Looking at depth finders on a budget.
Ya'll help me with some suggestions so I can research and shop from there.
Thanks
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Looking at depth finders on a budget.
Ya'll help me with some suggestions so I can research and shop from there.
Thanks
This one is right at 5 bills and the price on it has not come down in over a year since I bought mine so I'm thinking that it is selling quite well. I'm very happy with mine.
Thanks for the link Tapout. Anyone else like to chime in? I don't feel like spending 100 hours searching the net. I did that on the big screen and it drove me nuts. Here's a unit that caught my eye last night, but would an really wanting something with sidescan. Any cheapo sidescan units around?
LOWRANCE HDS-5X W/O DUCER DUE FEB 09
Don't go with the 510C. If you want the Lowrance, call up 3 Rivers marine and ask for the 520C without the GPS puck. It'll be the same price, have the same functionality of the 510C but you'll have the capability of adding the GPS at a later date if you want or have the budget for it.
In addition, 3 Rivers will swap out the ducer to a trolling motor one from the standard transom mount at no charge, if that's what you need.
Bargain Prices on Marine Electronics!
Wannabe...
I agree...for 5 bills either of those lowrance units would be great. I like the lowrance/eagle stuff myself...others the humminbird.
If you want to play with the lowrance eagle stuff you can download emulators of whatever your looking at and actually see what you would be getting....its alot like the simulator function on each of the units but you can play with them on your computer. Then you can compare to the functionabilty and options of what YOU need compared to what you want to spend. Humminbird does not have these but they are neat to play with and will give you a better idea than just screen shots...kind of a try before you buy deal.
Eagle:
Product Emulators | Eagle
Lowrance:
Product Emulators | Lowrance
just download the ones you want to check out...then play with them to your hearts content...change settings, push buttons...look at color vs. b/w...anything you want. Hope this helps...I know how hard it can be sometimes...I just did what you talked about with a washing machine....I will research something to death...lol. good luck!
Do you want it with GPS or not? Color screen on not? Cheapest Side Scan is $900. If you really want Side Scan, buy a $125 unit now and continue saving for the SI.
Dayton
Hey Reaper ole buddy ole pal - I can fix you up with a Piranha
for $499 incl. shipping WAIT order in the next 15 minutes and it's only $399
and I'll throw in some free lures :D
Lowrance coming out with new stuff soon. May be able to get good deals on current units after they do.
Guys, thanks for helping.Quote:
Originally Posted by J White
J White, anotha brotha from a brotha from anotha mother. Never heard of Pirahna, don't need those lures you're offering unless it's your "go to" lures. (In other words, if they have not worked for you, why waste my time testing them) I guess I could also forward them to Rusty. He'd try anything (Mikey Syndrom).
I don't window shop graphs much. My old Eagle ll Ultra I bought new in the 80's took a dump. I picked up a Bottomline Pro off Ebay last year that is just soso. I don't know beans about any of the modern units which is why I started this thread.
I'd be much better off if there was a philanthropist who loved to Crappie fish just ship me one for the betterment of my fishing pleasure, and my freezer. This would allow me to continue paying for the regular stuff like Mortgage and Utilities. The graph would be instituted into the "food fetching" dept.
Keep the suggestions coming. I am going to play with the emulators and pretend it's on my boat.
Gps really doesn't matter to me. My I finder is sufficient. I do want to find one with Color. I am also looking for another unit to place at the bow of my boat that is fairly accurate or can be tuned to read structure properly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranger690
Thanks Dayton
One last thing, guess I need to up my price range as I would also like a unit that has a smart card, or is capable of connecting to a PC.
Right now I am torn between the Lowrance 520C with GPS and the Fish Elite 480 with GPS. The color issue is whats hanging me up now.
I have the 520c on the front of my boat and really like it. I saw it on sale somewhere last week for about $550. but I can't remember where it was. Good luck on your quest.
currently shopping them, here's one with the GPS antenna/reciever
LOWRANCE LMS-520C W/LGC-3000 GPS ANTENNA NO DUCER - eBay (item 270288738071 end time Nov-15-08 19:24:35 PST)
Would still need the ducer though.
Dadgummit Reaper, go back and re-read my post. And this time commit it to memory. :)
The only units with a "smart card" is going to be those with GPS. Therefore, the 510C is out. To connect to a PC, you'll need a card to save the info and a reader to read the card from your PC. Some are capable of direct connect (I know my Garmin 178 is), but you have to have the cables to achieve that. In my case, it was cheaper to go the card/reader route.
The only real choice you have with your budget is - Lowrance 520C (with GPS at $629, or without at $459) or the H'bird 787C2 at $555 or possibly the 595C at $499. Difference between the Hbirds are the resolution (# of pixels), but I believe the 787C2 is known to have a lagging GPS position refresh issue. Don't think that is true of the 595C, but not sure. Another consideration is the tranducer. I think the 595C has the 20 and 60 degree cone angle that you can select which or both to use, while the 787 uses the 20 degree only. It may be possible to use the 20/60 with it, but I'm not sure.
Just to make it interesting, I'll throw out the Eagle 500C at $355, 640C at $439 (fishfinder only) or the same units with GPS at $439 and $549. Eagles are great units and function exactly like the Lowrance with the same buttons and menus as Lowrance. The difference is in the output power of the unit. More power is usually thought to be better, but in very shallow water, it can actually be a detriment due to echoes. One other huge difference is the Eagle is not capable of networking, while the comparable Lowrance is - for example, you can have 2 520Cs and only use one GPS puck and select which tranducer outputs on each unit (additional equipment and $ required), but the point is, they're are expandable within the Lowrance Line.
