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Posts: 1828
| Anyone using this unit? A friend at work is considering it and looking for feedback. For $700 it comes with a US HD Map chip that has 1 ft contours on a whole ton of lakes, seemingly as many as Lakemaster has.
I do notice it has half the RMS and peak power output as a comparable h'bird, like the 859, so not sure if that would be an issue...? |
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Posts: 462
Location: Syracuse, Indiana | I just installed echoMAP 93 units on my boat. Initial impressions, in no particular order:
1. Superb mapping and graphics. Waypoints converted over from my old Lowrance lcx units (anyone know what a used lcx 38 and lcx 111 are worth?). VERY easy to use. So far, seems intuitive.
2. Downscan is great. I changed the settings from amber to green - easier for me to see. Bass look like bass - my oldest was "playing video games" catching bass he(claims) he saw on the screen (I was busy missing strikes from muskies - another story).
3. Sonar is similar to what I previously experienced, but I do lose bottom on plane in depths over 90'. Apparently this is a common issue (check out Bass Boat Central). Not a great problem for me, given the waters I fish. Shallow water performance is much better than my old lcx units.
4. I could not get the Sidescan to work. After some internet research last night, I believe I may have selected the wrong transducer. A work in process.
5. Map chips cost $200 each, but you can load the data from one chip on to multiple units. My Canada chip is on order from Garmin. The claim is high definition mapping of LOTW and Eagle (among others). we will see.
6. The user's manual included with the unit is lacking in clarity and information. Expect to spend time online researching questions you may have.
Overall, after a few hours on the water, I am pleased with my selection. Of course, the caveat is that the Sidescan will work. if not, then I'll be talking with customer service. |
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Posts: 1828
| Great, thanks dcates. I'll pass it on. |
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Posts: 443
Location: Duluth, MN | I switched to the 93sv this year from an old Lowrance 27C. I don't have a lot of time with it yet so i don't have much "dialed" in yet. But my first impressions are very good.
The internal GPS has worked flawlessly and is up and running by the time you get to your screens. No waiting for gps to lock in.
Side imaging is what i expected...you can see detail in the logs you see laying on the bottom....very cool. I only muskie fish so i can't really say how effective it is at seeing actual fish as there just isn't a lot of muskies to see.
Down imaging is the same...very good detail compared to regular sonar.
Regular sonar is fine....pretty much like any other color sonar.
9 inch screen is awesome....plenty of room to run your map and sonar\DI\SI in split screen.
Maps are very good on the ultra chip but i don't like them as much as a Lakemaster chip...not enough depths displayed....the lines are there but the actual numbers...there are not enough of them. But i'm getting used to it. I have the ultra chip but i'm not convinced you need it. The extra modes are more gimmick than anything. The relief shading i used for a bit but turned it off so i could see the lines better. I haven't pulled the chip out yet to compare to the plain internal maps but i would just go without until you can see for yourself if you need one.
I love the quick disconnect feature...no plugging in cables when you want to remove the unit.
It's very easy to use....menus are well laid out and not confusing at all.
Latest software has a glitch on side imaging...the very first time you boot up you have to select one side and then manually select the other side or side imaging will not work at all. But once you do it the first time your fine.
I can't think of anything else. I would buy again.
Oh 1 more thing...i do lose bottom when running high speed unless i switch to 200khz frequency. But it's very easy to go in and switch that before i take off so it's a non issue for me. I do not lose bottom at 40mph with 200khz selected.
Oh and you do not need a map chip for a good portion of lower canada as the built in maps cover all of Lake of the Woods. Any further north and you would have to do some checking.
Edited by Lundbob 7/2/2015 1:15 PM
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Posts: 1448
Location: Kronenwetter, WI | Hey for losing bottom on plane see if there is a noise reject setting and turn that up until you get bottom on plane. |
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