Sonar/DI/GPS Help

So I'm new here and have a question. I have a new Lowe FM165WT on order. Won't be here for another month or so. It comes standard with a Lowrance Elite 3x mounted on the console. I'm wanting a unit up front on the trolling motor and I want a combo of sonar/down imaging and GPS. I want to be able to mark spots I find for use later. I'm pretty new to all this. I previously fished out of a pontoon w/o a trolling motor and a basic FF on the dash.

• Where would be the best spot to place the more advanced unit?
• If I would be better off with the Elite 3x up front, is it going to be easy to move from the factory installation?
• What are some suggestions for the DI/GPS unit? My budget for this is $500.

Thanks in advance for your comments/suggestions.

Read here.....for days!! You can learn so much going through the current and even older posts. The only thing you can't get is help on which unit to choose....oh, you'll get opinions by the ton, but the best way to choose is to try to go out with boaters who have some of these units and watch and learn. A bow unit is farther from your eyes than a console unit, so the larger screen you can get, the better you will be able to see it. To get an idea of where to locate a unit in front, you really need to sit up there and figure out where you will be able to look at it and not be tripping over it. You can run power up there and just hang the transducer in the water to use it. You don't even have to do a permanent mount until you get a few days of fishing to decide. One piece of advice.....If you pull out your factory transducer....make sure you attach a "pull" string or wire and pull it in when pulling out the old wire....it will save you a lot of hassle when you put a new transducer in.

And welcome to the site

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by vic n

Read here.....for days!! You can learn so much going through the current and even older posts. The only thing you can't get is help on which unit to choose....oh, you'll get opinions by the ton, but the best way to choose is to try to go out with boaters who have some of these units and watch and learn. A bow unit is farther from your eyes than a console unit, so the larger screen you can get, the better you will be able to see it. To get an idea of where to locate a unit in front, you really need to sit up there and figure out where you will be able to look at it and not be tripping over it. You can run power up there and just hang the transducer in the water to use it. You don't even have to do a permanent mount until you get a few days of fishing to decide. One piece of advice.....If you pull out your factory transducer....make sure you attach a "pull" string or wire and pull it in when pulling out the old wire....it will save you a lot of hassle when you put a new transducer in.

And welcome to the site

---

Thanks for the input. That's a good idea on pulling string back through when relocating the transducer for the Elite 3X. I understand about opinions on different units. I am looking for opinions and I'll do plenty of research before buying one. I have my eye on the Humminbird® 688ci HD DI KVD Combo with Navionics+. Would I want that located at the console? I'm not sure what the preferred setup is for most fishermen.

I see this thread has a lot of views. I was hoping for more responses. Does anyone have any opinions on the unit I listed?

In that price range, you are going to limit yourself to units that are stand alone and only have 1 card slot.
If you are wanting to have a unit at the bow and console, it is nice to be able to interconnect them.....Problem is, to get a unit with 2 card slots and the ability to connect via Ethernet you are going to be spending closer to $1000.....See the Humminbird 899.
The other option would be to buy used......I personally would go for a used 798, 788, or 898 before I would go with new units that won't network. I would want a SI capable unit at the console....You could make the bow unit a DI if you want to get a unit with a dedicated DI crystal.

If you want new and don't care about networking check out the new Humminbird Helix models, you can get a LOT of bang for your buck with them.

Also call Brian with BBG for better pricing and support.

I'm not sure that I'm really interested in SI at this point. Maybe down the road, but right now I'd just like a good DI unit with GPS. Like I said, this is all very new to me. My crappie fishing methods prior to now would be what might call "primitive".

• See tree
• Tie up to tree
• Waste an hour or more not catching fish on said tree
• Rinse/Repeat

It wasn't quite that bad. I had a cheap FF that I used to look for certain depth/structure, but I wasn't very diligent in my approach.

The 688ci HD DI would be a good unit......But the Helix 5 DI is the current model and you can get it for about 1/2 the price of the 688

Humminbird | HELIX 5 DI

I think you will be able to get it cheaper than the advertised price if you call brian bbgmarine

BBG's specs show 200/83 for the Helix, but Humminbirds site shows 200/455 for the 2D.......I'm not sure which is correct.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobB

The 688ci HD DI would be a good unit......But the Helix 5 DI is the current model and you can get it for about 1/2 the price of the 688

Humminbird | HELIX 5 DI

I think you will be able to get it cheaper than the advertised price if you call brian bbgmarine

BBG's specs show 200/83 for the Helix, but Humminbirds site shows 200/455 for the 2D.......I'm not sure which is correct.

---

That one looks good and cheaper than the 688. Do those come with lake maps preloaded or do you need to buy cards so that you can get all the lake details?

I'll have about $400 in Cabela's point I'll be using for this so been looking there. Of course I can use those points for any of the other $100's I'll be spending for a new boat...lol.

There will be some onboard maps, but generally no-one is happy with them....You will want either a Lakemaster or Navioncs map chip.....These Helix units use the new micro sd card, and I am not up to speed on the availability of them.

You will want to research and find which provider has the best coverage for the lakes you fish.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobB

There will be some onboard maps, but generally no-one is happy with them....You will want either a Lakemaster or Navioncs map chip.....These Helix units use the new micro sd card, and I am not up to speed on the availability of them.

You will want to research and find which provider has the best coverage for the lakes you fish.

---

Excellent info. Thanks.

I do see a Helix 5 with SI that is in my price range. So maybe I'll look into that. Is it generally preferable to have this unit on the console? I would assume you would want it there so that you can idle about with the big motor, looking for cover before you move in closer with your trolling motor? Is this how most people do it?

Exactly .... I think of the SI as a search tool..... You can set the search range wider or more narrow depending on what you are searching for....Wider for general structure features ....Narrower for searching for fish or smaller structure.

You will find things you had no idea were there!!

That is what I would recommend for a beginning Side Imaging sonar user.

My first unit was a DI with GPS mounted on console with transducer at the back. Added the Lakemaster card so I could try to find my way through all the wood at my lake (some successes, some failures in that regard). Then I bought the TM transducer for that unit and a complete second mount....in other words, I could just yank the head from console and mount it at the bow to go with my TM transducer. I think having 2D and DI at the bow really help getting on top of(or one the side of) brushpiles. You will want to have a unit at the console with GPS so you can see where you are going.....you want the DI and 2D up front to zero in on the cover......I did all that with one unit.....at least for a while. Then I saved up and bought a used SI unit that uses the same mount, other than the transducer, so it was an easy install.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by vic n

My first unit was a DI with GPS mounted on console with transducer at the back. Added the Lakemaster card so I could try to find my way through all the wood at my lake (some successes, some failures in that regard). Then I bought the TM transducer for that unit and a complete second mount....in other words, I could just yank the head from console and mount it at the bow to go with my TM transducer. I think having 2D and DI at the bow really help getting on top of(or one the side of) brushpiles. You will want to have a unit at the console with GPS so you can see where you are going.....you want the DI and 2D up front to zero in on the cover......I did all that with one unit.....at least for a while. Then I saved up and bought a used SI unit that uses the same mount, other than the transducer, so it was an easy install.

---

Not a bad idea there.

I got the humminbird helix 5 di gps and love it so far. Next will be si in a few years.

Thank you all for the replies. This has really helped me.