What has anybody heard about H/Bird megalive being updated?
Been a while since there was any news at all about the future.
regards
Ronje
Humminbird MegaLive
Moderator: Ken Sauret
Re: Humminbird MegaLive
60 views and no news.
Would YOU guys like some news on what H/Bird has been up to?
You'd be familar with the names Carl Jocumsen (an aussie on the US bass scene) and Jeff Gustafsen (also big on the US bass scene).
Well, they've been here in Aus (Queensland) for the last week quietly testing H/Birds new megalive transducer.
As a result, the notice below has been posted on one of the major forums in Aus
https://fishingterritory.com/?sid=76b57 ... e3a68dbf34
You guys would have recently seen what's been going on with the 2 US BassPro fishos over here testing out the new Humminbird MegaLive transducer.
Well, the feedback is that there's a marked improvement in the performance of the updated transducer over a week of testing in the ABT events near Mackay in Qld.
Humminbird is to be making a public statement on 9th Dec about the new version megalive transducer.
Informal feedback is positive and those views and the test footage obtained are being cobbled together to be made official on 9th Dec.
Don't know if 9th Dec is Aus date or US date.
There WERE 2 megalive transducer prototypes in use in 2 different boats so screen results could be compared by all members of both boats.
One would have to acknowledge the role played by the ABT organisers and other competitors in assisting the exercise with minimum interference to a worthwhile series. Nothing is ever easy organising stuff like that.
Congratulations to all.
...................................................................................................................................
ALSO
It's understood that a separate announcement will also be made about the new Humminbird Explorer sounder.
Scuttlebutt is that the Explorer is to replace the Helix series. Timing not known. Stay tuned.
Lets see how good that info is.
....................................................................................................................................
You'll recall a previous thread I put on here about Garmin LVS 32 and Garmin LVS34 plus.
In that thread I told u how an extra layer of ceramic crystals was introduced into the LVS32 transducer and renamed as a LVS34 plus.
THAT had the effect of increasing the signal strength of the transducer beam to reach out further AND to allow the lure to be seen more easily on retrieve. That's important..
Both of those effects have been described to me as improvements seen on the screens of the H/bird prototypes by the users at the Mackay dams.
Garmin also slightly increased the size of the LVS34 transducer so don't be surprised if this new megalive transducer is slightly larger than the existing transducer.
Garmin also claimed that the LVS34 plus model gave the transducer better Target Separation and THAT was a load of B/S.
The LVS34 was claimed to have slightly better TS as a result.
However, it wasn't from modifications to the transducer beam array.
Only an increase in CHIRP modulation can do that.
Meaning that Garmin HAD put extra ceramic crystals in the transducer array alright BUT had also quietly bumped up the CHIRP slightly for better TS and wouldn't admit to it.
We can't have those pesky customers knowing too much, can we? H/bird has been doing the same thing with its pesky customers. Not listening and keeping them in the dark but out of indifference rather than deliberate. The effect is the same.
Here's hoping H/Bird stick to the timetable they nominated. Their track record hasn't been too good.
Would YOU guys like some news on what H/Bird has been up to?
You'd be familar with the names Carl Jocumsen (an aussie on the US bass scene) and Jeff Gustafsen (also big on the US bass scene).
Well, they've been here in Aus (Queensland) for the last week quietly testing H/Birds new megalive transducer.
As a result, the notice below has been posted on one of the major forums in Aus
https://fishingterritory.com/?sid=76b57 ... e3a68dbf34
You guys would have recently seen what's been going on with the 2 US BassPro fishos over here testing out the new Humminbird MegaLive transducer.
Well, the feedback is that there's a marked improvement in the performance of the updated transducer over a week of testing in the ABT events near Mackay in Qld.
Humminbird is to be making a public statement on 9th Dec about the new version megalive transducer.
Informal feedback is positive and those views and the test footage obtained are being cobbled together to be made official on 9th Dec.
Don't know if 9th Dec is Aus date or US date.
There WERE 2 megalive transducer prototypes in use in 2 different boats so screen results could be compared by all members of both boats.
One would have to acknowledge the role played by the ABT organisers and other competitors in assisting the exercise with minimum interference to a worthwhile series. Nothing is ever easy organising stuff like that.
Congratulations to all.
...................................................................................................................................
ALSO
It's understood that a separate announcement will also be made about the new Humminbird Explorer sounder.
Scuttlebutt is that the Explorer is to replace the Helix series. Timing not known. Stay tuned.
Lets see how good that info is.
....................................................................................................................................
You'll recall a previous thread I put on here about Garmin LVS 32 and Garmin LVS34 plus.
