great unit and a great price for what you get, but it is an older model and older technology. Lowrance has come out with the new HDS graphs (High Definition System) Which has the new built in broadband technology. These units display crystal clear images and lowrance has been able to virtaully eliminate surface clutter. The Lowrance HDS-5 has much newer technology than the 510c and is compadible with all navionics chips.

My advice is get a unit that puts out the most peak-to-peak watts of power and a unit that has the highest number of pixels you can afford. I am not familiar with Hummingbird, but was not impressed with them when I had a chance to use the 947. I'm sure GC will be along to talk about them.

[Bill Arnott 2]

Hi Jay,

I 've been using Humminbird for a long time and have never had any problems with them. I currently am running a Matrix 97 w/GPS on the bow and the 997 Side Imaging at the helm.

Both these units have colour display which makes a huge difference with visibility in bright conditions and when viewing the screen from anywhere in the boat.

The side imaging technology is simply awesome. The understanding of the underwater world that this unit gives you cannot be beat. One pass by a weedline will reveal edges, pockets,rockpiles, and even fish.

Marked something interesting? Just slide the on-screen cursor over to what you are interested in and drop a waypoint on the spot without ever driving over it.

Like any sonar you only get out of it what you put in. While any unit will function OK on auto, the more time you spend experimenting with the manual settings the better you will be able to dial in the unit for optimum performance under different conditions.

I'd be happy to take you out for a test if you're up this way ( might need to wait a bit for spring !)

>Bill

[Gone8to1248 158]

I now have the 997Si Side Imaging on my boat and what I've seen of it from the videos on Humminbirds site (which is something really worth watching) this unit is like watching a TV screen and going along a body of water and seeing the bottom as though the water has been all sucked out and your really lokking at whats down there. trees,rocks,logs,sunken holes,sunken Islands, you name it you'll see it without having to drive over it as with conventional sonars. This is the same technology that was used to find the Titanic and is now patented by Humminbird so it will be a longtime before anyone else can use it.

Like any sonar you have to be able to interpret what your seeing. also as Bill stated play with the manual settings and fine tune it for your own personal use. I used to be a die hard Lowrance man but made the jump to Humminbird with the Matrix37 with quad beam (first generation side imaging) and GPS. Since Lowrances buyout I think there technology other than adding High Definition(more colors) hasn't moved forward. I still have my Lowrance Brown Box flasher and my Lowrance X15B Paper Graph both still in great working condition and will hang on to them. So wether your a die hard tournament fisherman or just a weekend fisherman get the unit that best suites your own personal needs. Just make sure it's a HumminBird! Rumor has it Trevor is turnning is Lowrances into boat anchors and is coming over to the darkside!

[GC 54 31]

My 997si was a fantastic advantage prefishing for AYA last year when the water in the river was so high with lots of debris coming down. The fish were tight to shore in the brush, the day of the tournament they had moved out from shore just outside the debris and with the 997 you could pick up on them. A double header the first pass through, one of the fish was the big one that got us into third spot. I was running a 937c and moved it up to the bow and linked the GPS units, and still have a 585c mounted at the back. DC claims that he usually turns and looks at the 997 on the console when he fishes off the strern since he is pretty well a tube guy and fishes away from the boat, whereas I like to fish below the boat.

I only have one complaint though, and I still kick my butt about it, I should have bought the 1197si big screen instead. Something to look forward to I guess.

[Abes 5]

It would all depend on how much money your willing to invest in a sonar. I personally run two LCX 27's linked to the same GPS modual. At $699 it's a great unit for the money. I don't have any experience with HumBird, but I don't think they can touch Lowrance as far as screen definition goes. If I were to switch over it would only be for the Side Imaging technology. I did have an issue with my newer unit, sent it in last month and within two weeks they shipped a brand new one to me.

[Jayfishin 63]

Thanx for all the input.

I have just picked up a lowrance 510C to sit beside my current Lowrance GPS unit on the console.

Not quite ready to dump the big bucks on the side imaging unit yet, but definitely gonna put another colour unit on the bow. Amazing how easier it is to look at the colour screens from a distance compared to grayscale units.

I have two Garmin grayscale units on my boat which I will be removing and probably sticking on Kijiji once I get the boat out of storage.

And Bill I will take you up on that test ride in your crestliner when I get back up that way in the spring/summer. I was out with our buddy Scooter last summer with his side imaging unit but I don't think he has put much time into learning the in's and out's of the unit yet. Like to spend some time with someone who knows the unit well.

Jay