WHAT sounder & G.P.S. are you using

[Smithy]

"deep water sounder and agps that can hold plenty on way points"

What do you mean by a deep water sounder? #100m, 200m, 1000m? #It all comes back to kilowatts. #Was on a boat the other weekend that supposedly had a 1kW transducer but we dropped bottom at about 320-330m. #We did get a slight trace at 360-370m but that was not real good for a 10" JMC costing thousands. #My next sounder will be a toss up between the JRC FF-50 which seems to put out its rated 600 watts or for a budget the X-15M with the 1kW transducer. #All of the 300 watt sounders like the Koden CVS-108 I am currently running and the 5" and 6" Furunos are a waste of time over the shelf and only read to about 170-180m. #I love the display and ease of use of my Koden but a mates Furuno with its reds and green colours seemed to show the wire weed off Rainbow better. #The JRC really seems the goods from what I have seen and heard about it plus the price seems reasonable for what you are getting. #Don't discount the X-15. #The "Outsmart1" guys (gun fishos from the Sunshine Coast) are running one and rave about it. #A lot cheaper option. Also don't discoun the Raymarine gear. Was dissappointed by a couple of Raymarine units I have used but this new stuff looks the goods but expensive. The one unit was suppossed to be 600 watts but dropped out at around 170 metres.

As for GPS I am getting away with an Eagle Explorer handheld. #Benefits of it are ease of use, its power as in being able to access a lot of functions without having to go into multiple menu screens and being able to zoom right down to a 0.1 plot screen. #It is great for uploading and downloading GPS points out of Oziexplorer. #If buying new would be keen on a Navman because of the benefits of the fuel computer. #Lowrance stuff still seems to lead the way for its menus and user friendliness. #Looked at the way a C-Map loaded up on a 10" Furuno and didn't like the look of it. #Navman looks good. #Was using a Seiwa 10" the other day which looked nice but I didn't like menu functions and waypoint editing stuff. #Have used the small Garmins quite a bit. #They always seemed to update slow against my Eagle, the menus were clumsy and they only zoomed down to 0.2 on the plot screen. #Newer ones might be better. #Would like to see the Garmin cartography in action. #Nothing wrong with C-Maps. #We were fishing the Canyons off Cape Moreton in 1000 fathoms the other week and all of the canyons showed up perfect on the C-Map. Talking of computers on boats, I saw the Endeavour program linked to a GPS running on the bridge of a big cat and that looks like the ultimate. Just a monitor and mouse upstairs and the computer safely down near the galley.

[stacer_seagull]

just got a lowrance x51 sounder and a lowrance ifinderpro, just saving the dollars to get a map,cant find any faults with the setup

[Sportfish_5]

Smithy - Which Raymarine units are you talking about ? The new A series ? I have had a look at the 600 and it looks good for the price tag.

Would like to get some feedback from anyone who has purchased one. Had heard they had shipment delays in the states due to t/hull xducers but cant find too many negative comments about their performance.

Cheers

Greg

[Smithy]

Russ, my partner in crime, had a look at the C-series Raymarine stuff at Glass Craft the other day. Might check out the A-series this weekend at Sanctuary Cove. Also found out another reason why I hate the little Garmins. Couldn't get a cursor location up with Lat and Long on it on a GPS12. Can you do that on the 126-128's etc. etc.? My little Eagle/Lowrance can do it!

[Zeeke]

i now use a Humminbird Matrix 25 with the optional GPS Receiver and the Weathersense Accessorie.. one top unit with awesome resolution for what i do

Tim

[propdinger]

i just repalced our humingbird parramount to a raymarine and boy what a big difference and now i only need one unit on the console as it is a gps sounder in one love the unit although i may never try it in 300mtrs of water it works great at 80mtrs deepest i have takin it so far

jeff

[Snap]

last year replaced the humminbird wide eye with a Furuno LS6100, still mucking around with the transducer placement but very happy so far.
And they are definately not colour. Pity.
I have the garmin 12 mounted in some moulded pvc pipe. works a treat but i am looking at upgrading to a chart plotter/map.

[Tony_N]

A mate of mine recently bought a Navman Tracker 500i. He is seriously dyslexic and is having trouble reading the instructions, so has given it to me to look at. My first read indicates to me that to be accurate it also needs a DGPS receiver to be connected to it. All I could find on the web was 000's of $'s. Is there a cheaper way? Any info on this tracker would be appreciated.

The tracker doesn't have the facility for maps - but is there somewhere that you can download maps from (for Northern NSW) so that I can manually transfer some GPS marks from interesting looking depths on the map??? (if that makes sense)

Many thanks

Tony

[Zeeke]

the 500i is the very basic of Navmans plotters.. it only has a digital display of co-ordinates and stuff, and you wont be able to manually upload maps or anything to it because its not designed for that.. your probably looking at $1500 for a decent Navman with the maps and such that your after, or you could get a Humminbird Matrix 67 which has colour mapping, colour sonar and nice big easy to read screen for around the same price

Tim

[banshee]

G'day Tony,I personaly think that the unit is going to be fine as far as accuracy goes just the way it is,I'm not even sure if there is a beacon in this area that is opperational,I'm in the local club and none of the boats have a DGPS reciever fitted.As far as the map goes,if you would like to Pm your phone number to me I can help out.

[Cloud_9]

hay guys
ive got a furruno gp31 gps and a Koden CVs118 colour sounder duel beam.
the furruno LS6000 is a colour model.
been window shopping for new sounder and gps unit and have come to the desition that JRC something 5000 or 500 chart with sounder in 1 unit it seams very user friendly and has good chart info like the post from Reefmaster.

[Mr__Bean]

I am currently looking at the new Raymarine C-Series.

They are a combination Plotter/Sounder/Radar unit that can show either of these as a single page, 2 or 3 on the screen at any time, or all 3 on a single overlayed page.

The radar interests me for Gummy Shark fishing in Westernport Bay at night which has unlit markers and buoys in it, and blokes in little unlit tinnies etc.

Does anyone have any experience with these and their new digital sounders?

Anyone else use radar?

- Bean

[Cloud_9]

Banshee
the guys at springwood marine informed me that DGPS has been dis continued, the beacons that where transmitting have now been turned off.
how true that is i don't know.
i was trying to get info on DGPS for my furruno gps unit.
was told no longer available.

Cheers Cloud 9

[mrswb]

using a lowrance lcx104C sounder/gps and have a navman 5500 as my primary plotter... Both awesome units

[whiteman]

I'm waiting for this to hit our shores. http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap276c/