HDS Question

D · Post by D » Wed Mar 31, 2010 1:30 pm

Anyone have the structure scan updates on their units and if so what do you think about it? what does it cost and is it worth it?

mark poulson · Post by **mark poulson** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 1:52 pm

If you already have a larger HDS unit, then this makes perfect sense, and is well worth the money.
If you have the HDS5, the screen isn't big enough to do it justice.
The structure scan technology is amazing, but a small screen won't show the detail.
For the record, I have a HumminBird 997 on the console, and a Lowrance HDS5 on the bow.

acm95301 · Post by **acm95301** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 4:54 pm

I have the HD 7 lowrance and purchased the 600.00 Lss-1 structure scan unit. I installed it myself, and was able to do it without difficulty.

The Lss-1 can be installed to turn on with the unit, but to save batteries and reduce transducer noise I opted to add a kill switch for the Lss-1. And you have to remember to turn the darn thing off or you use you batteries up in the garage.

The HD7 screen looks great and the sounder makes a great image, and the GPS is an absolute must. The HD8 and HD 10 have bigger screens and if in your budget are better...great even.

The Lss-1 is mostly for scanning structure, so its strength lies in pre-fishing, not necessarily tournament day. You can change and resize screens so....you can do right only, left only, right and left, and down. the down is particularly interesting as you can translate the 2D image on you finder, and the structure scan at once.

The HD7 is a smallish screen , but if you resize the screen and do only right side and scan a resonable distance lets say 80-100ft only you can see plenty...and you can zoom in on anything....you can record it...and replay it too.

ultimately this is a tool to optimize pre-fishing / search tool.. you could to the same with a crankbait or jig...but saves time and ultimately money. you can search a cove in a 3-4 minutes and it might take 1-2 hours with lures.

dgoldston7 · Post by **dgoldston7** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 5:12 pm

I have the HDS 8 with structure scan on the console of my boat. Simply put, It's AMAZING. No more guessing whats down there. If you graph a tree, it looks like a tree, grass looks like grass and so on. This is a great tool to use when looking for a certain type of structure, or to see what kind of stuff is down there in some of your favorite spots. I was very surprised when i drove over some of my spots on various lakes and saw what was actually down there. Lately i have been playing with the overlay features. ( overlaying structure scan on top of regular sonar), This is very useful and lets you see the structure and fish at the same time. Overall very much worth the money.

acm95301 · Post by **acm95301** » Thu Apr 01, 2010 5:14 am

I've only briefly used the overlay feature, If you find a good setting let me know....Some of the color palettes just make a mess.

I've been just doing side by side screens so far.

dgoldston7 · Post by **dgoldston7** » Thu Apr 01, 2010 9:10 am

Ya I agree, getting the settings correct is tough.. I got it decent but I feel like it could be a lot better with the proper settings. I'm not sure what I had it at (boats not with me) but if I figure it out I'll let ya know. Anybody else got this dialed yet???