Printable View
Thinking real Serious about picking one of these up. I crappie, catfish and snag. I have a mark-5x pro now, any reason I shouldn't get this unit? Should I save my pennies and get something else? Is the down imaging worth the cash? Should I get something with side imaging? The gps is important for me...
I have one and like it for the most part. I had a problem with the delay in refreshing the GPS chart screen when I was running at speed. One of the members suggested it might be the Navionics chip I had in the unit. Sure enough I took it out and the screen has much less delay.
What happens is as I move along the cursor move accross the screen and when it approaches the edge of the map the unit refreshes to show the next portion of the map. The screen will go blank for about 45 to 60 seconds so you are flying blind until the screen display comes back up.
I have a smaller HB combo with a chip in it and it does not do this. There is not lag at all in it.
Overall it is a good unit, the color sonar is very sharp. Still learning the DI part, most DI images look like an old 35MM film negative.
I had a problem with the LAG as well but am seriously considering another one but I will add a external puck to this one. Best bang for the buck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rees Guide
RG,
Was the lag due to an exernal chip like Navionics or was it slow without the card as well.? Even without the card mine is slow enough to be annoying.
I had the lag also. I found it was only when I was zoomed in. I back it out to half mile range and it does not lag at all??
Mine lagged no matter the situation, zoomed out it just wasn't as noticeable. A external puck solves this completely
I have one with the point 1 and still have the lag on the map with it zoomed in.
I won't be buying another one then, was told by a Lowrance tech it would solve it but I had done sold mine.Quote:
Originally Posted by seejimfish
Rees, Do you use the HDS Lowances?? Are they worth the money? I have the elite and would like to use it on the trolling motor and looking for something to link it to for the console. But I can buy two 898 birds for the price of one Gen 8 bundled with stucture scan.
I haveLOWRANCE hds 8 at console and elite 7 at tm, as I understand the elite series will not ethernet with the hds 8, but I love the hds 8, if its showing fish, GET YOUR POLE IN THE WATER!!! SERIOUSLY!!!
Just put the elite 7 on trolling motor with lowrance downscan transducer. Not happy so far as I a have tried nearly every possible solution to get rid of interferance from tm with no positive result. the only thing I have not tried yet is wiring in a rf filter??
by the way I have this mounted on MinnKota auto pilot with U2 but am not using it,
Hope this was helpful to you!!!
Do you have them linked with the NEMA 2000 connection?
I actually went back in time and went with LCX units and ended up with a 4000 puck and was thinking about another try at the 7 but if it lags at all I don't want it myself. Only fault I have found with it but it is s deal breaker for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by music man
HDS units are great, have fished with a bunch that have em but I am having trouble wrapping my mind around the bucks, guess I will stick with older lowrances a little longer.
I have a seven on the front right now and its ok. I will be running a 12 touch and a ass 10 at the back. I had a 9 touch go bad at Grenada. All the ass are worth the money. The difference is amazing.
No I dont have the nmea hooked up on either unit. jimfish just curious if you run a minnkota autopilot or somithing similar?
I think you rite about the ass!!!,,!:DQuote:
Originally Posted by seejimfish
I was told they will share way ponits between the HDS and the Elite by nema 2000 only. My understanding is motorgudie just introduced their version of the Terrova that links to the Lowrance
Not getting the warm and fuzzy out of this! I am feeling like I may save another month and get a 898c HD SI....I hate to spend money twice!
I have made the change to Lowrance, won't look back, better images in my opinion. With that said if you have no loyalty to either one you will be more pleased with the 898. Take a look at the HDS 7 series tho, I know that don't have SI but they are good units. Prolly gonna bite the bullet before spring and get a 12 touch for the console unless I run across a used unit with structure scan. Insight mapping is a great tool as well and is included in the HDS units. Good luck.Quote:
Originally Posted by jshull
I also made the change but I still can't help looking back. I went with the HDS 7 Touch but at this point I am not convinced that I have better images than the HB 898 that I had. The touch screen is great and very easy to get through the menus. I also have the Point 1 which I like very much.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rees Guide
There is just soooo much hardware to get a Lowrance system up & running.
I will continue to work with the 7T and hope things will work out. If not, I am not loyal to any company and will go back to HB.
Please don't take my Garmin away.nonono
Take care of my buddy, Billbob, while he is in your neck of the woods.:Rofl:yikes
Just my 2 cents. I have 998 and not a lot of experience with it yet. Was going to get the 7 but sure glad I spent the extra for bird. DI and SI are great features but the charts are what have me sold on it over the 7 and the lack of hardware it takes to get what I want. Do a search through the vendors on our sponsors board and other sources for sale units. BBG did have the HB 788 HD DI unit for half the price of the 7 and does everything the 7 does and Canberra linked to a 800,900 or 1100 series. Saw add the other day from Academy on 998 for 1200.00
Well I tried that and it worked on mine as well. Still have a long lag when I zoom in, but at least it does not go blank when I am running accross the lake. I actually can go to .2 zoom and it is OK. That is with the Navionics chip in the unit.Quote:
Originally Posted by music man
How does the machine do for S L O W W W GPS speed readouts below 1MPH a.k.a. NOT the donut problem?? :popcorn
Surface clarity and the boxes below it, I have set to off and run it on 455 instead of 800. Get the speed up to say 2.5-8 mph. At 1 mph you can see trees but it is blurry. Best to scan with the trolling motor wide open or idling around with the outboard. I have not mess with the GPS too much yet, I have the Hotspot Pro 2013 USA chip it shows you all the ditches and creek and river channels.
PS Make sure you upgrade the unit to the latest 2.0 version.