Looking to get a new finder input please

[Mayb4]

Looking to get a new finder input please

I currently have a lowrance elite 7 chirp on my small tracker.it is very inaccurate for speed and temp.speed bounces all over. Im looking to upgrade with tax time and everything. I was originally looking at the new low. Elite 7 ti. I really like the touch screen.ita easier for me. After standing in bass pro messing with it I was directed towards a Garmin unit. The 94sv.it appears to me to be a better unit but isn't touch the side scan looks very clear and the map looks great with the contours.ive since found the touch model the 942xs but haven't got hands on. I like how they have the active mapping also for the smaller waters I fish and would like to map out.Anyway im looking for your opinions on which units I should be looking at. I know the demo mode doesn't do them justice.

[Some1outhere]

I love my Lowrance Gen 2 touch.the price has come down a lot.

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[Sk8man]

The speed bouncing all over sounds as though it may be the speed impeller placement rather than the unit itself

[Mayb4]

I don't have a speed impeller just a ducer.running off GPS speed

[fisherdude]

is your sonar / gps  a internal antenna ? does it have good reception to pick up the satellites ?  another thing it could be water conditions as the boat rocks back and forth the gps reads movement . just food for thought . 

[lakebound88]

I have 3 garmins on my vessel. Great units.

Making your stories, Reel Stories, since 2011!!

[Sk8man]

OK- in that case   the GPS wouldn't have anything to do with the temp readings per se so if both are varying together  it may be related to the transducer itself or its placement on the hull. . Also have you physically checked the transducer to see that it isn't loose at speed? I would also check the wire carefully on the transducer to see that it isn't cracked or separated anywhere for starters. If you have a friend withthe same unit maybe ask them if you can test out things with their unit on your transducer to see if it happens there. If so the transducer is the problem. If the transducer doesn't turn out to be it  have you installed the latest software upgrade for the unit (Oct. 2016)? http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Software-Updates/Elite-60/

 

Edited March 5, 2017 by Sk8man

[chinook35]

Your GPS is reading speed over ground (SOG) ,which will be different than your speed over water ,due to wind and waves and currents . The fact that your boat is affected by wave and wind action explains the readings being all over the place . Your temp sensor should be in the bottom of the transducer . They are usually accurate for surface temps . If your temp readings jump around ,I would suspect a faulty transducer .I bought a Hook 7X last year , and after getting the bugs out ,it works fine . I like the chirp feature .

[Mayb4]

Anyway to change from sog?

[muskiedreams]

What do you mean by "all over the place"?

Are numbers changing multiple times per second?

OR

Is it while trolling or cruising (average estimated speed) and by how much (in tenths or mph) and how often is it varying?

There will always be some variations depending on conditions and other factors.

Edited March 6, 2017 by muskiedreams

[Andre wallyandre]

The Elite Ti is a step ahead and it's the best buy for the money at this time. You can use the map that comes with it or get the Ti that comes with the Navionics+ in a bundle; that way you're card is a lot cheaper. With Garmin you're stuck with the Garmin mapping.

With the new upgrade on the Ti and the HDS Gen-3 you can do live mapping on you're screen if you got a Navionics card in it.

I would never go back with a unit w/o a touchscreen! So easy to use.

You can link you're smartphone or tablet to you're Ti and being able to look at the screen.

The "old" Elite Chirp use a antenna that refresh 1 time per second when the Ti use a antenna that refresh 10 times a second.

If you buy it with the Totalscan transducer you are getting: 2D(conventionnal), CHIRP, downscan and structure scan

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by wallyandre

[chinook35]

Anyway to change from sog?

No. Gps reads your sog That is your speed over the bottom of the lake. The only way to get speed over water is with a wheel you can add to most any Lowrance. Just buy the wheel kit

 

 

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[Mayb4]

how accurate is the paddle? I know the fishhawk and alike units use them. Also anyone have their you units overheat? Just feeling some of them in the store they pump off some screen heat

Edited March 6, 2017 by Mayb4
Spelling

[muskiedreams]

The paddle is only going to give you surface speed. Most, if not all units have a function to calibrate the speed sensor (paddle wheel). You can calibrate it to a GPS but you must be in waters that you know to not have surface current in flat calm conditions. You should check calibration in several directions to be sure there is no current. You also must make sure the transducer or paddle wheel is mounted properly. I have a Raytheon w/o GPS but I have a small GPS (handheld type with a dash mount). The surface speed (paddle wheel) on the fish finder has never been accurate. I don't know if it has anything to do with where it is mounted. I calibrated it so it reads close to the GPS at trolling speeds but at 30 mph GPS it reads over 40mph on fish finder and the Raytheon has no provision to calibrate high and low speed.

 

I don't know how accurate the paddle wheel is on other units or if they have provisions to calibrate them at high and low speeds but GPS is accurate in regards to earth surface speed. It does help to have accurate water surface speed when you are dealing with currents but of course, currents below can be much different than on the surface.

 

[chinook35]

You don't want to calibrate your gps and sonar surface speed to read the same. Your speed over ground and speed over water will be. And should be different. If your sog is , say 2.5 mph and you have a current that is going with you at 2.5 mph. Your lures are hanging lifeless Conversely. If you have a head on current. Your lure is spinning at 5 mph Sog and sow will almost always be different



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[muskiedreams]

21 minutes ago, chinook35 said:

You don't want to calibrate your gps and sonar surface speed to read the same. Your speed over ground and speed over water will be. And should be different. If your sog is , say 2.5 mph and you have a current that is going with you at 2.5 mph. Your lures are hanging lifeless Conversely. If you have a head on current. Your lure is spinning at 5 mph Sog and sow will almost always be different



Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Yes, they should read different under those conditions. That is why you calibrate it at a location where you know there is no current. Pick a calm bay or cove that is likely to have no current. If you calibrate it so they both read the same going east. Then you switch direction and go west through the same area. If they both still read the same, then you have verified that there is no current and the unit should be calibrated. Also this is only to calibrate for surface speed. It isn't necessarily any indication of lure speed as you well know. But having an accurate water surface speed will help to make judgements. Obviously you have to use other means to judge your lure speed and action depending on the type of trolling, lures you are running, depths you are working and your location.

[Mayb4]

Anyone have overheat issues?