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Posts: 63
| Thinking about getting a new boat this year, and we are trying to decide what the best technology to have on the boat we need for what we use it for. Never owning a boat with electronics like side, down imaging, and gps has us confused for what we should get. We fush a lot back home for panfish and bass. Make a couple trips a year to Wisconsin for Muskie and walleye as well. Looking to get humminbirds on the console and bow. Just curious what opinions for what technology we should have on both the console and bow. |
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Posts: 864
Location: NE Ohio | get the newest, biggest and best you can afford and don't look back. i like the birds personally. helix 10's bow and helm. don't forget to get a mapcard for your area. you'll need two, units don't share mapping. |
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Posts: 228
Location: Tinley Park, IL | One of my units crapped out on me last week and it is not worth sending it in. I too like Humminbirds. I am going with a Helix 9 on the helm with with MEGA. Check it out. It didn't take long for me to decide to spend the extra money instead of just a Helix 7 without MEGA. |
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Posts: 1209
| Just get a 2d/gps for the bow, simple, enough information to fish hard, clean install with a built in us2 transducer in the trolling motor |
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Posts: 416
Location: MN | Baseline suggestion:
Console: mapping, traditional sonar, side & down imaging, networking
Bow: mapping, traditional, networking
Mapping is a must on both. Side imaging is a must on the console unit. Networking allows you to share waypoints and sonar. When you mark a spot on either unit, it shows up everywhere, and you can view side imaging up front or the trolling motor transducer in the rear. Before pulling the trigger, check networking compatibility between units; sometimes its not super clear what exactly can be shared.
The baseline HB setup that gives you the above feature set is a HELIX 7 CHIRP SI GPS G2N unit on the console and HELIX 7 CHIRP GPS G2N on the bow. Compared to that, you can spend more to get
- larger screen / resolution
- more detailed side imaging (MEGA)
IMO, if you are considering leaving off features from the first list to cut down the cost, you're better off getting a single unit at the console and just turning it around to view when you're up front. |
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Posts: 546
Location: MN | Networking the HELIX units (G2N models) will share waypoints, tracks, trails and even transducer information. If you have a CHIRP GPS G2N model at the bow and a MEGA SI GPS G2N, you will still be able to see the DI and SI from the transom transducer, on your bow unit.
When networked, it allows the SI unit to share the screen view of the SI and DI to the bow unit, regardless of it being an SI / DI unit. That's a nice perk. |
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| Interesting information in this thread. |
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Posts: 228
Location: Tinley Park, IL | I was just at Cabela's looking at these. The size of the unit of the Helix 9 and 10 is the same but the 10 takes up more of the screen. Plus, the 10 has more pixels. The 10 with SI also costs $400 more. |
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Posts: 77
| I put a Helix 10 with SI/DI on the helm along with a Helix 7 for CHIRP/Mapping.
I also put a Helix 7 CHIRP/DI (bad decision when I upgrade the trolling motor) on the bow.
Map chips in both 7's.
I have the GEN1 SI, but I am happy with it.
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Posts: 77
| I put a Helix 10 with SI/DI on the helm along with a Helix 7 for CHIRP/Mapping.
I also put a Helix 7 CHIRP/DI (bad decision when I upgrade the trolling motor) on the bow.
Map chips in both 7's.
I have the GEN1 SI, but I am happy with it.
Image is a of the 10 with SI/DI. There is a loon diving for my bait while trolling.
https://imgur.com/a/9Fmcd
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| I am pretty much clueless on how some of these things work. I want to get a Terrova with I-Pilot, etc and then a Humminbird Helix. To take advantage of the spot lock feature which I would really like since I fish alone a lot and it would make netting a fish in wind easier, is there a wire that has to go from the Humminbird to the trolling motor or is this done through Ethernet? |
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Posts: 77
| North of 8 - 3/8/2018 10:46 AM
I am pretty much clueless on how some of these things work. I want to get a Terrova with I-Pilot, etc and then a Humminbird Helix. To take advantage of the spot lock feature which I would really like since I fish alone a lot and it would make netting a fish in wind easier, is there a wire that has to go from the Humminbird to the trolling motor or is this done through Ethernet?
North, It can get confusing fast, ask me how I know.
A Terrova with I-pilot will give you spot lock with just installing the motor.
I-Pilot LINK is connected is connected via ethernet (wired) to a graph and will follow the contours from the map chip.
Hope that helps at least a little bit.
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| SkiNoob - 3/8/2018 11:30 AM
North of 8 - 3/8/2018 10:46 AM
I am pretty much clueless on how some of these things work. I want to get a Terrova with I-Pilot, etc and then a Humminbird Helix. To take advantage of the spot lock feature which I would really like since I fish alone a lot and it would make netting a fish in wind easier, is there a wire that has to go from the Humminbird to the trolling motor or is this done through Ethernet?
North, It can get confusing fast, ask me how I know.
A Terrova with I-pilot will give you spot lock with just installing the motor.
I-Pilot LINK is connected is connected via ethernet (wired ) to a graph and will follow the contours from the map chip.
Thanks! That does help. My current power drive just stops working for no apparent reason, I have to unplug, then plug it back in. Pain in the tush, but it is 15 years old so I guess some issues are to be expected.
Hope that helps at least a little bit.
Edited by North of 8 3/8/2018 11:42 AM
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