Recommend me a depthfinder

Not buying tomorrow......but really interested in what you Pro's have to say on this. The technology has passed me by.

Seeing ABH's setup (10X more than I can afford!) told me that I'm in the dark ages with depthfinders, etc.

I hope Mama don't read this, but I "found" about $600 in stock options from an old job that are going to expire soon if I don't cash 'em in........and hope the stock doesn't drop, cause they've been worthless for years and the stock finally inched up enough to make some of them worthwhile.

I currently have a Lowrance 337C on the console. I have a Humminbird b/w unit on TM. Both have GPS, external. Entering coordinates in them is a chore.

Boat is a Lowe Stinger 195 crappie type model, with 115hp 4stroke Merc.

I don't know how much out of pocket I can add to the above $$$, but my criteria are:

1) Side imaging
2) Down Imaging
3) Internal GPS
4) EASE OF ENTERING GPS files, like the AGFC ones, or whatever I can find elsewhere.
5) Ease of installation (current console transducer cable is run up under gunwale, and is bolted on externally to transom)
6) Not going to be obsolete technology soon.........(I'm old, this may be my last console unit)
7) Can either be integrated with a new technology unit on TM later (or used on TM and new technology on console), not going to be out of date in a few years. For example, if I got an Onix or equivalent in 2-3 years, will this integrate?
8) I prefer Humminbird......have a Maxxum 70 now and would like a remote control TM someday...
9) Probably something I have not even thought of that you guys will clue me in. Some of the 'customer reviews' on some of these models leaves me less than enthused!! "Won't operate at high speeds", "Need expensive addon transducer", etc.

PM, email, post here, anything. I'm ALL EARS. I know so little about all this that you'll have to type REAL SLOWLY!:dono

Thank you in advance.

Bill

With your budget here is a unit that will get you everything you want. Small screen may be a little hard to see in SI.
BBG Marine Electronics
This is a nice unit for the money. No SI but 2d and DI with GPS. Larger screen and I for one am not sold on the SI for where I fish most of the time. Either of these units should be network capable for awhile.
BBG Marine Electronics

A rock and .99 cent roll of twine.:Rofl

HB 898 would be a good unit for what you are wanting. You may be able to find a good used one for a couple hundred dollars more. The 798 would be closer to your price range, but the 5" screen is a little small for identifying fish on the si. Either one will link up to your HB on the tm. Lowrance has equivalent models but will not link with your other unit, and you will likely end up buying another unit later. As for the deal about your unit being outdated in a few months, well....that's gonna happen no mater what you buy. They are always "improving" on old technology, or adding some new feature that we just have to have; better resolution, extra slot for sd card. :banghead I bought my 798 two years ago and I am very happy with it. Sure, the small screen is a bit of a pain, but it helps me locate structure and fish, and links up with my 598 on the front, so it does the job for this poor boy! :biggrin

Humminbird® 899ci HD SI Combo for $899??????????????????????????

Why is 899 less than the 898??? It seems on Humminbird's site that many of the "8's" are being discontinued. I don't see 898 on Humminbird's site, just for sale elsewhere. If they don't list it, why not?

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Originally Posted by NIMROD

A rock and .99 cent roll of twine.:Rofl

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Sorry man. I don't use cheap twine. Mine is polypropelene and glows in the dark, rolls up easily, and magnetically attracts fish!!! Much more expensive.

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Originally Posted by Buckrub

Humminbird® 899ci HD SI Combo for $899??????????????????????????

Why is 899 less than the 898??? It seems on Humminbird's site that many of the "8's" are being discontinued. I don't see 898 on Humminbird's site, just for sale elsewhere. If they don't list it, why not?

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On the 899 they dropped the 800khz sonar frequency which to me is not a deal killer. I think the 899 has a faster processor, and also an internal gps. The x98 series is not manufactured anymore as far as I know.

I think I'm going to sell my body on the street and save up and just get an 1199.................or a 999.......or something. It appears all the ones I want are on backorder anyway, for months...........

Or get nothing, and keep catching same!!

