New Speed and Temp update

[Matthew]

I see the company Smart troll is now a sponsor of this website. The website is also now open, smarttroll.com

[Chas0218]

I took a look at the site and it doesn't really tell much about the product. Nor does it give you any idea of what the product looks like.

[Matthew]

I took a look at the site and it doesn't really tell much about the product. Nor does it give you any idea of what the product looks like.

If you click on each picture then you get detailed information.

[Duckman1]

Just checked it out. Now lets see cost and warrenty. Looks interesting.

[shadster]

I'm picturing Lakes everywhere littered with probes ...

[Matthew]

Ran it last year and did not have any issue losing probes but I put them in a safe area of my fishing line. My guess is there will always be lost probes just as there are with the other speed and temp units, except the new probes will be so tiny the litter factor will be a huge improvement. From the rumours I am hearing we will be very happy with the initial cost and replacement costs, once that info has been released.

[Don Supon]

Besides the price, what is the operating frequency? Need to know for possible interference from onboard FF and other electrical equipment.

[J.D.]

Looks like you need an android phone and app to see the data..... no display on the dash

[jdc]

This looks very interesting but I would be looking for water proof sun readable readout mounted in cockpit. Love the 6 probes.  Jim

[Matthew]

Besides the price, what is the operating frequency? Need to know for possible interference from onboard FF and other electrical equipment.

On my boat I have 50khz, 83khz, 200khz and 455khz and found no interference with the smart troll unit. Since the transducer is only recieving signals, other electronics should not be affected. The other reason there is not likely to be interference with fishfinders is that FF transducers point straight down and therefore would not likely receive any signals from the smarttroll probes, Smarttroll transducers point at a 45 degree angle otherwise they will not receive any signals from the probes.

Edited March 2, 2013 by Matthew

[kliph]

What is the price?

[BullGator]

Looks very interesting, I hope to be among the first to give them a whirl....

[High Bidder]

Would the batteries have to be maintained over long periods of storage?  The length of battery life which is a sealed part of the probe would be my concern since I only fish 18 days a year. Also, since I don't have a Android type phone, would it actually pay me to buy a phone that has an Android plan to use the SmartTroll? And I would prefer a larger viewing screen that is dash mounted. It seems like a theroretically good product but I definitely need more info before I decide between the SmartTroll and the Fish Hawk X4D for an May purchase.

[PennYan20]

 I was considering the same thing,High Bidder. I like the multi-probes, but the X4D is my choice. I don't have a-hem(droid) phone. Mine just dials and receives calls. A reel electronics game here. My .02 sense. Steve............... (I can't wait til someone comes up with a 30" flat screen with all the functions on it, hanging in front of me) 

[Matthew]

 I was considering the same thing,High Bidder. I like the multi-probes, but the X4D is my choice. I don't have a-hem(droid) phone. Mine just dials and receives calls. A reel electronics game here. My .02 sense. Steve............... (I can't wait til someone comes up with a 30" flat screen with all the functions on it, hanging in front of me) 

Well some great comments!

Android does not need to be attached to a phone service, it only needs wifi and a bluetooth connection which most units have. If you have a friend getting a new phone you could always buy theirs cheap as long as android is 2.2 or higher. If you want a big screen then Android comes up to a 65" screen.

http://www.ardictech.com/index.php/en/about-ardic/news/111-biggest-android-tablet-65-inch

 

The main reason a screen was not part of the smart troll program was to give the user the choice of their own screen, since everyone has different preferences. For me I want a large 20" helm screen but also the ability to use a pocket size screen so I don't have to keep yelling to the helm what the temp or depth is of my baits.

[Matthew]

Would the batteries have to be maintained over long periods of storage?  The length of battery life which is a sealed part of the probe would be my concern since I only fish 18 days a year. Also, since I don't have a Android type phone, would it actually pay me to buy a phone that has an Android plan to use the SmartTroll? And I would prefer a larger viewing screen that is dash mounted. It seems like a theroretically good product but I definitely need more info before I decide between the SmartTroll and the Fish Hawk X4D for an May purchase.

