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Posts: 273
| I am looking to upgrade the console unit on my boat and am looking for opinions on whether to go with lowrance or hummingbird.
I have always run lowrance and think they are great, but my limited time using hummingbird has impressed me as well.
The HDS 9 touch (gen 2) with structurescan is what I have been eyeing up all winter. Now I see gen 3 is here and has me wondering if this is what I should be researching.
I have recently been looking at the helix 9 mega and think I could get use to having this on the boat as well.
I would love to get some opinions on both. Thanks.
Jeff |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | Back in 2012 bought a new boat went with birds since i could link them with trolling motor. Now they both have that available. But I have had no issues with my birds so when I up grade I'll go with birds again .they both have nice unit's can't go wrong with rather one . |
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Posts: 1100
| Lowrance came with a new version after gen 3, its called "Lowrance HDS carbon"
I have a hds gen2 and a gen3, an really like them. |
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Posts: 273
| Zinox - 3/22/2017 11:56 AM
Lowrance came with a new version after gen 3, its called "Lowrance HDS carbon"
I have a hds gen2 and a gen3, an really like them.
What does the gen 3 do that the gen 2 does not? |
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Posts: 61
| Built in chirp is the biggest thing and a couple other minor things. |
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Posts: 114
| Humminbird and its not even close.... |
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Posts: 221
| If you have/will have minnkota TM go with birds. Hell, go with Birds either way. |
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Posts: 79
| I have a gen 2 and a gen 3 hds 9's on my boat and cant say enough good things about them. Next units will be Lowrance also short of something new and crazy comming out. Insight Genesis is a really cool feature with the social maps that are uploaded too, crazy accurate.
Try before you buy, Garmins are supposed to be awesome too. |
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Posts: 273
| I do have a MK terrova. Linking humminbirds to the terrova would be a bonus , but is not a main priority for me. Can you guys elaborate why you think the humminbirds are the way to go? |
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Posts: 558
| Lakemaster chips with the birds. Best money you will spend! |
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Posts: 386
| I started with Lowrance, then went to Humminbird and now I'm running Garmin units with Panoptix which blows the previous two out of the water. Between the two you asked about I would go with Humminbird because I think their mapping is nicer. |
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Posts: 1209
| Out of the box si/di and mapping are much better with birds. Lowrance has better 2d sonar. But 2d doesn't make it close enough to be even. Lowrance can be more adjusted making the tech gurus like it more. But that more adjustability makes them harder for a novice to use efficiently. I ran hds9t si vs 999 bird si on my boat before selling the bow hds9t g2 and si ducer to run 959 bow and hds9 flush with 999 si both on bow. Birds just work. I do run link on one of my trolling motors. |
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Posts: 354
Location: Vilas County, WI | My old rig had Lowrance stuff with semi dated technology... so I can't necessarily speak for the new Lowrance units.
However, I put Helix's on my new boat last September. Love them and won't go back to Lowrance. Lakemaster chips are awesome, great picture, and easy to navigate through screens. Set my shortcuts which was an awesome feature too. |
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Posts: 29
Location: Romeo Michigan | I have 2x onix and 2x hds gen3 on my Ranger. Onix is better mapping, linking too MK. I love the autochart feature. HB360 is a gamechanger though can't wait if they ever update that technology. It's downside is it takes forever too boot up.
As others have said, Lowrance excels at sonar with little to no adjustment, structure scan 3D is real nice if you jig rivers as we do here in Michigan, and allows you to record side imaging and overlay on navionics maps.
I could go on but these would be the biggest differences in my experience.
If I bought today it would be Helix for megaimaging and Garmin for panoptix.
I will say HB has the best customer support in the industry though.
Whichever you choose today they are a'll good.
Best of luck.
Cheers
Jake
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Posts: 983
| cant go wrong with either I had Helix on boat I just sold and new boat has HDS5 gen 2 on it...I really liked the Helix5 but now that I have used the Lowrance what is said is exactly right the Lowrance Sonar is second to none...I was highly impressed and it was running oldest version of software I just updated last night cant wait to try plus I love the Fact I can go wireless with Lowrance and mirror the HDS5 unit to Tablets in bow and rear deck....saved me thousands from having to buy finders for the Bow and rear deck...Like stated above cant go wrong with any of the units today go play with them and see what you like |
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Posts: 273
| Great feedback guys. Thank you. This has helped with my learning curve, but muddied the waters in my decision making. I started looking at some of the Garmin stuff last night and am very impressed with the quality, but am not sure I am going to spend that kind of money this time around. Thanks again.