Dadgum it, this is insane. A) I know so little about all this and B) everyone here knows 10X more than I do!!! :) Somehow I gotta find something if I want to see what's down there, though..........

Still cogitating all this............any input welcome. Thanks so far!!!

Selling yourself on the street might get you and I said might, that 0.99 cents twine. Youll still need the rock.

Sigh.

In my heart I know you're right.

save and get the 1199 , i think the humminbirds are easier to use right out of the box, like the lowerance units that i got but not very easy to use, lot of learning and time spent to figure out all the settings and uses !! keep it simple stupid is my moto!!!!!

On a semi-serious note, I was just sitting here thinking of all the days fishing in the past with an old johnboat all dolled up, a 25hp used motor, and an 8' fishing pole that we used for a 'depthfinder'. On many lakes, including Nimrod, when they were drawn down and we saw where we used to go full tilt, we swallowed hard and winced long.

And yet................ we caught fish. We were awesome at bank structure fishing!! Well, we were good, ok? But whatever we did, the only thing we needed a battery for was a trolling motor..................

Now we can't get by without $7K worth of stuff stuck all over the boat. And I'm whining cause I can't afford it. :fish

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Originally Posted by Crappie Greg

save and get the 1199 , i think the humminbirds are easier to use right out of the box, like the lowerance units that i got but not very easy to use, lot of learning and time spent to figure out all the settings and uses !! keep it simple stupid is my moto!!!!!

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Thanks. I will probably do that. Maybe by the time the backlog clears, they'll come down some too.

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Originally Posted by Buckrub

Sigh.

In my heart I know you're right.

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Just kiddin good luck with your choice.

The Elite 7 HDI is a lot of unit for the money. However I am in the process of upgrading mine to an HDS 7 touch with Lowrance because the processor in the Elite will not handle the Navionics chip. It has a 60 to 90 second delay when you try to zoom in or out or move across the lake at speed. Lowrance just released update 4.0 to improve this issue, but I had gotten tired of fighting the slow response.
The graphics on 2D and DI are very good and if you use the built in mapping or a chip from Lowrance you won't have the delay issue. Take that away and it is a lot of bang for the buck. I bought mine from Brian at BBG Marine and he beat all prices I found elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by Buckrub

Dadgum it, this is insane. A) I know so little about all this and B) everyone here knows 10X more than I do!!! :) Somehow I gotta find something if I want to see what's down there, though..........

Still cogitating all this............any input welcome. Thanks so far!!!

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You are not alone! I thought I did something last year when I upgraded to DI unit from an old Lowrance x135. I've never relied heavily on electronics to catch fish. Show me the depth and the water temp and IF i luck up on a brush pile, hump, bend, etc and see it on my graph, that's good. I generally use trial and error and experience to find and catch fish.

That's about to change.....

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Originally Posted by arkcrappie

You are not alone! I thought I did something last year when I upgraded to DI unit from an old Lowrance x135. I've never relied heavily on electronics to catch fish. Show me the depth and the water temp and IF i luck up on a brush pile, hump, bend, etc and see it on my graph, that's good. I generally use trial and error and experience to find and catch fish.

That's about to change.....

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Man, this site is expensive!!

You got that right Chris! I'll only have to finish in 1st place in the next 14 CACA tournaments to break even!! :Rofl

I have the 898si hd I really like it I use the si to find the bait fish and the di to stay on top of them when trolling.

Can somebody comment on the built-in gps maps on Lowrance vs. Humminbird? I'm not up to date on everything but when I've compared the gps maps on my Lowrance Elite 5 DSI to my friends Humminbird there was no comparison. Lowrance shows the channels and contour lines which I use extensively and Humminbird wasn't even in the game by comparison. Like I said this all may have changed by now.

When I get the money up to buy one, I"m gonna buy whatever RCC has, that way he can teach me how to use the dern thing. I don't like figuring stuff out for myself.

Get a hummingbird or lowrance but I would get it in a big screen so you can see the thing. I like big screen depth finders. My eyes aint what they ust to be. Both companys make a fine depth finder.

Lowrance!!!!