Any Lowrance Guru's on the forum?

[KraTToR]

Been a Humminbird guy forever but really like what Lowrance has to offer.

 

Plan on ordering a new boat in the spring so I'm starting to spec out the electronics. PM me if you're interested in assisting.

 

Thanks!

 

Patrick.

[spincast]

If you're in KW - go see Jos down at Angling outfitters. Usually this time of year he is running seminars 1 night a week. Make sure you have a bit of time if you plan on asking him some questions about electronics though,,, he's not one to hold his thoughts in on any fishing related subject, and as for electronics,,,,,, well he does kinda like them.

[Steve]

http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/60451-lowrance-customer-service/page-2

 

Lowrance has gone down - way down.

 

Transducers are the biggest fault.

[Sterling]

I say this every time this type of question comes up; if you're somewhat tech savvy, consider a navionics + t-box setup. http://www.sonarphone.mobi/

 

There's also the wi-fish by Raymarine, it uses CHIRP to give improved image.

 

For $300 you have a setup capable of doing what only $2000+ Humminbird units can do. That is, chart bathymetric maps on the fly. Plus you don't have to pay for the "chip". Speaking of chips, those are archaic rip-offs, just like paying for GPS map updates yearly.

 

There are some downsides of course, but for the price, totally worth it.

[misfish]

 

 

Transducers are the biggest fault.

 

Can you explain this? Just asking.

[misfish]

If you're in KW - go see Jos down at Angling outfitters. Usually this time of year he is running seminars 1 night a week. Make sure you have a bit of time if you plan on asking him some questions about electronics though,,, he's not one to hold his thoughts in on any fishing related subject, and as for electronics,,,,,, well he does kinda like them.

 

I remember someone posting his seminars. They were really good.

[Steve]

the power degradation curves are poor.

 

worst part is, most folks don't know, because it's a degradation, not a failure....

 

lowrance advises to use a sock or similar when trailering to minimize damage to the bottom of your transducer from road debris, etc.

[Terry]

i dont think he was asking for people for their dislike of lowrance

but rather which lowrance units to put on the boat

im sure we can find people to call every make fishing crap but again i dont think that is what he is asking

[grimsbylander]

the power degradation curves are poor.

 

worst part is, most folks don't know, because it's a degradation, not a failure....

 

lowrance advises to use a sock or similar when trailering to minimize damage to the bottom of your transducer from road debris, etc.

 

Steve, I'm not challenging your opinion, just curious. How does road debris damage Lowrance transducers more than any other brand?

 

For what it's worth, I own Lowrance HDS units and I'm happy, but I'd gladly use Humminbird or Garmin. I believe there are no longer many secrets in this industry.

[BassMan11]

Lots to consider. The new HDS Gen3 units are super nice. Lots of ability to customize and tweak every setting on the unit. But you will pay for that. Close to 5k for an HDS 12 with structure scan.

 

If you don't need all of the bells and whistles you can always look at the hook series as well from Lowrance. You can get a decent deal on one with a Nav+ card if you wait for the right deal.

 

I believe all new Lowrance products are equipped with Chirp as well for their standard sonar.

 

I have owned an Elite 7 HDI, Hook 7, and really liked the units. Only real complaint was the processor had a tough time keeping the map moving smooth on the units at higher speed. But you won't have that issue if you go with the HDS units.

 

Lots of good stuff coming out with the Humminbirds as well though. I think at this point it's a Chevy Ford thing.

 

Good luck.

[Sterling]

Lots to consider. The new HDS Gen3 units are super nice. Lots of ability to customize and tweak every setting on the unit. But you will pay for that. Close to 5k for an HDS 12 with structure scan.

 

If you don't need all of the bells and whistles you can always look at the hook series as well from Lowrance. You can get a decent deal on one with a Nav+ card if you wait for the right deal.

 

I believe all new Lowrance products are equipped with Chirp as well for their standard sonar.

 

I have owned an Elite 7 HDI, Hook 7, and really liked the units. Only real complaint was the processor had a tough time keeping the map moving smooth on the units at higher speed. But you won't have that issue if you go with the HDS units.

 

Lots of good stuff coming out with the Humminbirds as well though. I think at this point it's a Chevy Ford thing.

 

Good luck.

 

Not going to pretend I know the exact features of Humminbird and Lowrance, because I don't own either, but can Lowrance do bathymetric maps on the fly? I was under the impression only the onyx series was capable of that.

[Mister G]

I have had Lowrance and Humminbird and I like Lowrance products a lot better for various reasons.

 

They perform very well for me but everyone is a bit different on what they want or expect.

 

My best advice on getting new electronics is not to get over excited about any of them. Don't over spend because I highly doubt they will get you that many more fish in the boat, especially if you are just a average Joe, weekend warrior angler. NONE of the present units on the market will get any of these fish to bite.

 

Now with that said, Lowrance is now cutting prices with rebates, etc..... on there present HDS models because a new generation is about to be unveiled. So save as much money as you can with the "old" technology because I'm sure the new stuff still doesn't have that "make fish bite" button on it.

[shimano19]

I say this every time this type of question comes up; if you're somewhat tech savvy, consider a navionics + t-box setup. http://www.sonarphone.mobi/

 

There's also the wi-fish by Raymarine, it uses CHIRP to give improved image.