No need to worry about battery life as the probes have been in use for many years without battery failure. A phone plan is not necessary to use Android tablets or phones.

[lost a lure]

You can't use it. That fruit slice game had bananas in it!

 

Well some great comments!

Android does not need to be attached to a phone service, it only needs wifi and a bluetooth connection which most units have. If you have a friend getting a new phone you could always buy theirs cheap as long as android is 2.2 or higher. If you want a big screen then Android comes up to a 65" screen.

http://www.ardictech.com/index.php/en/about-ardic/news/111-biggest-android-tablet-65-inch

 

The main reason a screen was not part of the smart troll program was to give the user the choice of their own screen, since everyone has different preferences. For me I want a large 20" helm screen but also the ability to use a pocket size screen so I don't have to keep yelling to the helm what the temp or depth is of my baits.

[T_barb]

Just my 2 cents..  this seems like a really interesting product and could potentially provide for some information we never had before..

 

That said, it seems a bit odd that they would not have more information and pricing released at this point in the year.  As you can see from the posts above, this is the time of the year when most people are making decisions on thier set-up for the upcoming season.  Timing is everyting and hope that this company does not miss out on htis years opportunity because they are late to the party.

[jdc]

WOW! Why don't they have a water proof display. Great idea but down fall is it's not a complete package. I'm still looking at other products.

[Matthew]

WOW! Why don't they have a water proof display. Great idea but down fall is it's not a complete package. I'm still looking at other products.

A quick Google images search shows there are hundreds of waterproof cases for android handhelds or tablets.

 

March 14 is only 10 days away from the LOTSA seminar when the price will be revealed, from what I am hearing the pricing will not be disappointing.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Matthew

[shadster]

A quick Google images search shows there are hundreds of waterproof cases for android handhelds or tablets.

 

March 14 is only 10 days away from the LOTSA seminar when the price will be revealed, from what I am hearing the pricing will not be disappointing.

Well, the 14th has passed. Did they reveal a price?

[djd427]

Well, the 14th has passed. Did they reveal a price?

 

http://smarttroll.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=10

[Sk8man]

I just took a look at the pricing.....no wonder they held off on publishing it    Actually, the whole electronics game is getting pretty funny, and to take it to the extreme the fishing game is getting even funnier when it comes to the "new next best thing". If you are a charter captain dealing with the extremely short season here in New York State (and the East Coast for that matter) the latest "gizmos" may make a difference in attracting your customer base, but for the rest of us "wannabes" at the periphery the purchase of many of these "new technological  advancements" is far from the "need to have" category in the fish catching realm. We talk ourselves  (and our wives sometimes) into the need for much of this "stuff" and treat it as absolute necessity because marketing people tell us we need it to catch fish. The same is true for lure paint jobs and in my previous world - the newest computer and camera equipment which from the late 80's I spent enough to buy several brand new boats and it now is totally obsolete and basically useless. At this point in my life I am beginning to resent being part of the "herd" mentality and "biting" on these new "lures". A return to the old basics of actually fishing and feeling a sense of accomplishment when you figure things out yourself rather than relying on the latest "gizmo" to provide you with data that in many cases can be close to useless because you've forgotten the basics of the sport....just another way to blow your money in my view....and yes it has become a big part of the "game" these days. I'm not badmouthing this product in any way but trying to make a point .....maybe we are getting a bit far afield from sport fishing itself and sucked into the marketing hype of the electronics world.

[Matthew]

Well I my fishfinder cost me close to $2000 and personally I would buy another one if this one ever failed. 

 

Staying on this subject. The price of the speed, temp, depth is about $100 less then it's competitor and each probe cost is $50 lower then it's competitor. During the LOTSA presentation I realized that the Smart Troll downrigger probe is not vulnerable to being lost since it is not located anywhere near a termination, while my current rigger probe could be lost if my rigger cable broke.

[shadster]

I have to agree with Sk8man. The price is much higher than led to believe. Even if it is a tad lower than the competition which is seriously overpriced as well.