darsky Posted March 28, 2009 Report Posted March 28, 2009 I am having a hard time deciding where to buy as most retailers are stocking HD. Looking for an LMS-520/522/525 . Is Radioworld negotiable?
trapshooter Posted March 28, 2009 Report Posted March 28, 2009 Price check anything you find with Angling Outfitters in Woodstock. Jos is a great guy to deal with and from what I've heard his Lowrance prices are hard to beat.
Handlebarz Posted March 28, 2009 Report Posted March 28, 2009 Even if you find a unit cheaper then Angling Outfitters you will not find a person who knows more about them give Jos a call he will take great care of ya let him know the price you found else where and you never know what he might do for ya. One thing I know is that he will set the unit up for you the right way the first time and does FREE updates just pop into the shop ahd he will take care of you.
SlowPoke Posted March 28, 2009 Report Posted March 28, 2009 I am having a hard time deciding where to buy as most retailers are stocking HD. Looking for an LMS-520/522/525 . Is Radioworld negotiable? As you know, these units have been discontinued. They are in short supply and demand is rising. Your options of where to buy might be shrinking daily! I'll be running a 525 & 522 this year.
DRIFTER_016 Posted March 28, 2009 Report Posted March 28, 2009 As you know, these units have been discontinued. They are in short supply and demand is rising. Your options of where to buy might be shrinking daily! I'll be running a 525 & 522 this year. Yep, not many around as they have discontinued most of their line in favour of the new HD units. There are still some to be had new on ebay, but almost all online stores I have looked at are out of stock. It's too bad because now they don't make a midrange combo unit. If you want GPS/Finder you have to put out $1000 min.
Mike the Pike Posted March 28, 2009 Report Posted March 28, 2009 Darren I like Lowrance myself but I saw a good deal at Sail Baron this week for a Humminbird 757C gps combo for $499.00 in full colour.
Billy Bob Posted March 29, 2009 Report Posted March 29, 2009 I have a Lowrance LMS 520c unit. Great unit but with that being said they are discontinued and getting warranty service on them may be now only 3-4 years. It would be wise to get a HDS unit as it is a much better unit from everyone I have talked to that now has one with warranty service/part available for some time to come. If you do decide to get a LMS unit the 520 gets much better GPS reception because of the external antenna ESPECIALLY if your will be doing a flush mount in the dash because the internal antenna is built in the top back part of the unit and MANY guys have reported of continuously losing GPS reception because either the unit it built in OR the unit is tipped upward to read while fishing up front using the trolling motor. If you have a choice you might want to steer clear of LMS internal antennas. Bob
DRIFTER_016 Posted March 29, 2009 Report Posted March 29, 2009 (edited) I have a Lowrance LMS 520c unit. Great unit but with that being said they are discontinued and getting warranty service on them may be now only 3-4 years. It would be wise to get a HDS unit as it is a much better unit from everyone I have talked to that now has one with warranty service/part available for some time to come. If you do decide to get a LMS unit the 520 gets much better GPS reception because of the external antenna ESPECIALLY if your will be doing a flush mount in the dash because the internal antenna is built in the top back part of the unit and MANY guys have reported of continuously losing GPS reception because either the unit it built in OR the unit is tipped upward to read while fishing up front using the trolling motor. If you have a choice you might want to steer clear of LMS internal antennas. Bob There is no problem getting older units serviced. They do it right in Mississauga. Warranty or not they will just swap units. If I have a problem with my old LMS 350 I can return it to Lowrance and they will swap it for a replacement for a set fee. The fact that they are local should factor in to your purchase. With a Lowrance you can walk in with a broken unit and out with a working one. If you need to send it in because you are not in the area turn around time will be reduced. Much better than being with out it for weeks. Especially up here where open water is measured in weeks. Edited March 29, 2009 by DRIFTER_016
SlowPoke Posted March 29, 2009 Report Posted March 29, 2009 If you do decide to get a LMS unit the 520 gets much better GPS reception because of the external antenna ESPECIALLY if your will be doing a flush mount in the dash because the internal antenna is built in the top back part of the unit and MANY guys have reported of continuously losing GPS reception because either the unit it built in OR the unit is tipped upward to read while fishing up front using the trolling motor. If you have a choice you might want to steer clear of LMS internal antennas. Bob The LMS internal antenna issues were sorted out from the 3xx series to the 5xx series and I believe all the HDS units are internal. I bought a 522igps so I could use it as a portable for rentals, on the bow for casting days, for ice fishing and for shallow water trolling. I also have an external 525 unit on my boat in case the 522 can't 'see' through my bimini top and the 522 can be networked to use the external antenna.
Billy Bob Posted March 29, 2009 Report Posted March 29, 2009 It's true that new HDS units are all internal antennas and the antenna is now in the FACE of the unit. But the LMS and LCX units are still problematic of in dash installs and using them up front when you have the unit tilted all the up so you can view the screen while standing and working your trolling motor. BTW Lowrance still has a puck for the new HDS units that is smaller than the LMS pucks but is 5 times faster to upgrade map movement. This is a $249.00 option. Also true that if you download the new software from Lowrance that NOW you can network them (LMS 522 or 527) together and or use a external antenna. However, there are still units on shelfs that have 2.1 or 2.3 software versions for the LMS units. Mine which I purchased last year had 2.1 software when I received it. But the software upgrade is a VERY easy fix on all these units using Lowrance's website and going to it's software update page. I now have the 2.4.0 upgrade and have downloaded the 2.4.2 BETA software which is suppose to COMPLETELY correct shallow water reading. This BETA software now gives you a SHALLOW WATER option on the menu to check if you are having shallow water reading issues with the 2.4.0 version. I was crappie fishing the last two days and mine unit is working perfectly with the 2.4.0 software but I do keep onboard the 2.4.2 BETA version chip in my mapping card storage case just in case. Take a good look at what the new HDS units are capable on this short video (scroll down until you see the video part) http://walleye.outdoorsfirst.com/board/for...s=8&start=1 Bob
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