Humminbird 798cxi HD SI Combo

[Buddha57]

Has anyone used one, and what do you think?
I have one but having trouble getting my head around the hd imaging side of things. I understand the basics, so maybe more time playing is needed, I just don't seem to be getting "images" anything like what they show on the dvd.

[Chas & Clarry]

Yes we have thought similarly BUT in truth have only fished very shallow with it since getting it in March and because of other commitments our fishing trips have been very focussed on fishing only, so we haven't put ourselves in places where we can just play with it and get to know it.

Had a bit of "play time" on Sunday and started to see some better images, in particular a good image of a fallen tree, and in another spot some pretty good underwater "dunes".

I am finding "Amber 2" is a better colour palette than the default blue. and dropping the brightness to about 8, also a relatively slow boat speed and definitely steering a straight course (ie NOT turning).

None the less, at this point we love every other toy on our new boat (ie the electric motor is worth its weight in gold, the casting decks are so good, the live well is great, as is the GPS and the sounder in its more usual modes) but the jury is still out on the side scan in terms of it really adding anything, which is a disappointment as we thought it was going to be the star of the show.

Now that we have time to play more it will be interesting to see if our opinion changes, and we will come back to this thread and post what I think then

Tim and Trace.

[Buddha57]

Any input is appreciated. I agree totally with the electric motor. We just installed a Minkota iPilot, no more noisy anchors
We fish a variety of places, like Somerset and the bay, including rivers, so we will add what we find here too.
Good luck and good fishing.

John and Tracey

[Thunderace2]

Ive got a 798 si, one issue i find is the size of the screen, if you record the data and view it on a computer you can see a lot more,low speed and no course changes help, also there has to be something to see down there, some of the lakes i fish in, have bugger all to see,
It was awesome to help find a artifical reef balls

[Fillet`n`Release]

I've had the 798cxi HD SI for about 6 months now, and I couldn't be happier with my choice. By no means would I say I'm a master at using all it's functionality, but it's doing the job for what I need it to (bashing around the rivers and the northern end of the bay). I look forward to giving it a run out to the Wild Banks Artificials during winter and making good use of the side imaging to find the structure a whole lot easier.

Getting your head around the visual representation of the SI on screen does take a bit of getting used to, but it really adds to the standard "whats under you now" greatly. I am getting in the habit of turning off auto-depth and getting great results. Play with the settings (just remember what you change) you'll be surprised what it'll pick up.

[QuinTin]

hello all how is the transducer on this type does it still fade out at speed or is it alot better think my matrix20 drops out at around 14 knots
as thinking of up grading to one myself any feed back be great thanks.

[davo]

Make sure you get the latest software update. Mine is so much better now it has been updated. The main thing is to look at the shaddows and high light areas. I've found some excellent ground since I've owned it. I think it will take quite a while to really get the maximum out of it but I'm very happy with mine.

[Toddy_again]

They are a fantastic unit but I will say if you can stretch it get an 898.The bigger screen makes all the difference.
When you start using it also take heaps of snapshots.
Then you can get it home on the computer and and have a closer look.It will also help you get a better understanding of what you are looking at on the water.There are some excellent tutorials on utube and there are a couple of dedicated Humminbird forums that will help heaps.

Toddy

[Buddha57]

Where did you find the software update? I went to the Humminbird Australian website but could not find it.

[LittleSkipper]

Where did you find the software update? I went to the Humminbird Australian website but could not find it.

If you have not already done so register the unit with the U.S Humminbird website, after that you will see the available downloads to upgrade the unit's software.

Always place the unit back to it's default settings before you update the software. Just use a stand alone SD card to download and save the software too, then insert the card into your unit and switch the unit on. The unit will recognise the update from the card and you just follow the prompts.

I've had mine since Aug 2011, fantastic little unit. A bigger screen would be beneficial, I'm going to purchase another 5" unit to use as a dedicated chartplotter then I'll have one for fish and one for chartplotting.

[Buddha57]

Thanks for that. I will follow the advice up.