echoMAP 4x or Helix 5?

Started by ijlal, February 26, 2017, 04:13:20 PM

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ijlal

Hi,

I am looking to replace my Lowrance Mark 4 HDI with a more capable 'SALTWATER' unit.

The Lowrance is pretty decent unit for shallow inshore water but not suitable with the supplied 83/200/455/800kHz transducer for offshore work.

After a lot of searching, I have shortlisted my options down to Garmin echoMAP CHIRP 42dv/cv that I shall buy without a transponder and buy the GT21-TM transducer (traditional 50/200kHz at 600W, ClearVu w/CHIRP 260/455kHz at 500W,) as against the usual GT20-TM supplied by Garmin with these sets. At under $300, this little unit suits my budget too; however, I am willing to stretch my budget another $150 for the Humminbird Helix 5 CHIRP SI GPS G2 if and only if it is a better unit for offshore use.

The additional Side Imaging is a good feature but not one of my priorities, as it works in only up to around 100ft. My priorities are for depth and Down Imaging. The reason I shortlisted the Helix 5 with SI is because their DI-only units do not provide traditional sonar, hence useless for saltwater.

Kindly help me with your experience/expertise.

Thanks!
I live 'fishing'!

boon

Unless I'm rather mistaken on the pricing, seems like a LOT of money for a 4.5" combo unit.

I would look at a Lowrance Hook 7. Lots of features for the $$.

johnsj1

do not waste your money on lowrance hook 7. I have one very slow chip cannot keep up with boat travel. have to shut off entire unit and restart every couple of hours'

ijlal

I already bought a Humminbird Helix 5 CHIRP SI GPS G2.... The system is quite good but there is a problem. Unlike Lowrance and Garmin, the Humminbirds sold in the US are for the US only! Okay, I already use nautical miles and knots for distance and speed, and I can adapt to Fahrenheit instead of Celcius. This is not a big issue, however, one wonders why Humminbird could not have added metric measures in the menu; all that was required was a bit of programming in the software!

The major problem is you have to set the time zone for the GPS to give you accurate time and ETA, and the only time zones available are the US time zones! My previous Lowrance Mark 4 HDI did not have this problem. It seems Humminbird never for once thought most people around the world buy fishing gear online from US websites! How very shortsighted of Humminbird! I used to love the company, as my first fishfinder was also a Humminbird. I am never going to buy another Humminbird again!
I live 'fishing'!