Koden CVS-128 review

[webby nq]

Anyone in the hunt for a new ,good quality sounder should definately have a look at the Koden CVS-128. I asked about the 1KW transducer but was assured that it wasnt necessary so I bought mine with the 600w through hull transducer and have found it to be what I expected. Good quality picture picking up fish schools and good bottom discrimination at high speed in 60 metres of water.( Havnt been any deeper yet) Its also easy as to use and its able to store images too ( cant wait to post them) but I am yet to see or here of anyone else who owns one .I have realised alot of people are getting the Furuno where im from mainly cause the dealer they bought their boat from sells them. I got mine at a competitive price and when it arrived I soon realised it is one rugged piece of the latest technology. Anyone out there in the hunt should check them out cause all my latest spot x's have Koden to thank for them and if you do own one give us a buzz, I would like to know what you think.

[Far side]

I my CVS 833 to the 128 It is an awsome piece of kit
Stick it on fishing mode and play with the gain is all you need to do. I have it linked into the GPS as well and it send depth display to the GPS as well as Temp
Coupled with a 600 watt through hull transducer at 150 meters the bottom is as clear as and you can easily gain over covered ground to see what was there
Thw screen is a great size and clearly visible from the back of the boat in daylight

They are not cheap but well worth the money

[ozscott]

Good stuff mate. For me the Furuno 620 screen brightness won out over Koden and JRC, but all very good units I suspect. I think the JRC was a few hundred dearer at the time compared to the 620 on special. I know plenty of people who have bought the Furuno because of reputation and word of mouth as opposed to buying from the person they bought the boat from.

Cheers

[webby nq]

Thanks guys, and ya right there too ozscott, for me it was a choice between the Koden and the Furuno both being pretty similar just Furunos are older models , theyll probably bring out a new model soon but either way i think anyone will be happy especially when ya pull up on SPOT- X.

[Far side]

I didn't buy the furuno because it doesn't have bottom Discrimination mode
A function that is very handy when exploring offshore. The JRC has it and the Koden has it.

[ozscott]

Mate - I am always learning, so please take this as me trying t expand my knowledge. It seems that what you want is to see the relative thickness of the bottom compared to other areas at about the same depth. So in the attached photos how does the JRC with bottom discrimination give a better pic or more info than the FCV-620 at the same depth - http://www.trymax.com.au/gallery.asp

Cheers mate

[Far side]

Bottom discrimination mode smooths out the bumps when you have a 3 meter swell the mode elimimates the rise and fall of the boat and lets you determine the bottom by hardness. So when you have a piece of ground that may be a meter above the sea floor it will show the hardness as a thickening. If you have fish sitting off the bottom it will display them clearly. At spped it is a great way to find new ground at depth.

You really need to try it to see the advantage.

[salt rat]

I have a furuno 668 video sounder which has served me well, I am looking to up date to LCD screen , i have narrowed down to jrc ff60 or koden cvs 128, mainly because I spent alot of time sounding for new grounds, the bottom discrimination mode gives a clear advantage , does any one know if the 620 or 585 furuno have this mode or if it will be a feature on future models thanks in advance.

[GBC]

Don't know about the others, but our FF60 makes me very happy. Nice to be able to spot fish and identify the species whilst cruising at 20 kts.