Posted 3/18/2009 3:28 PM (#366895) Subject: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 214
Location: Central Iowa
I'm considering getting a Humminbird 798c this year but i'm not totally sure if i'd put it at the console or at the bow. For those of you that have used the side imaging units do you find it more useful in either location over the other?
Posted 3/18/2009 4:14 PM (#366904 - in reply to #366895) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI
Your not going to use the side imaging all the time, like a sonar unit at the bow of the boat. I would suggest putting it on the console because you'll more than likely be moving at a slow pace while the side imaging is working. This isn't something you'll put on your trolling motor, it's a transom mount deal only.
Posted 3/18/2009 10:28 PM (#366976 - in reply to #366895) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 412
Location: Waukesha, WI
so you'd be running something in both places? I have an SI on the console, and I can move the Lowrance between the console and bow. I like this setup a lot, and when I run them both on the console, the Lowrance is on the GPS Map display while the 'bird is side scan and dual beam side-by-side.
Posted 3/19/2009 9:27 AM (#367018 - in reply to #366976) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 214
Location: Central Iowa
I as of right now I was thinking of running the SI unit on the console and then moving my lowrance 332 up front or getting another humminbird gps/sonar unit to put up front so my waypoints could be networked between the two.
Posted 3/20/2009 1:19 PM (#367298 - in reply to #366895) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 1453
Location: Kronenwetter, WI
I guess I'm not getting this. If you have SI on the console and not up front, a guy would have to make a 'drive by' on a spot prior to actually fishing it. Then as he is going along SIing during his drive by he sees a golden piece of structure, so uses his cursor to put a waypoint on it.
Now he goes back to the start of the structure and begins fishing from the bow but cannot see the waypoint he just created by using the SI to locate it--so what's the point?
I would think it would make more sense to mount up front where you are actually fishing from. Maybe the puck in in the rear, you'd just have to compensate the 19 feet or however long your boat is.
Posted 3/20/2009 2:30 PM (#367319 - in reply to #367298) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI
Rick, putting an SI unit up front would work, however, the problem lies in mounting the puck. The SI pucks are larger, so having a way to mount so it works correctly is the issue.
Posted 3/20/2009 3:01 PM (#367325 - in reply to #367319) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 90
Put it on the console, you will actually use the side imaging that way. There are two big issues trying to use the 798 on the front, the first is trying to read the side imaging while fishing with that 5 inch screen. Try turning the simulator on, putting the depthfinder at your feet and take two steps back. Now try to figure out what the screen is showing. I have a 997, fish out of the back and really don't even bother with side imaging while I am fishing, but wouldn't trade it for anything to search with.
The second major issue is in mounting it to the front. You will probably try to run the transducer on your trolling motor. The issue arises when you move the trolling motor head, it will change where the side imaging is actually reading. Picture a T going thru the water with your boat being the stem (|)and where the side imaging is reading as the - or top part of the T. Every time you need to adjust your trolling motor, it adjusts where that - and maybe is shooting off to (pointing / or \ instead of _) and you have to keep in mind which way your trolling motor is pointing to understand what your side imaging is showing.
Searching with the side imaging before you fish is really the point, without an interlinked system you might not being able to fish on that waypoint that same day, but you also wouldn't find it without the side imaging. Double edge sword I guess. The sonar doesn't work like radar where it will constantly update the area around the boat. It works best driving between 2-5 mph, and going straight. I know I don't run the trolling motor that quickly either.
Posted 3/20/2009 6:39 PM (#367372 - in reply to #367325) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin
I run my 1197SI on the console. Great unit. I will guide out of the back of the boat using the extention for my front trolling motor. This way I can use the SI while working the trolling motor. Clients can watch the front graph while they cast.
Another thing is I show them what we are going to fish from a distance as we drive a full cast off the spot then I set the boat up where it needs to be and they fish it.
They can learn the spot then fishing the spot without spooking the fish.
Knowing how far you are from structure is huge. I can stay 20, 40 , 60, 80ft off what I want to fish all day. Thats huge. My knowledge of the lakes I fish increased ten fold in one year.
Posted 3/22/2009 2:03 PM (#367640 - in reply to #367372) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 2752
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin
I've have a 997c SI mounted at the console on a RAM mount so I can swivel it and see it from the front deck - just have to reverse your directional thought process, i.e., left is right and forward is back. Maybe a good feature for future upgrade for Humminbird firmware, i.e., a reverse view button! As was mentioned earlier, it's nice to mark a spot and then with sonar/GPS split screen and cursor ease onto it with the TM or anchor line. For me console mount was a easy choice, i.e., makes it very easy to really learn a new lake very quickly. Like was mentioned before - you see all kinds of stuff. F. ex. there's a ~ 20' section of dock sitting in ~15 feet of water on Presque Isle..... There's also a bunch of humps & trees that are not on any maps.
With a standard sonar you need to drive right over them, with the SI it's a drive by situation and you can set how far out the side imaging shoots. Best boat accessory I've ever purchased.
I went with a dual transducer switch. The SI transducer is mounted on the transom ~ 3" above the bottom line of the hull to protect it from damage and standard transducer is mounted to shoot through the hull for high speed. The SI transducer loses bottom at ~ 10 mph because of turbulence. But it's Ok for me as I understand the trade-off.
Posted 3/22/2009 2:55 PM (#367647 - in reply to #366895) Subject: RE: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa
Having dealt with electronics for the past 2 years almost everyday working for a large outdoor reatialer as a shop manager and having fished with both of our walleye pros (Johnnie Candle and Jim Carroll) and seeing what they run this is what I have come up with as an ideal electronics setup in my opinion. I know that other will disagree with me but again this is just an opinion that I have created over my time in outdoor retail.
