Question for Joby at Hbird

Hello,
I have been in a friends boat one time that has a Hbirg Sidescan Unit. I have been reading about and looking at the images posted on this site and others. I have never been overly excited about spending the bucks because of the slow gps response that I read about. Now with the "downscan and faster GPS response", I may consider spending the bucks.


Here is what I what to do: I want to drive my boat into a bay and locate/mark on gps several brushpiles, stakebeds, drop offs that I would like to fish. Then I want to move to the front of the boat and put out my 6 spider rig poles and fish (troll at a very slow speed /less than 1 mile per hour) my way around the different structures that I have located without having to leave the front seat.

My question is: what Hbird products do I need on the front and console of the boat to do this?

Thanks,
Tom

Tom, I'm not Joby, but I use my Humminbirds in much the same way as you're describing.

My recommendation is to get two units: a Side Imaging fishing system for the console (could be a 798, but I'd recommend a larger screen unit, like an 898, a 997/998, or an 1197, depending on your budget) and a 2D sonar/GPS unit for the bow (could be a 799, an 858, or a 900 or 1100 series unit....again, depending on your budget). You'll tie these units together using a Humminbird Interlink system

With a side imaging fishing system at the console, you can tool around your bay, identify objects with Side Imaging, and drop waypoints on those objects. Those waypoints will be written to the Interlink and shared automatically with the unit at the bow. If your bow unit isn't on while you're marking objects from the console, the new waypoints will be shared with the bow unit as soon as you turn it on to fish.

This is essentially the system I use on my boat to find and then fish isolated pieces of structure. I'm using an 1197 at the console and a 788 at the bow (to be upgraded to an 800-series unit as soon as they are released), tied together by an Interlink.

To learn more about the Interlink system, check out the link below:

Networking made simple by Humminbird's Interlink system

That is one of the instructional articles I've written dealing with Humminbird fishing systems. You can see the rest by following this link:

Instructional articles for Humminbird Side Imaging sonar units

800 series? sounds interesting.. Will the 800 series be released in Jan.?

The 800 series units are new for 2010.

There are two units in the 800 series: 898 (a Side-Imaging combo) and 858 (no SI). Some pertinent features for the new 898c SI combo include:

• Side Imaging™, Down Imaging™, and DualBeam PLUS™ Sonar for unmatched sonar performance.
• Brilliant 480V x 800H, 7” diagonal color TFT display
• New SwitchFire™ Sonar allows two ways to view returns - Clear or Max mode.
• Three new color palettes for more viewing options
• New Built-In Contour XD™ Cartography from Navionics® with 3,000 U.S. lakes
• LakeMaster® compatible with exclusive features
• Waypoint Management allows more control of your saved data.
• 4000 Watts Peak-to-Peak, 500 Watts RMS power output
• External 50 channel WAAS GPS receiver included
• Tidal graphs and port services information available with optional Navionics® Charts
• Sonar/chart recording to SD card and on-screen playback
• Full screen chartplotter, 3D birds eye view chartplotter and split screen sonar/chart with adjustable split
• Programmable view presets access important screens with one touch
• In-dash or gimbal mount
• Water surface temperature included in transducer, GPS speed Included
• Optional LakeMaster®, Navionics® Gold, HotMaps, and HotMaps Premium, and Platinum+ cartography
• SwitchFire™ Max Mode shows every sonar return from fish to zooplankton; Clear Mode reduces noise to show only structure & fish
• Fresh and saltwater set up options for optimal performance in any environment
• Accelerated Real Time Sonar™ operates at up to 40 times per second to instantly capture the action under the boat
• X-press™ menus place most important setting at your fingertips
• Freeze Frame pauses the sonar scroll for detailed inspection of the screen
• Instant Image Update immediately shows the results of setting changes for the most accurate fine tuning
• Sonar Echo Enhancement™ technology is so sensitive it’ll track a 1/2 oz. jig to over 40ft and separate targets within 2 ½ inches
• Man Overboard Function quickly adjust the boat track back to a specific spot with the touch of a button
• Fully gasketed waterproof design and it floats
• Large Digital Data displayed on every sonar or GPS screen
• Backlight for night viewing
• TripLog with distance, elapsed time, and average speed
• Totally automatic operation or totally manual operation with upper and lower range control
• Temperature graph overlay and audible temperature alarm along with One-touch Zoom with 2x, 4x, 6x, and 8x zoom levels
• Adjustable chart speed and feature memory retains your settings
• Water surface temperature included in transducer, speed paddlewheel included
• PC Connection capability to save waypoints, and upgrade internal software
• Optional 200/50kHz transducer available for deep water applications and depths to 3000 feet

I wonder what the price range will be on these?

858 FTW!!! Thx for the insight...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FroggerZ

I wonder what the price range will be on these?

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MSRP on the 898 is $1499
MSRP on the 858 is $999

On second thought, 898 FTW.. Down imaging on the nose of the boat would be incredible..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jason Halfen #511

Tom, I'm not Joby, but I use my Humminbirds in much the same way as you're describing.

My recommendation is to get two units: a Side Imaging fishing system for the console (could be a 798, but I'd recommend a larger screen unit, like an 898, a 997/998, or an 1197, depending on your budget) and a 2D sonar/GPS unit for the bow (could be a 799, an 858, or a 900 or 1100 series unit....again, depending on your budget). You'll tie these units together using a Humminbird Interlink system

With a side imaging fishing system at the console, you can tool around your bay, identify objects with Side Imaging, and drop waypoints on those objects. Those waypoints will be written to the Interlink and shared automatically with the unit at the bow. If your bow unit isn't on while you're marking objects from the console, the new waypoints will be shared with the bow unit as soon as you turn it on to fish.

This is essentially the system I use on my boat to find and then fish isolated pieces of structure. I'm using an 1197 at the console and a 788 at the bow (to be upgraded to an 800-series unit as soon as they are released), tied together by an Interlink.

To learn more about the Interlink system, check out the link below:

Networking made simple by Humminbird's Interlink system

That is one of the instructional articles I've written dealing with Humminbird fishing systems. You can see the rest by following this link:

Instructional articles for Humminbird Side Imaging sonar units

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Jason,
Thanks for the great info!
Tom

Looks like a 917. Musta gave it a brain transplant.