My question is this.

If we were to purchase a Gen2 HDS-7 unit to replace a current Gen1 HDS-5 unit would the Gen1 down/side scan be compatible? Next question but not as important, will the HDS-7 transducer be compatible with the Gen1 HDS-5.

The reason I am asking is:

I am in the market for a new color fish finder and my dad would like to upgrade his Gen-1 HDS-5 to Gen-2 HDS-7. If both are compatible I will buy the Gen-1 HDS-5 for my boat and use the Gen2 transducer to minimize the hardware swapping. If the Gen2 transducer is not compatible with Gen-1 it's not a deal breaker as long as the down/side scan works with the Gen-2 head unit.

Thanks for any input,

Al