IS IT WORTH IT

CN · Post by CN » Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:11 am

I am thinkig about getting one of those Humminbird side imiganing unit's.Are they really worth that much money or are they just another toy we think we have to have.

Another question is I have a Lawrance x75 on my bow and it seem's to be acting up.It turn's on but just flash's on and off.Could this be a bad Transducer?I have checked the connection's several time's and they seem to be fine.

Or should I just sell the Boat and take up Golf.

mac (Doyle McEwen) · Post by **mac (Doyle McEwen)** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:22 am

Give the boat to me, and I will in turn give you a gross of golf balls..

mac

mac (Doyle McEwen) · Post by **mac (Doyle McEwen)** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:23 am

Or maybe that is one gross golf ball..

mac

Norv · Post by **Norv** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:24 am

I've attended several tech sessions put on by Future Pro Tour and one of the items covered was Hummingbird's side imaging units, their capabilities, applications and advantages. It seems like there are situations where having side imaging would be beneficial. For instance, if you wanted to see if there were fish suspended around the docks at Clear Lake or you were fishing rock piles and wanted to see if there were fish in the rocks. The one thing to keep in mind is that the sonar is only effective in showing you images if your boat is moving. I think they said around 3-5 MPH. so, it's not going to work if you are sitting in still fishing a specific spot.

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 11:48 am

They are well worth it, and until Lowrance comes up with similar technology I have to give the nod to Humminbird.

You will find subtle structure and cover features that you wouldn't have been able to find, or at least would have had to zig back and forth numerous times to find, with ease with the SI feature. You can point it to either side, or cover both simultaneously. Little rockpiles, single rocks, stumps brushpiles, and baitballs are extremely easy to locate and waypoint.

Here are some additional comments I'd placed in a previous post on the subject and my current setup:

I am currently running a Humminbird 1197 at the console, and a Lowrance LCX-38C HD on the bow. Had a 797C2 SI in my dash (Ranger Z20) previously, with a Lowrance LCX 111C HD on the RAM mount.

First and foremost - SI must be used at slower speeds... it can't effectively process information much over 5-7MPH. That being said... the 797C2 screen was a bit too small for my preferences when using SI. It would have probably been passable if it had been mounted at eye level, but still a challenge to decipher small features on SI. The GPS and sonar worked just fine.

I've also previously had a LCX 26C HD on my bow, replaced with the 38C, and it is a great sized screen. Only thing missing is side imaging

Check the units out closely at your local store for comparison, and pay attention to where it would be mounted. Both are good units.

I LOVE the 1197... it is the nut!

Roger

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:02 pm

I think tunaman hit the nail on the head. The Humminbird 1197 seems like the right tool to use at the helm when driving around prefishing; however I've heard from guys who have one up front that they are less than satisfied. Going with a split setup using a Lowrance HD unit up front gives you the best of both worlds.

jimmy87 · Post by **jimmy87** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:15 pm

LMAO

you can always just mount your transducer to shoot from the side of your boat.
it is what I do.

it tells you how many feet you are off the bank rather than the depth and you graph the fish. it lets me know how close to the bank they are.
this has been a trick for many many years.
bottomline portable fishfinders do the same thing as well.

Tin Can · Post by **Tin Can** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:29 pm

If you have some crappy portable fish finder where the transducer isn't actually mounted to the boat that might be a good plan. I would MUCH rather see depth than how far I am from shore. I can look at shore and know, I can't look through the water and see the bottom.

durobi · Post by **durobi** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:38 pm

I Have a 997 si in the cockpit and a 797 si up front. The side imaging up front is a waste since the sensor is attached to the trolling motor and it is constantly changing (rotating). I do like the regular depth display up front. However the side imaging in the cockpit is awesome. This works off of a transom mount sensor . I also had another sensor installed which shoots thru the hull like the normal lowrance type. This works better with less turbulance interference when you are up on plane. you can also network all the sensors and gps signals to front and back.
Take a look at Humminbird website ,they have a constantly flowing help forum and other links with great examples of side imaging pictures.
Also these units will take navionics chips and hold your SD chip to capture any si pictures you might want to keep .
The 1197 came out a few months after I got my 997. It cost about a grand more but you get an 11inch display compared to the 9 inch on the 997. I find the 997 works just fine.

CN · Post by CN » Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:52 pm

durobi wrote:I Have a 997 si in the cockpit and a 797 si up front. The side imaging up front is a waste since the sensor is attached to the trolling motor and it is constantly changing (rotating). I do like the regular depth display up front. However the side imaging in the cockpit is awesome. This works off of a transom mount sensor . I also had another sensor installed which shoots thru the hull like the normal lowrance type. This works better with less turbulance interference when you are up on plane. you can also network all the sensors and gps signals to front and back.
Take a look at Humminbird website ,they have a constantly flowing help forum and other links with great examples of side imaging pictures.
Also these units will take navionics chips and hold your SD chip to capture any si pictures you might want to keep .
The 1197 came out a few months after I got my 997. It cost about a grand more but you get an 11inch display compared to the 9 inch on the 997. I find the 997 works just fine.

Thank you,just what I was looking for