Electronics advice

[Danno]

I recently acquired a 20' North River SeaHawk with a Lowrance
Gen 1 HDS7. I really like it, but am considering buying a second unit to use primarily for navigation. I'm old enough so I prefer not to have to switch between sonar and navigation modes. Too spoiled or lazy, I guess.
Any suggestions on the best/economical way to go?
Also, would it be absolutely necessary to install a second transducer with the second unit?
Thanks in advance for any advice and help.

[Rock]

Someone I am sure might correct me but I believe that you can setup a network and use the transducer off of the one that is already installed.

[Nelly]

Rock is right on the money as a Lowrance will network It's sonar with a second unit over the Ethernet.
GPS positioning will network over the NEMA 2000 (or N2K) network.
My recommendation would be to add a HDS 10 Gen 2 or a HDS 12 touch and you'll have a true kickass system!

[Dan Carney]

Hey Nelly,
I know your mister big money (grin) but I was kind of interested in the economical solution as well. Any thoughts....
Thx.
Dan

[Nelly]

Hey Nelly,
I know your mister big money (grin) but I was kind of interested in the economical solution as well. Any thoughts....
Thx.
Dan

Ouch! Since I'm working this weekend I'm most definitely not Mr Big anything!

I just have an illness that requires prescription-quality boats and marine electronics!
If an HDS 10 is not in your plans then an HDS 8 will save you a couple bucks. Even a HDS 7 will vastly increase your screen area and that's really the big issue.

Larger screens help you do your job as a fisherman and a navigator more effectively. So at its deepest level, quality electronics can make you more productive while keeping you safer on the water.
I agree its a sizeable investment but in my mind its more than worth it!

[Danno]

Thanks to all for the helpful advice. I guess I'll save my pennies for an HDS 10 or HDS 12.
Thanks again.

[Eddy C]

It will take more than pennies!

[rustyzipper]

Hello, I too have been looking for new electronics. What I have done in the past is run two 5" units, sonar and gps.
The 10" and 12" cost more than my boat so not really an option.
you could run a 5" hds just as sonar no split screen, and run a 5" hds map unit, that will give you 10" of screen.
Also on the subject of sonar, have you looked at the Raymarine dragonfly, this looks like a great sonar and affordable.
Opinions please..............

[Saharit]

For my boat, I am in middle of a major electronics upgrade, did a lot of homework and have some thoughts that maybe helpful.

Electronics are expensive. However, I have gotten into the mindset they are as important of tool as an engine and the quality of the electronics is correlated with the price (i.e., you get what you pay for).

Unless you are a guide or have intimate knowledge and experience of a particular fishing location, which takes years of experience, I think the majority of us can agree if you are trolling or mooching all day and if you cannot determine if bait and fish are below you and take advantage of tides, currents and bottom contours and structures then you are not maximizing your opportunity to catch those fish. I have a full time job outside of the fishing industry and family so I want electronics that maximize my limited time on the water.

Another thought is the electronic makers seem to be leapfrogging one another in terms of innovation and features but moving to a common platform where multifunction displays (and their processors) are now essentially computers that allow different plug-n-play accessories at different cost points.

Also keep in mind electronic makers are also going to reinvest into new products that are going to sell in the future and those will be the products that are supported in the future. If you are going to spend your hard earned money, I think you want have electronics which will be around for a while or you are not going to get the support you need on those electronics or be forced to upgrade at an inopportune time. That will also save you money over the long run.

I researched Dragonfly. I think it is a good system that has a bunch of things built into a nice small and compact format. If I were just structure fishing using the DownVision in flat calm seas, it would probably do the job. Instead I opted for the new Raymarine e Series (a and c series same but with different touch and keypad features and price points) because I needed something much more powerful for ocean conditions, wanted optionality on plug-n-play accessories (e.g., existing Raymarine HD radar, GPS and Radio, upgraded sonar, WiFi/Bluetooth integration, etc.) and felt Raymarine was putting the majority of their time and future resources in supporting the units with their LightHouse software.

I can also use a tablet (iPad or similar device with a RAM mount) through WiFi/Bluetooth as second or third display to run Navionics or other navigation software. Using a smaller 5” or 7” display with a separate WiFi/Bluetooch enable device such as a table or smart phone would definitely be an option that should be explored if you are looking to save money.

I also researched Navico (owns Simrad and Lowrance) and Furuno USA. I did not see a big differentiation in the core functionality of their multifunction displays (and processors) compared to Raymarine. It was more about my current accessories and options I needed and wanted.

Hope that helps.

-Troy

[Danno]

I've been checking Ebay for used HDS 7 and HDS 8 units and there seem to plenty available. In fact, a lot of the listings are for "head units only" i.e. no wiring, transducer, etc., just the display.
If I understand how this could work, it's possible to buy a used HDS8 or HDS7 head unit and connect it to my currently installed HDS7 via Ethernet. The result would be 2 separate Lowrance units functioning through only one transducer.