Billy Bob Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 What the heck are you doing up at 04:19, that's reserved for Lew.. Forgot to turn the clocks back....and the dog doesn't know how to turn her clock back either.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassman87 Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 had both lowrance and hummingbird. i say go with lowrance, hands down better unit and service. just my opinion tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Speaking of Lowrance service, where are they located now ?? They used to be on Matheson in Missisauga but evidentely they've moved from that location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted November 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Just for the record, I am an equal opportunity angler.I have an X135 lowrance on the bow of my boat.Its only a finder, but i have no issues with it.I have no issue with the sonar on the hummunbird either, just the GPS. The Lowrance units came from the Brand new Ranger B/B that my brother bought a couple of years ago. He removed them immediately and replaced with humminbird units, and has never had an issue.He has always had humminbird. I had 2 x135 units, one is on my boat, and last year 4x4bassin was looking for a sonar, and i gave him one n/c. I dont need to know which one is best, my decision on brand has already been made.I believe my unit is defective,and just needed some info, and your opinion regarding thier response. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted November 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 had both lowrance and hummingbird. i say go with lowrance, hands down better unit and service. just my opinion tho Hummmm, interesting. I had a small issue/question on my x135, went to customer support, sent the email form, 6 months and 2 follow ups later not even a confirmation of of my questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 (edited) Merc.....When I purchased my first Lowrance LMS 520C unit, it had a small problem reading very shallow depths in thick weeds....I went on the BBC Board Forum site( http://www.bbcboards.net/zeroforum?id=13 )and everyone there said to contact Linda Colt...I did via email and she sent me out a Brand New Unit with NO money exchanged or even my credit Card for deposit, only on trust. When I received my new unit I put the original purchased unit in the box that came with the replacement which also has a postage free sticker back to Lowrance via UPS....now if anyone can beat that I would love to deal with that company also....Humminbird screw me years ago with a flasher unit...but that's another story all together. Edited to add: Try this site....they are VERY helpful for electronic, etc....this one is specifically for "Birds"... http://www.bbcboards.net/zeroforum?id=279 Edited November 6, 2011 by Billy Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipper D Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Hi , its Skip here this morning filling in for our dearly departed Mr Rooney . It dose'nt make any sence to me at all why we have to rush down to the store to buy the latest Gps gadgets then rush home , get them out of the box and go out and try them to see how accurate they are . Then to find out they are incapable of putting us back on the head of a pin every time we want to get back to where we were yesterday . For me i 'd have too say that there is not realy all that many fish in the area the size of the head of a pin would'nt you . Personaly i like fishing a area of about 500'x500' at a time where they can fit in more fish doubling my chances and that i can line up with by useing a tree or a rock seen on shore , gadgets that mother nature put there for free for every one to take advantage of and to which suite my pocket book just fine for now and in the future leaving something left over so i can get myself an icecream cone when i want or for any one in my family as far as that go's . So i strongly suggest boys and girls , keep the money and go back to useing mother nature , its alot easyer on the brain ..... thats how i see it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 people will say the make they have is the best just like trucks.........so ignore all that....it's useless info for the most part speed should be very accurate over a few seconds of time it figures your speed by your position and the time it took to get there, so they are giving you a snapshot of your speed every few seconds and really GPS for fisherman has not been around all that long it seems maybe late 80s..just guessing gps was off by 300 ft + or- was useless for finding your way back to a rock in the middle of the lake then Loran-c a land based signal would correct the inaccuracy of the gps but expensive and only worked in some areas then in the 90s..they dropped the military encryption so we were closer to being accurate..then waas not long ago and we are within 10 ft accurate..guessing from memory so don't quote me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 I had a Loran C unit.....GPS is much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 well yeah now but back in the beginning it was the only game in town Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 I have spots that are literally 20-30 feet long... Literally... I wanted accuracy... I thought the days of lining up Chanel markers with tv towers and trees were in the past... It's a good thing I was taught that skill as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesn Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 MercMan, you say Lowrance has their problems. How many Lowrance units have you owned and what are the problems they have? I have had a few Lowrance units over the years and none have had any problems. I still have my old paper graph and x70 that still work quite well. Even my hand held h2o c works flawlessly. By the way. On charts and GPS maps it states to "not to rely on for navigational purposes". The maps are not perfect. I've had 9 diff Lowrance units. X25 (died), X135, X75, X85, X15, LMS 330 (died), 4 x LMS 332 (all died), 2 x LMS 520 (both died), X 26 (gps died 2 twice on day 1 of multi-day trip or tournament). I'm not surprised the older units are still kicking - I bet my old x15 and X75/X85 are probably still working too. Navico (who bought Lowrance) certainly don't build them the way they used to. Buddy had 2 HDS 8s right out of the box dead on arrival. Anyone can go google the unbelievable amount of Lowrance issues and customer service issues they've had in the last few years. I was as die-hard of a Lowrance fanboy as there could be - but enough was enough. I now run an 1197 and 858 networked combo that is pretty awesome. BUT I also added an HDS 5 in dash as well for gps only backup because it can't hurt to have some insurance. I might also go to dual 858s up front to have a dedicated sonar unit and a dedicated map unit. Would be a bit more insurance in case 1 goes down. Better safe than sorry. No manufacturer out there makes a perfect trouble free unit - only a paid shill would even try to claim that. Humminbird is definitely better than Lowrance at the moment in terms of reliability but they both should be a lot better for the amount of money we pay. Go google the results of Lowrance vs Humminbird issues and see for yourself. If we paid 2000+ for a laptop - would we settle for 10-15 second start up times, constant firmware upgrades just to be usable and 3-4 week waits for dead on arrival units? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesn Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 I might be a little late with this but maybe you should have gotten a Lowrance? My LCX 25C works well and my old X-85, after all these years works flawlessly. ps. Oh, disregard the above. Perhaps you should give Humminbird another crack at it. Hey, all the really good fishing dudes with those coloured shirts and sexy Humminbird logos all say they're the best they've ever used! C'mon Paul...buy another Humminbird. They already told you that they're aware of their limitations so it's only a matter of time before you're really somewhat happy with one. How many Navico built Lowrance units have you used Roy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesn Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Hummmm, interesting. I had a small issue/question on my x135, went to customer support, sent the email form, 6 months and 2 follow ups later not even a confirmation of of my questions. Unfortunately very common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesn Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Merc.....When I purchased my first Lowrance LMS 520C unit, it had a small problem reading very shallow depths in thick weeds....I went on the BBC Board Forum site( http://www.bbcboards.net/zeroforum?id=13 )and everyone there said to contact Linda Colt...I did via email and she sent me out a Brand New Unit with NO money exchanged or even my credit Card for deposit, only on trust. When I received my new unit I put the original purchased unit in the box that came with the replacement which also has a postage free sticker back to Lowrance via UPS....now if anyone can beat that I would love to deal with that company also....Humminbird screw me years ago with a flasher unit...but that's another story all together. Edited to add: Try this site....they are VERY helpful for electronic, etc....this one is specifically for "Birds"... http://www.bbcboards.net/zeroforum?id=279 Funny you mention Linda Colt. Maybe google what Lowrance did to her as her reward for spectacular customer service. Or go through the BBC archives to see how they treated her. That was in my opinion the beginning of the end for their Customer Service. She truly did treat customers like human beings and people as opposed to wallets attached to a number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted November 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Funny you mention Linda Colt. Maybe google what Lowrance did to her as her reward for spectacular customer service. Or go through the BBC archives to see how they treated her. That was in my opinion the beginning of the end for their Customer Service. She truly did treat customers like human beings and people as opposed to wallets attached to a number. Thank you Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GbayGiant Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Charlesn, you have had a very bad string of luck. I have not had to purchase another unit since I bought the 104c eight years ago. It was also discontinued like every one of the units you bought. It is still going strong like every Lowrance unit I have had. It must be a good string of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 You know what......buy and use "Birds" while I find my way back to the hot spots and catch all the fish.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted November 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Ok everyone.I think i have all the info i need.Thank you all for you input. Personally, i dont give a dang what you are all using.I don`t even care which brand you find better. Fact is, i own a Bird GPS,which in my opinion is deffective.It is still under warranty so it will be up to humminbird to do the right thing. I will keep you all up to speed on this, so please, lets not get this thread locked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Lock em up....LOL... Sure take your unit and go home....baby.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted November 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 As promised, a follow up to this thread. The unit was repaired, the card reader and the pcb containing the GPS chip has been replaced also. I also got an email directly from Humminbird in response to my concerns.So Humminbird gets Brownie Points for customer service 1 1/2 years later and i still have not heard from Lowrance in response to the email i sent regarding my x135. Here are the emails from both Humminbird and the serviceing company FishnTech. Paul, I have your unit ready to go, I was mistaken when I told you the external antenna might help your situation, as it turns out the 500 series will not even accept the external antenna. I changed the card reader and the keyboard pcb that contains the gps antenna, the gps will not work with heading and speed unless you are moving at 1/2 mph. This is directly linked to the gps chip receiver that is used. Regards, GaryFISHNTECH514-990-8144 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Dear Paul, Thank you for contacting Humminbird. We appreciate your interest in our products. This occurs due to our units do not assume the heading is the same as the heading it was travelling when the unit/boat came to a stop so it will continuously look for the proper heading until you start to travel at .25mph or faster. This is considered acceptible by our guidelines and we feel there is no issues with the GPS. If you experience issues with the icon on the chart view not correcting after you start traveling or if it shows you facing the wrong direction while you are moving please let us know. If we can assist you further on this subject or any other Humminbird related questions please feel free email us again or contact our Customer Resource Center at 1-800-633-1468 to speak with a Customer Service Representative. Our hours are Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Good Boating and Fishing! Dawn-crc ///////////////////////////////////////////////////// so, for now, i am happy with my Humminbird.If there are more issues in the spring, you know i will let you all in on it Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipper D Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 (edited) Good ! That makes me like my humminbird better Paul .......... now i can sleep in peace...lol . Edited November 11, 2011 by Skipper " D " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted November 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 (edited) Good ! That makes me like my humminbird better Paul .......... now i can sleep in peace...lol . Its a good sonar Skip.As good as any at that price for sure.I may just pick that up myself, to replace the lowrance on my bow. Edited November 12, 2011 by mercman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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