Jeff |
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Posts: 444
Location: Duluth, MN | I went Garmin when i got my new boat. Gave it an honest year and found i just did not like the mapping and i switched to Humminbird. Lakemaster maps is what separates the brands in my opinion as i think the features and performance are probably pretty much the same across the board. |
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Location: 31 | I've had no problems with customer support at Lowrance and agree that being able to tweak the sonar, screens, and structure scan settings is fantastic. I've almost never found the map chips to be accurate enough for how I fish and just been using the maps that come pre-loaded for the last 4-5 years without looking back, mainly because I put the detail I want on my maps with waypoints... so no interest as long as they are close.
I run 2 gen2-12s at the helm and 1 gen2-9 up front and see no reason to spend the $ for the latest/greatest... I actually think they are already pretty great with no foreseeable changes in the future. |
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Posts: 441
| I had two different Lowrance units on my boat. Both of them only lasted three years.
Called Lowrance each time to get them repaired, and they said we can't help you, but we will sell you another one at a discounted price, and only give you a six month warrenty.
No thanks! Now I have a Helix 9. |
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Posts: 114
| Not to mention how Lowrance gouges you on prices. I just saw the 16 inch carbon is $5799, compared to the 15 inch Solix $3499. I will pay $2300 less for the 1 inch smaller Solix. |
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Location: 31 | Fishysam - 3/23/2017 6:50 PM
The 16" carbon has one bad assf feature I want in birds soon!!! It can have two transducers on the screen at one time. Example rear 2d and bow 2d ideal for seeing if automatic anchors like tallon or power pole will reach bottom also while drifting weed edges/ steep breaklines gives you a 20' buffer to stay on the edge!
You can network the front and back transducer for several years now with the Gen2s. I have a very limited experience with Humminbird, but guessing equally up to the task.
Out of curiosity do they have a trade-in policy like Lowrance?
“You can now view and control traditional sonar and structure sonar
independent of one another on an Ethernet network. That allows
you to view traditional sonar from a trolling motor transducer, while
viewing StructureScan data from a transducer mounted on the
transom.”
Edited by Jerry Newman 3/25/2017 3:20 PM
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Posts: 1209
| You can net work together yes, but you can't display both( bow and transom 2d) at the same time on one unit
I ran si and 2d on my bow unit years ago. Bow unit has us2 for transducer 2d and the si came from the transom. That isn't useful while drifting offshore muskellunge
Edited by Fishysam 3/25/2017 2:57 PM
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Location: 31 | Interesting, can't you at least read the depth/bottom type with the SI in 2d?
From experience I can tell you that Lowrance (even with the earliest Gen1 units) could display both ends of the boat no problem, and the down scan capability of the structure scan has way more detail than a standard 2d transducer… very surprising that Humminbird SI doesn't offer that type of versatility.
Edited by Jerry Newman 3/29/2017 12:13 PM
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Posts: 1209
| yes you can use di screen for depth but looking for bait 2d is superior! as well as di takes a cut sharp line of info vs a cone in 2d, application of di drifting cant tell me what is 3' behind the transduce while 2d does |
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Posts: 546
Location: MN | On a boat with networked HB units you can subscribe to any transducer type from any unit connected to the network, found unit the network settings, and can be customized specifically for each unit. For example, the bow unit can display US2 2D sonar from the trolling motor while also subscribing ("mirroring") the transom MEGA SI/DI transducer information from the console unit.
The only limitation is not being able to display two of the same sonar views at the same time, on the same unit. Example, you can not show 2D CHIRP sonar from the US2 trolling motor transducer and 2D CHIRP sonar from the transom transducer on the bow unit at the same time.
