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Hey guys,
in the market for a new sonar......ideally would like to keep the price tag under a grand.
Have thought long and hard about the side imaging from humminbird....wouldn't mind spending the extra coin if it was worth it.
What are the experts thoughts?
When you buy any high dollar sonar, your vocabulary will diminish to four letter words.;)
10-4Quote:
Originally Posted by Cane Pole
I would say the side imaging from Humminbird is the most productive electronics I have purchased. Dollar for dollar, I think it has put more crappie in my boat than any other I have owned. That said. I still carry a hand held GPS not because I can not get on a waypoint with the Humminbird but because I can do it so much quicker with my handheld. As for marking cover and going back to it, I have no problem doing just that but I still move that point to my handheld for future visits. Side imaging takes time to gain understanding of all the things you see. First you will identify the obvious. Over time you learn to recognize the little things. I compare it to reading X-rays. Ever been to the Dr office and they hang a X ray up there and you see nothing till the Dr. points it out. Then it is clear as day to you? That is side imaging.
The transducer MUST be installed correctly. This is not a hurry up job.
There is high sensitivity to interference but this can be addressed.
Without a moments thought I would buy it again.
I was at Bass Pro today looking at their sonars.....man are those Lowrance HD's sharp!!!!!
You hit the nail on the head crappie hunter about Humminbird. I can stand there and look at the screen and still not clearly understand what I'm looking at. They give pictures from directly under the boat and to the right and left correct? I was watching the info clips on *************** (which were helpful) and the guy was saying there's a stakebed and it looks like it's about 8 feet wide by 7 feet high.......how in the world could he tell that? It looked like baitfish to me. lol
I guess it just takes practice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doop
Careful of pitchmen and pros. Propaganda sells.
I can tell the size of cover from the side imaging units pretty easily. I used the measuring tools in a application to view the video on the computer and tons of practice. To practice I put out both stake beds and brush both of which I knew fairly close the dimensions. Then I rode by them at different zoom levels and gained an eye for what they looked like. From this I learned a lot of things.
(1) Zoom level makes huge difference in how cover shows up.
(2) Fresh brush with very small limbs are very hard to see.
(3) Focus on the sonar shadow as much as the item.
(4) The angle you pass the cover has a lot to do with the image.
(5) Muddy and fresh water adversely affect image quality.
I do not represent myself as an expert and I receive no compensation or endorsement from Humminbord but I do have hundreds of hours experimenting with the Humminbird. If you buy one expecting to see those perfect images in the advertising you will be disappointed. The best advice I can give you is try to get in the boat with someone that has had one awhile and knows how to use it. From that you you will know what you are getting. Several have gone out with me to look at the unit most decided to purchase and others determined it was too complicated and carried a long learning curve. If you are close to the Tenn-Tom I invite you to come take a test drive.