I have an Elite 5 DSI that I use mainly for charting. Very rarely do I use the downscan. My finder is an old X100c that I bought from Wildman about 8 years ago for $100. I’ve learned it so well that I always know what I’m seeing. The HDS combos are nice. But I’ve been made fun of for getting my money’s worth out of my equipment. Most of the time, I can’t complain about the results.
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175 Yammy Jammer
I agree. The HDS units are nice, but I just don’t see where the extra $$$/features will help put more fish in the boat. Screen size is the big thing for me right now. I was looking at the Lowrance site and even if I go with an Elite 7, I may go with one that just has standard broadband sonar and save $100 ($599 w/tranducer). The only reason I am even considering the extra $100 for the downscan is because my winter fishing is pretty much always sheepshead fishing on the reefs and I think it would be pretty cool to see that with the downscan.
In any case, I don’t see any advantage to placing an order now. The sites seem to be showing MSRP. Also, the more I think about it, I may even wait until the Elite 7’s have been out a month or 2 so there will be some ■■■■■■■■ out there.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
fogman- does the elite 5dsi give you good seperation between structure and fish? have been seriously considering that model but have never actually seen one in use – been fishing lately in areas with a lot of standing timber and deadfalls on the bottom and i beleive im missing a lot of fish down thru the timber with my 480 – the pics i see on the lowrance ads are nice but i know those were prob taken in a controlled environment under perfect conditions–with my 480 its hard to decide wether im lookin at a suspended fish or a large branch sticking off a tree just off screen
84 HYDRA SPORT 1800SS
89 Yamaha 150
‘BAD HABIT’
89 TRACKER 17 TX
MERC 50
‘OL LEAKY’
Yes. I can distinguish fish from tree branches using the downscan. The only time I really use it is around heavy timber.
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175 Yammy Jammer
question for anyone who has the elite 5 dsi–how detailed is the basemap on the gps?–does it show any contour lines or is it just a blue screen on the water–will purchase a mapping card if i need one but i am still looking for a card at a good price–would like to get this ordered in the next couple of days while i can get it for $379 plus shipping
84 HYDRA SPORT 1800SS
89 Yamaha 150
‘BAD HABIT’
89 TRACKER 17 TX
MERC 50
‘OL LEAKY’
I use Navionics Hotmaps East. Contour detail is good. However, my chart position sometimes freezes or updates super slowly when pulling or drifting. When that’s the case, I restart the unit and it performs better. Most of the time the chart works flawlessly.
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
Some of the Elite-7 HDI units are available now. I did alot of searching and the best price was at Hodges Marine. $611 + $9 shipping. Mine will be here Monday. Gonna be a looong weekend. LOL
http://www.hodgesmarine.com/Lowrance-Elite-7-Base-Combo-83-200-And-455-800-p/low000-10966-001.htm
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki