New for Humminbird in 2019 - HELIX G3/G3N?

From the www.technologicalangler.com

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What's new for Humminbird HELIX in 2019?

With the turn of a new calendar year, we also have a wide variety of new tools from Humminbird and Minn Kota to help us find and catch more fish. Here’s an overview of what’s new for HELIX:

The biggest changes you’ll encounter are two sonar/imaging advances that will be introduced into the HELIX G3/G3N series. These include MEGA SI+/DI+ as well as new “true CHIRP”, low-Q transducer elements for 2D sonar.

MEGA SI+/DI+ represents a range enhancement over existing MEGA SI/DI capabilities. If you are a MEGA Imaging user already, then you likely recognize that this highest-resolution imaging frequency sometimes is limited in its useful range – often to a range of 75-90 feet in our own experience. MEGA SI+ and DI+ technologies extend this range beyond what is available for G2N units, to a distance of 200 feet to each side for SI+ and 200 ft down for DI+. I would consider these quoted ranges to be “best case scenario” numbers, but we are still looking forward to being able to see farther out with MEGA SI+, into the typical ranges we used with old-school 455 kHz Side Imaging. You’ll be able to access MEGA SI+ and DI+ In HELIX 8-12 SI and DI G3N units.

HELIX units have had the ability to CHIRP in 2D sonar all the way back to the original HELIX 12 G1 units. That CHIRP capability within the control heads has now been paired with a transducer system that can take maximum advantage of 2D Sonar CHIRP: HELIX G3/G3N units now include new “high-wide” (HW) 2D Sonar CHIRP elements in their transducers. In our experience during the testing phase, this new Dual Spectrum CHIRP 2D sonar delivers cleaner 2D sonar displays and enhanced fish arches as well as improved target separation. If you rely heavily on 2D sonar, you will really appreciate these enhancements. Dual Spectrum CHIRP will be available across the HELIX family, from 7 to 12.

A couple of changes have been made to the control heads themselves. First, all of the G3N units that are Side Imaging or Down Imaging units contain hardware to support the range enhancements in MEGA SI+ and DI+; this means that G2N units cannot be ungraded/updated to achieve the increased range (however, G2/G2N units CAN be updated to drive the new high-wide 2D sonar elements; more on that later). Second, new HELIX 8 units are being introduced to fill the gap between the small 7s and the larger 9s and 10s. Note that the new HELIX 9 G3N units will no longer share the same housing as the 10s; instead, the new HELIX 8s will share the same body as the HELIX 9s. This means less empty frame around the display of your HELIX 9, which will now be able to fit into a more compact space on your dash than previously. Finally, control-head-only (CHO) units will be available for several popular HELIX models, so you can add one of these to your boat without having the additional expense of an extra transducer that you may not use right away (or at all).

For fans of smaller units, we note that MEGA Imaging has now been extended to the HELIX 7 family. These units will use a new compact MEGA Imaging transducer that is smaller than the one provided with HELIX 9-12 units. Note that HELIX 7 MEGA Imaging units will not enjoy the range enhancements of SI+ and DI+ that are found in HELIX 8-12’s.

HELIX G3/G3N units will all be running an updated software build, a version of which will be available (or is already available) for existing G2/G2N units. We strongly recommend that G2/G2N owners update to this most recent software for several reasons. First, doing so will allow G2/G2N units to drive the new dual spectrum CHIRP 2D elements in the new “high-wide” transducers. Second, the updated software will allow HELIX units to drive the Down Imaging element in the new Minn Kota trolling motors with integrated DI elements. Finally, the updated software addresses a relatively common issue in shallow water, in which the digital depth was displayed as a multiple (2x or 3x) of the true depth. As of the time of this writing (January 2019), that updated software version was 1.83 or 1.84, depending on the HELIX platform, but that is subject to change with time.

Some additional tidbits:

If you want to use a HELIX unit with the new Minn Kota Down Imaging motors, you’ll need a new sonar adapter. HELIX 12-10-9-8 units will use the new MKR-MDI-1 while HELIX 7 and 5 units will use the new MKR-MDI-2 adapter. Note that SOLIX units will not require an adapter for these motors.

If you are upgrading your HELIX network to G3 units: existing HELIX transducers, like those supplied with HELIX G1 or HELIX G2/G2N units should be replaced with new HELIX transducers to take advantage of MEGA SI+ and DI+ as well as dual spectrum 2D CHIRP. As noted above, HELIX G2/G2N units can use the dual spectrum CHIRP elements to their full potential after the HELIX units are updated to the current software; however, G2N units cannot access MEGA SI+/DI+. That range enhancement is specific to HELIX 8-12 G3N units.