 

For $300 you have a setup capable of doing what only $2000+ Humminbird units can do. That is, chart bathymetric maps on the fly. Plus you don't have to pay for the "chip". Speaking of chips, those are archaic rip-offs, just like paying for GPS map updates yearly.

 

There are some downsides of course, but for the price, totally worth it.

So basically you can hook this thing up to an iPad and connect to the app you download? You said it will have everything a high end sonar has? Sounds interesting

[G.mech]

the power degradation curves are poor.

 

worst part is, most folks don't know, because it's a degradation, not a failure....

 

lowrance advises to use a sock or similar when trailering to minimize damage to the bottom of your transducer from road debris, etc.

 

The transducers do degrade over time especially on the higher power HDS units but I'm not sure it's due to road damage though. I think leaving them running out of the water is not good for them but again, how can you be sure? I do know that I change mine every 2-3 years and the new ones are noticeably clearer. You can buy a high end Airmar transducer or something similar but they aren't the 83/200kHz ones and cost the price of 3 or 4 Lowrance ones so I just stick with dual freq Lowrance.

[Garnet]

You should put a little about needs.

 

Electronics is easy the more you spend the better the unit.

[DRIFTER_016]

I just purchased one of these to replace my older Lowrance unit.

 

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-water/fishfindergpscombos/echomap-chirp-93sv/prod529893.html

 

 

My biggest need in a new unit was the map making ability. While Lowrance and Hummingbird both offerthe ability to make your own maps, this is the only manufacturer that does it real time.

They are also less expensive than units sold by the other two manufacturers and there are more units that can make maps.

The issues I have been hearing about with Lowrance's customer service is what steered me away from them.

[BillM]

Dave, I thought the Onyx units did live mapping as well?

[Sterling]

So basically you can hook this thing up to an iPad and connect to the app you download? You said it will have everything a high end sonar has? Sounds interesting

 

Any tablet or phone really. When I'm fishing at the back of the boat, whoever is in front can hook up to the unit's wifi signal and see what I see (with their smartphone). So that's another neat feature.

 

It won't do down imaging or side scanning, for one. But in terms of mapping etc, it's unbeatable.

 

 

 

My biggest need in a new unit was the map making ability. While Lowrance and Hummingbird both offerthe ability to make your own maps, this is the only manufacturer that does it real time.

 

Dave, I thought the Onyx units did live mapping as well?

 

Navionics, Onyx, and this garmin unit (which I just learned about).

 

And by live mapping, I mean driving into a completely uncharted lake and having contour maps (bathymetric maps) created instantly.

Edited December 7, 2016 by Sterling

[DRIFTER_016]

Dave, I thought the Onyx units did live mapping as well?

 

Not sure Bill.

I'm not a fan of Birds as I had a bad experience with one in the past.

First impressions can turn a guy off in a heartbeat.

This is also the reason I'll never buy a Chev!!!

[BassMan11]

I am not super familiar with Garmin so I am unsure of its features. I am sure they are great units.

 

The new Birds which are the Helix models have autochart live right out of the box. 8 hours of free live mapping before you have to buy another card for more mapping. This comes with the Helix 9,10, and 12 models that have GPS obviously.

 

Lowrance has insight genisis which you still have to upload to a website and then download it to a blank SD card. You can keep your content private or public with particular types of subscriptions.

 

If you want live mapping the Birds seem to be have the edge there. But The Garmin could be just as good.

[GBW]

So save as much money as you can with the "old" technology because I'm sure the new stuff still doesn't have that "make fish bite" button on it.

HAHA!

I went with an 'older' unit that was listed for $389 and paid $100 (Lowrance Mark-4) following this same idea... And yeas it was/is a "new" unit never been used

Edited December 8, 2016 by GBW

[DRIFTER_016]

I am not super familiar with Garmin so I am unsure of its features. I am sure they are great units.

 

The new Birds which are the Helix models have autochart live right out of the box. 8 hours of free live mapping before you have to buy another card for more mapping. This comes with the Helix 9,10, and 12 models that have GPS obviously.

 

Lowrance has insight genisis which you still have to upload to a website and then download it to a blank SD card. You can keep your content private or public with particular types of subscriptions.

 

If you want live mapping the Birds seem to be have the edge there. But The Garmin could be just as good.

 

Garmin is free and you don't have to upload anything.

They say you can store 1700 hours of mapping from the regular (non-imaging) transducer on a 2GB card.

Should be able to get a lifetime on a 32 gig one.

[Steve]

sorry Terry not providing a non biased link to some lowrance challenges people have since lowrance was purchased.

 

this place sometimes.

[NANUK]

Nanionics + is a 16GB card,

Whatever unit you buy, make sure it is able to process that much data if you plan on going with Nav +

As for lowrance Transducers, they used to be made by Airmar in the past, ever since Lowrance went with cheaper manufecturer, they just don't last as long as they used to. I don't think road debri has much to do with it unless you are sand blasting it on a dirt road on a regular bases, Transducers work even through the fiberglass hull , I don't think a few minor scratches make a difference, but it never hurts to protect them while trailoring regardless of make.

Edited December 8, 2016 by stonefish

[Terry]

sorry Terry not providing a non biased link to some lowrance challenges people have since lowrance was purchased.

 

this place sometimes.

And again I don't think he asked for people to try to talk him out of buying the product. And I am sure I can find as many problems with other makes .... if he said what do you think about the quality of the product that would be different.

Plus he asked for the help to be in a pm

Some people around here

Edited December 8, 2016 by Terry