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Hey guys. Need help deciding on a new gps/sonar unit. I have been researching the lowrance hds 5 inland lakes and have a buddy who loves it. Is this the route I should go or does anyone else have any suggestions. I also looked at the Lowrance elite 5 dsi/gps. Would love to have dsi but noticed the price was cheaper than the hds 5. I figured anything with dsi would be much more expensive than just your normal sonar unit. Is there something I am missing here?
Look at the pixels. I debated between those two for months and ended up going with the hummingbird DSI. The hummingbirds let you look at both down scan imaging and sonar in the same screen. The Lowrance will only let you look at DSI screen and you have to change screens to get the sonar view. I have always been a lowrance fan but hummingbirds feature lets you look at structure and clearly see if there are fish in it with the same view. I would recommend the hds-5 over the elite 5 though. Its a lot better sonar for the money than the elite 5 DSI.
I don't think there is GPS on that particular unit. I went with the HDS 5 and love it. DSI would be nice but if that's your budget like it was for me it's a good choice. The GPS was more important to me for everyday use than the DSI.
Just a tip if you get to Cabelas in the bargain cave they had a lot of refurb units with 1 yr warranty for about 25% less. I paid $450 for my HDS 5 insight.
I have both the HDS and the Hummingbird and I don't use the HDS anymore... sad but true love the hummingbird.
Tucker,
Give me or Chatt a call if you have any questions on any Lowrance items. We would love to help you.
Shane 316-323-0010 Lowrance Pro-Staff
I have the HB 798ci HD & I upgraded the transducers w/the HD one. I've had it sense February. I actually, think I have around 1100 hrs on it. It's ok, there are alot of videos on u-tube about how to adjust it, that helped alot. There are alot of different adjustments & bell & wistles. The side scan & down imaging are cool. You can see some really crazy stuff laying on the bottom. but it actually has to be adjusted correctly for every depth for optimal performance. I still have alot of learning to do w/it yet. I am not impressed w/the GPS. It takes about 15 min to hook up when you turn it on. For it to work correctly , you have to be moving about 3 mph for it to be accurate. I don't move that fast w/ my troller. Most of the time you just see the "donut" which may or may not be in the right place. My hand held garmin E-trex legend is alot more accurate.
I have a elite 5 dsi & there is no sonar on it.If i've missed something help me!!!