Lowrance makes great units and they perform veru well in most all applications needed for muskie fishing or any other fishing for that matter. The 520 and 522 were great units. Both were very clear and crisp on the sonar and gps side of things. The new HDS series is taking some getting used to. The units we carry (The HDS 5 through 10, in both the Insight USA models and Base models) will not accept a navionics chip at this point, causing the customer to have to go to the website and download a software update. Not a huge deal, but why put a unit out that is not fully ready to perform as 90% of the people using them want. It will be interesting to see the side imaging side of things as well as the XM satelite weather on the unit.
Humminbird, I believe; right now anyway; is the way to go. and staying as economical as I can I would run a 798c SI at the console with both the side imaging transducer and a second high speed transducer with a toggle switch at the console so I don't loose contact with the bottom at high speeds. We have had some customers complain of that as well as our department manager with the large size of the paddle trnasducer porpoising at high speeds. I would then put a 788c at the bow on a universal sonared terrova 80. I would link the two units togehter so that when I mark a spot on the 798c SI it would transferr that point to the 788c so I can go back and fish it. I would also have the XM satelite reciever hooked up to the system so I could recieve the up to the minute radar overlay. I also like how on a humminbird unit, when the navionics chip is inputed into the system, you don't have to go into a menu and select a region of the chip for the system to read; the whole covered area just appears.
I am in no means trying to put either unit down, I am just expressing my personal opinion. I am sorry if I may have offended anyone. That is in no way my intention. What are other peoples thoughts?
Posted 3/22/2009 10:23 PM (#367745 - in reply to #366895) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 89
Location: East of muskie country
I have a coupe questions for Esox Maniac
How close is you SI transducer to your engine? Does your engine reduce the quality of your SI on one of the sides? You state that you can set how far the SI shoots out. What distance would you say the image quality or readability deteriorates? I wasn't aware of this option, sounds awesome. Will the image quality of 20ft. out be considerably better than 40ft? Finally, would you have any pics. of your transom showing the positioning of your SI transducer? Thanks!!!!!!!!!
Posted 3/22/2009 10:36 PM (#367749 - in reply to #367647) Subject: RE: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI
Big Perc - 3/22/2009 2:55 PM
The units we carry (The HDS 5 through 10, in both the Insight USA models and Base models) will not accept a navionics chip at this point, causing the customer to have to go to the website and download a software update. Not a huge deal, but why put a unit out that is not fully ready to perform as 90% of the people using them want. It will be interesting to see the side imaging side of things as well as the XM satelite weather on the unit.
Big Perc, the issue with the Navionics chips not reading is not the Lowrance unit. The issue is that Navionics hasn't written the updated software in order for the HDS units to read the chips. The HDS units are new from the ground up, nothing like the LCX units or any other previous units before. Take a look at this clip that WalleyeFIRST did with one of the factory techs/pros.
Posted 3/22/2009 10:39 PM (#367752 - in reply to #366895) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI
That would be the video clip there. Chris talks about the Navionics chips and the reason the new units aren't reading them. April 13th the units will have the update taken care.
Posted 3/26/2009 6:20 PM (#368500 - in reply to #367745) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 2752
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin
DMcMusky - The SI transducer is centered on the transom and ~4" above the bottom of the boat. So the motor can't obstruct the side beams. I have had no problems with views from either side. The motor jack plate and motor actually help protect the transducer from damage, i.e., if the wind pushes the boat backwards into a stump, rock reef, dock, etc.
I prefer the 150' setting most of the time. The last pic below shows a small hump w/ cabbage weeds & fish (white streaks) ~100 off the left side. With regular sonar I wouldn't have seen it. I didn't have to drive over it ~ spook the fish. Just switch to split screen SI + GPS mode, turn right 180 degree around go, using cursor back to the spot I marked the screen shot from and I'm sitting ~100' from that hump, drop the trolling motor & start casting.
The first one is a spine that tops out at about 50'. Again you wouldn't even know it was a spine with out a whole bunch of passes with regular sonar. Look at the bottom transition details etc. Again there are fish and bait on this hump. You can also see some of the bait on the regular sonar (left side screen split) and the larger fish as white streaks in the SI view. These were walleyes....
The attachments below are somewhat degraded in quality because I had to reduce the size & save them as jpg's.
Al
Edited by ESOX Maniac 3/26/2009 8:36 PM
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Posted 3/26/2009 6:48 PM (#368505 - in reply to #366895) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 531
Location: Hugo, MN
I've heard that the side imaging doesn't work very well at low speeds such as trolling motor speeds. If that's the case, there's really no point in having it up front regardless of preference. Can anybody confirm this?
Posted 3/26/2009 8:30 PM (#368536 - in reply to #368505) Subject: Re: Humminbird Side Imaging Bow or Console?
Posts: 2752
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin
Yes- that's true. But, the reason I want to see my unit from the front is to see std-sonar mode & GPS split, i.e., it helps me maintain a specific position. If I put the cursor on the marked spot it will tell me how far I am from my mark. Having the sonar puck ~17 feet away from where I am sitting on the bow is no big deal. The RAM mount makes it easy to rotate the unit so I can see it from the front. I would never mount a SI transducer on the trolling motor, i.e., to easy to damage the transducer (they are not cheap). How many times have you ran your TM into a stump, rock, etc?
The real advantage to SI mode is when you are moving, i.e., trolling or learning a new lake. No other product I've seen can beat the Humminbird SI in those arena's. In one day, I can learn more about a lake than even the people who live there.
Have fun!
Al
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