Thread: My almost antique Hbird crapped out. Need a new setup for around $2000

You will have to stay with the 700 series to interlink them the 597 is a awesome unit IMO I have the 597ci HD di on the console and a 581i on the bow. Good luck on your decision!!

For a few dollars over your budget, you can get a Humminbird 858c Di combo for the bow and a HB 898c Si combo for the console. Both units can be networked with a single ethernet cable to share waypoints.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call.

Brian

RBeav is right: the 597ci HD DI unit is an awesome unit but cannot be linked to another unit. You would have to go with the 788ci HD DI unit if you want to link a smaller DI unit to another.

With our Side Imaging units you get both Side Imaging and Down Imaging sonar, but since the Di sonar is derived from the two Si beams; it is not as clear as a DI unit would be.

For the $2,000 price range you are looking at the 798ci HD Si and 788ci HD DI units. Be sure to buy the Ethernet connection cables for these:
two of the AS-EC-QDE adapter cables and
one of the AS-ECxxE cables (replace the “xx” with the cable length that you need): http://store.humminbird.com/category...thernet_Cables

The units will be able to share GPS Receiver data, waypoints and water temperature (no sonar sharing between a DI and non-DI sonar units).

If you wanted an Si unit at both ends of the boat you could go with two of the 798ci HD Si units and share full sonar between them. That would probably put you a little over the $2,000 mark though. I would contact the board sponsors and see if they will cut you a good deal on buying multiple units and cables.

Call Brian at BBG marine in the post above. He should be able to get you some decent prices. Call, don't surf, they can't post their best prices online.

I have a pair of 898's, one at the console and one at the bow. I like them, but similar to most folks, wished I'd had more money for a bigger screen.

Thanks for the input guys. I think I may roll with 2 798s and a cable. I would like bigger but it's a 16ft boat and I still currently have 20/15 vision according to my last Army PHA, lol.

the size of the screen has little to do with your eyes, imagine a football field on a 5'' or a 10'' screen. know try to see the fish. see my point, also the 98 series has both di and si. you could do two 898 and ehternet them together for $2500.

I haven't ordered yet and may do abit more thinking on going bigger. I went to Bass Pro to look at them size wise and the 898 does look pretty darn nice. It's not that I can't swing buying two 1198s even but I just have an awful time parting with money, hah. I like both of them. Guy tried to talk me into a HDS 5 and 7 combo for the price which I do like them but I've just saw alot more long lived Hbirds than any other brand.

Here's an "un-talked-about" image size phenomenon in SI discussions...(especially when deciding on screen size vs dollars)...
Structure image ratio size ...SI vs 2d

In my 1197:
A brushpile that shows as the size of a golfball on the 2d screen...shows as the size of a quarter in the SI screen...

In a 798:
That very same brushpile would show as the size of a quarter on the 2d screen...but show as the size of a peanut in the SI screen...

Structure images are roughly 1/4 size in SI as to what you are used to seeing in 2d...And if you "split" the screen... Structure images are smaller even still...

Buy the biggest screen you can afford...Unless you want to look at "peanut sized" brushpiles...

Rickie