In that thread I told u how an extra layer of ceramic crystals was introduced into the LVS32 transducer and renamed as a LVS34 plus.
THAT had the effect of increasing the signal strength of the transducer beam to reach out further AND to allow the lure to be seen more easily on retrieve. That's important..
Both of those effects have been described to me as improvements seen on the screens of the H/bird prototypes by the users at the Mackay dams.
Garmin also slightly increased the size of the LVS34 transducer so don't be surprised if this new megalive transducer is slightly larger than the existing transducer.
Garmin also claimed that the LVS34 plus model gave the transducer better Target Separation and THAT was a load of B/S.
The LVS34 was claimed to have slightly better TS as a result.
However, it wasn't from modifications to the transducer beam array.
Only an increase in CHIRP modulation can do that.
Meaning that Garmin HAD put extra ceramic crystals in the transducer array alright BUT had also quietly bumped up the CHIRP slightly for better TS and wouldn't admit to it.
We can't have those pesky customers knowing too much, can we? H/bird has been doing the same thing with its pesky customers. Not listening and keeping them in the dark but out of indifference rather than deliberate. The effect is the same.
Here's hoping H/Bird stick to the timetable they nominated. Their track record hasn't been too good.
Re: Humminbird MegaLive
By now there would have been news in the US about H/Birds public announcement 2 days ago at the Metstrade Exhibition in Amsterdam about megalive2 and the introduction of the Explorer model to replace Helix version.
The announcement wasn't unexpected. Just the time and the place.
The events of the last 10 days here in Aus have been happening quickly and NOT just keeping an eye on the results of the testing by Probass competitors Jocumsen and Gustafsen.
I've been dealing with a H/Bird product manager who actually appears to "know his stuff" about CHIRP technology (which is what has been sadly lacking in H/Bird's public arsenal of development).
As you'll see, Helix models are to become redundant (timing unknown) to be replaced by Explorer (Xplorer).
Apart from keeping an eye on the results of Jocumsen and Gustafen's activities, a lot of work needed to be done on looking into the technical improvements involved in Megalive 2.
Without going into lots of boring detail about the data processing shortcomings of Helix (why Helix had to go), most Apex and Solix models already have data processing capability superior to that of Helix and will "pair" with Megalive 2. But not all.
The bottom line is that Megalive 2 is now on a par with Garmin's Livescope using a LVS 34 Plus transducer. I can tell you why and how but not on here at the moment. Later maybe because there are much broader effects to be considered by existing (or potential) H/Bird users
Below is the last communication I had with the H/Bird guy a couple of days before the Amsterdam announcement.
Note the last sentence about advice
..............................................................................................................
H/B guy wrote:
"You also choke down your processor trying to crunch and display all of that unnecessary data if you use the full RR capabilities"
Of course you'll choke the processor crunching unnecessary data but nobody is suggesting the use of full RR capabilities (200 khz or more), ........ That's simply an extreme option nominated by you that nobody would agree with.
However, there is a satisfactory and workable balance for your customers that you guys are only just now trying out. Too little and too late, I fear.
Why weren't you doing this 2 years ago?
Too afraid to give the CEO/President Helen Johnson-Leipold some customer feedback? The emperor's new clothes syndrome? https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/68/fairy-tal ... w-clothes/
Must be a fun place to work.
H/Bird has been distracted from its customer focus. A flawed management outlook near US CEO level resulting in not listening to customers has landed H/Bird where it is.
If there's one thing that worries a CEO (along with an unhappy company board), it's a drop in the company share price.
H/Bird is the major income producer for its parent Johnson Outdoors.
Have a look at the Johnson Outdoors share price compared to the US stockmarket Nasdaq Index over the last 5 years
Contd next post
The announcement wasn't unexpected. Just the time and the place.
The events of the last 10 days here in Aus have been happening quickly and NOT just keeping an eye on the results of the testing by Probass competitors Jocumsen and Gustafsen.
I've been dealing with a H/Bird product manager who actually appears to "know his stuff" about CHIRP technology (which is what has been sadly lacking in H/Bird's public arsenal of development).
As you'll see, Helix models are to become redundant (timing unknown) to be replaced by Explorer (Xplorer).
Apart from keeping an eye on the results of Jocumsen and Gustafen's activities, a lot of work needed to be done on looking into the technical improvements involved in Megalive 2.
Without going into lots of boring detail about the data processing shortcomings of Helix (why Helix had to go), most Apex and Solix models already have data processing capability superior to that of Helix and will "pair" with Megalive 2. But not all.