These settings are a sonar setup that some anglers would run when they were using 2D sonar to determine the steepness of a break line by monitoring the difference in depth between the front and back of the boat. However, with the accuracy of today's charts from LakeMaster and Navionics and additional advancements in other sonar technologies (SI and DI) this technique has become less utilized because it is simply easier to let the technology to do the work and show you the answer than try to figure it out for yourself the hard way. |
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Location: 31 | mtcook16 - 3/28/2017 2:04 PM
On a boat with networked HB units you can subscribe to any transducer type from any unit connected to the network, found unit the network settings, and can be customized specifically for each unit. For example, the bow unit can display US2 2D sonar from the trolling motor while also subscribing ("mirroring") the transom MEGA SI/DI transducer information from the console unit.
The only limitation is not being able to display two of the same sonar views at the same time, on the same unit. Example, you can not show 2D CHIRP sonar from the US2 trolling motor transducer and 2D CHIRP sonar from the transom transducer on the bow unit at the same time.
These settings are a sonar setup that some anglers would run when they were using 2D sonar to determine the steepness of a break line by monitoring the difference in depth between the front and back of the boat. However, with the accuracy of today's charts from LakeMaster and Navionics and additional advancements in other sonar technologies (SI and DI) this technique has become less utilized because it is simply easier to let the technology to do the work and show you the answer than try to figure it out for yourself the hard way.
Pretty much along the lines of what I thought for possible HB settings, and agree that monitoring the depth in that fashion is simply not a practical method. I can't speak for HB SI/DI but without question (based on experience) the Lowrance Structures Scan down scan setting blows away any standard transducers 2-D setting veiws from the transom, and can be displayed on the same unit along side a standard bow mount 2-D transducer if you prefer.
For those of you not familiar with Lowrance SS, you can set it up for the traditional side scan, or the down scan, or both... which are always side by side on my display. There's a lot of great features obviously but one of the more useful for me has been the way the down scan eliminates those potential false reads you sometimes get with traditional 2-D transducers.
Is it a false read, emergent weed growth, or small bottom hugging bait fish... you know for sure with the down scan. |
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Posts: 546
Location: MN | Jerry Newman - 3/29/2017 12:09 PM
mtcook16 - 3/28/2017 2:04 PM
On a boat with networked HB units you can subscribe to any transducer type from any unit connected to the network, found unit the network settings, and can be customized specifically for each unit. For example, the bow unit can display US2 2D sonar from the trolling motor while also subscribing ("mirroring") the transom MEGA SI/DI transducer information from the console unit.
The only limitation is not being able to display two of the same sonar views at the same time, on the same unit. Example, you can not show 2D CHIRP sonar from the US2 trolling motor transducer and 2D CHIRP sonar from the transom transducer on the bow unit at the same time.
These settings are a sonar setup that some anglers would run when they were using 2D sonar to determine the steepness of a break line by monitoring the difference in depth between the front and back of the boat. However, with the accuracy of today's charts from LakeMaster and Navionics and additional advancements in other sonar technologies (SI and DI) this technique has become less utilized because it is simply easier to let the technology to do the work and show you the answer than try to figure it out for yourself the hard way.
Pretty much along the lines of what I thought for possible HB settings, and agree that monitoring the depth in that fashion is simply not a practical method. I can't speak for HB SI/DI but without question (based on experience ) the Lowrance Structures Scan down scan setting blows away any standard transducers 2-D setting veiws from the transom, and can be displayed on the same unit along side a standard bow mount 2-D transducer if you prefer.
For those of you not familiar with Lowrance SS, you can set it up for the traditional side scan, or the down scan, or both... which are always side by side on my display. There's a lot of great features obviously but one of the more useful for me has been the way the down scan eliminates those potential false reads you sometimes get with traditional 2-D transducers.
Is it a false read, emergent weed growth, or small bottom hugging bait fish... you know for sure with the down scan.
2X the Side and Down Imaging sonar views. You miss so much without them. When at the trolling motor, I run my bow unit to show 2D, DI and SI. I pull 2D and Down Imaging from the trolling motor DI transducer and get SI by sharing the view to my bow unit from my transom transducer, via the ethernet network.
It's nice because the 2D picks up some things that DI doesn't (especially if sitting still; cone vs thin beam), but while moving, I use DI as the "verifier," as mentioned above, to find precise details and fish in heavy structure.
SI scans to the side of the boat in case there is a pod of bait off the side of the boat or a fish hanging outside the cone/beam of 2D and DI. |
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Lowrance vs Hummingbird