Networking a MotorGuide Xi5 to a Lowrance HDS unit.

[John Bacon]

Does anyone have experience networking their MotorGuide Xi5 to a Lowrance HDS unit?

 

Does this give much extra functionality to the motor? E.g. do you use it to track the shoreline or a contourline?

 

I was speaking to a salesman at LeBarons and he said that the mapping software does not include Canadian lakes. Can anyone confirm this? If this is the case, then it probably doesn't make sense to bother networking the motor to a graph.

 

 

 

[landry]

If so that stinks. Canada is often an after thought.

How are you liking the xi5 - in particular how do you find the pedal?

[aplumma]

Net working the unit from the motor to the hd will give you the same controls as the hand controller. The pinpoint motorguide interface is needed to get them to talk. You can not follow contours from the screen but can plot way points on the screen. The foot petal works fine it does not have the lag of the older units and does not over swing a tap moves it a little and a hold swings till it is released. The useful feature is the heading lock it allows you to set it and forget it. You are not constantly adjusting for current or wind. The anchor feature works very well I give it 5 stars over my older motorguide. I did not bother spending money from the interphase unit.

 

 

 

Art

[Old Man]

Just a heads up that to network the Xi 5 and a Lowrance HDS you will also need to buy the Motorguide Gateway (costs in the high $200 range) plus have or buy a basic NEMA 2000 network system. Haven't networked mine yet but will be purchasing the Gateway for next year. Spent the whole summer fishing with my Xi 5 and love it. As Art said, it's way better than my old Motorguide wireless.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Old Man

[porkpie]

I've seen it on another guys boat. It's very cool , In that you can tap the waypoints on the screen to create a route, and control your motor from the HDS. I don't have lowrance on my boat, so no link, but if I did, I'd probably do it for the couple hun in cost.

[John Bacon]

If so that stinks. Canada is often an after thought.

How are you liking the xi5 - in particular how do you find the pedal?

 

I have only used the foot pedal once so far. I am used to cable drive; so I am still getting used to the new pedal. The heading lock is great when trolling alone. I bungee strap a kicker motor in the straight ahead position and use the MotorGuide to steer the boat. Now I can set my downriggers up without doing a 180.

 

 

Net working the unit from the motor to the hd will give you the same controls as the hand controller. The pinpoint motorguide interface is needed to get them to talk. You can not follow contours from the screen but can plot way points on the screen. The foot petal works fine it does not have the lag of the older units and does not over swing a tap moves it a little and a hold swings till it is released. The useful feature is the heading lock it allows you to set it and forget it. You are not constantly adjusting for current or wind. The anchor feature works very well I give it 5 stars over my older motorguide. I did not bother spending money from the interphase unit.

 

 

 

Art

 

Thanks, are these way points that you saved? If it is only following your own way points then I don't see where mapping software would fit in. When the salesman mentioned the mapping software, I was under the impression that it could follow depth contours or shore line.

 

 

Just a heads up that to network the Xi 5 and a Lowrance HDS you will also need to buy the Motorguide Gateway (costs in the high $200 range) plus have or buy a basic NEMA 2000 network system. Haven't networked mine yet but will be purchasing the Gateway for next year. Spent the whole summer fishing with my Xi 5 and love it. As Art said, it's way better than my old Motorguide wireless.

 

Yes, it sounds like the costs of networking outway the benefits. I saw some Gen 2 HDS units at a good price. I think I may hold off for now.