The bottom line is that Megalive 2 is now on a par with Garmin's Livescope using a LVS 34 Plus transducer. I can tell you why and how but not on here at the moment. Later maybe because there are much broader effects to be considered by existing (or potential) H/Bird users
Below is the last communication I had with the H/Bird guy a couple of days before the Amsterdam announcement.
Note the last sentence about advice
..............................................................................................................
H/B guy wrote:
"You also choke down your processor trying to crunch and display all of that unnecessary data if you use the full RR capabilities"
Of course you'll choke the processor crunching unnecessary data but nobody is suggesting the use of full RR capabilities (200 khz or more), ........ That's simply an extreme option nominated by you that nobody would agree with.
However, there is a satisfactory and workable balance for your customers that you guys are only just now trying out. Too little and too late, I fear.
Why weren't you doing this 2 years ago?
Too afraid to give the CEO/President Helen Johnson-Leipold some customer feedback? The emperor's new clothes syndrome? https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/68/fairy-tal ... w-clothes/
Must be a fun place to work.
H/Bird has been distracted from its customer focus. A flawed management outlook near US CEO level resulting in not listening to customers has landed H/Bird where it is.
If there's one thing that worries a CEO (along with an unhappy company board), it's a drop in the company share price.
H/Bird is the major income producer for its parent Johnson Outdoors.
Have a look at the Johnson Outdoors share price compared to the US stockmarket Nasdaq Index over the last 5 years
Contd next post
Re: Humminbird MegaLive
Post contd
The US Tech Standard NASDAQ has gained 46% yet Johnson Outdoors (H/Bird) has fallen 77% in the last 5 years. Down from US $140 to US $32 in 3 years.
THAT'S gotta tell what the stock market thinks of H/Bird's performance as well as what customers think. Customers vote with their feet.
Almost completely out of the live sector of the sounder market as well as the stock market.
The visit by Carl Jocumsen and Jeff Gustafsen from the US BassPro circuit to Aus is almost too little too late.
Jocumsen is from Toowoomba in Qld so only 600km or so from home to where he and his mate/s are playing around testing a new model in impoundments (near Mackay).
A bit of "the prodigal son returns home and to do some fishing"? B/S.
They're here checking out the H/B mega live "technical developments that you tell us we need to watch out for".
When customers hear nothing from a company like H/Bird, an information vacuum develops and where that occurs, rumour moves in and it sure has in this case.
There'll be some loyalists who choose to stay with H/Bird. Some retailers who have to stay. But customers don't have to stay. They just need a decision to bite the financial "swap-over bullet" and go to Garmin with no intention of coming back.
In Aus, we may be a small market compared to the US bass scene (a small "backwater" market compared to the US bass industry) where some quiet testing can be carried out practically anonymously, but Aussie rec fishos aren't silly.
I understand that there may be 2 protypes in Aus with a second one with one of the Morgan brothers. Maybe only 1 and it'll be left with the Morgans
Remember the advice. H'bird to make a quick announcement before Johnson Outdoor's shares are suspended from trading on the US Nasdaq. Bit cheeky but still "above the belt.
The US Tech Standard NASDAQ has gained 46% yet Johnson Outdoors (H/Bird) has fallen 77% in the last 5 years. Down from US $140 to US $32 in 3 years.
THAT'S gotta tell what the stock market thinks of H/Bird's performance as well as what customers think. Customers vote with their feet.
Almost completely out of the live sector of the sounder market as well as the stock market.
The visit by Carl Jocumsen and Jeff Gustafsen from the US BassPro circuit to Aus is almost too little too late.
Jocumsen is from Toowoomba in Qld so only 600km or so from home to where he and his mate/s are playing around testing a new model in impoundments (near Mackay).
A bit of "the prodigal son returns home and to do some fishing"? B/S.
They're here checking out the H/B mega live "technical developments that you tell us we need to watch out for".
When customers hear nothing from a company like H/Bird, an information vacuum develops and where that occurs, rumour moves in and it sure has in this case.
There'll be some loyalists who choose to stay with H/Bird. Some retailers who have to stay. But customers don't have to stay. They just need a decision to bite the financial "swap-over bullet" and go to Garmin with no intention of coming back.
In Aus, we may be a small market compared to the US bass scene (a small "backwater" market compared to the US bass industry) where some quiet testing can be carried out practically anonymously, but Aussie rec fishos aren't silly.
I understand that there may be 2 protypes in Aus with a second one with one of the Morgan brothers. Maybe only 1 and it'll be left with the Morgans
Remember the advice. H'bird to make a quick announcement before Johnson Outdoor's shares are suspended from trading on the US Nasdaq. Bit cheeky but still "above the belt.
Copyright © 2013-2025 WesternBass.com ®