Wannabe...
Lowrance new models..Didn't take 'em long to make my kinda new lcx27 obsolete did it. My ole Ultra Classic still working. I been thru 2 color units. Made in China maybe? I griping..........
Only reason my Ultra ll dumped out on me was my own fault. I left the thing mounted all winter and never put the boat cover on. It might could be serviced, but would prolly cost more than a replacement.
Am wondering why no one ever mentions Sitex or Raymarine units? Are they not very good in shallow waters? I've read up on a lot of them and they seem to do just about everything other than the HB's sidescan.
Only thing I know about Raymarine (Raytheon) is that they make good missiles.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie Reaper
Hope this helps...:)
Okie Dokie boyz and gulls. I did the deed and bought this one. Used
eBay Motors: LOWRANCE LMS-520C WITH LGC-3000 RECEIVER IN GREAT SHAPE (item 270302748159 end time Nov-13-08 19:33:32 PST)
Thanks Wannabe and others
Reaper, You will enjoy that unit! I have a lms480 which is the same unit, but b/w. You can't beat a Lowrance!! Simple and effective. Congratulations! Time to start marking some waypoints.
I accept gratuities in the form of waypoints, jig poles, jigs and small denomination US currencies.
Just saying is all. :)
You're gonna love that unit. Might start thinking about where you're gonna mount the GPS puck. Front, Back or Console. I have mine at the back, but sometimes wonder if I shouldn't have put it on the bow. ????
On the Raymarine and Sitex..........I dunno. They look to be good units, but I think they are marketed to salt water guys and are very popular in the coastal areas. The lack of discussion about them is probably due to not many using them in fresh water and no one having any experience with them in that environment. Probably most of the tranducers that are prepackaged are designed for very deep salt water. Performance in fresh/shallow would probably suffer for it, but I'm sure they make a ducer designed for fresh and I'm guessing they would be very good, but would hate to drop that kind of $ for an experiment.
Wannabe...
If intrested Academy has LMS522 on sale @ $399.00
I would mount puck closest to location you will be when you mark a waypoint. I mark mine from driver seat, it is mounted on top of console. There is never anything to block signal. I think you will like this unit, you can get <10' of waypoint 100% of the time.
My I finder sticks me within about 4' without waas enabled. Stopped using the waas setting as I would lose position too many times while working certain banks. Mine ducer will be trolling motor mounted. I'll stick the Bottom line in the back for running purposes but will have to find a skimmer transducer for it.
I would mount the puck with a ram transducer plate. Puts the puck right with the unit. Costs less than $20 at BPS. Mounted my 480 puck on the back of the boat and the unit in the front. When I mark a spot and try to return I have to move around a little to find it. Mounted 997 with ram plate and it will put me right back on top of the waypoint.
I've spent all morning programming Coords into my I Finder. Bet you guys wish your Corps lakes were as fishing friendly as the Men and Women of the COE that regulate Oologah. They sponsor a brushpile day once a year supplying chainsaws, food, drinks and prizes. They also supply the boats and fuel. They have one representative on each boat that marks the Coords of the brush that is dropped. Then list the placement, and the Coords on a website. Here is a link http://www.swt.usace.army.mil/recrea...rush_Piles.htm
Once I complete the waypoints on my I Finder, I'll D/L those into a file on my PC, then transfer that file to the Lowrance 520c that is on its way. I have alot of hunting to do for the next year or two. I also came across some submerged bridges, roadways and foundations that I plan to explore. Here is a link to the Okie forum that I posted about how I converted the files to input them into the I Finder.
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/oklah...ile-links.html
Hope this helps folks that have run into the same formatting problem that had me so confused.
OK, the Lowrance 520c came in with all the bells and whistles except the mapcreate 6 that the new in box comes with. While reading the destruction manual last night, I am wondering just what the NMEA setup is for and what it can do? If anyone can tell me, it would be appreciated. It has me confused and I would like to understand it. Thanks.
With nmea 2000 you can connect other units (won't have to have another antenna to get gps info on additional units), temp sensors, fuel flow sensors, electronic guages---lots of neat stuff that will lighten your wallet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie Reaper
The manual states that even if you don't plan to use it to still connect the power supply to it with a 3 amp fuse on a switched line to be able to kill the power supply when unit is not in use. Doesn't make sense to connect the power if I don't have anything connected to it. Future use possibly?
Forgot to mention--Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie Reaper
I also have 2 units connected with ethernet cable, have front and rear transducer going to a switch (2 ducers to 1 unit), as I move from driver seat to front of boat I flip switch and both units display sonar from whichever ducer I have on.
Yes, you have to connect the nmea power so the antenna will work, it's best to switch it so it doesn't run battery down.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie Reaper
Thanks Speck for the info. Me now needs to go shopping for the fuses, switches and the itty bitty wire nuts to cap off the ones I don't need.
Can I somehow use the NMEA to run to another Head towards the back of the boat so that the person in back can see what's going on under the front?
You can send gps info through nmea but not sonar-for sonar you'll have to connect with ethernet cableQuote:
Originally Posted by Crappie Reaper