Fishing with Multiple Sonar/Mapping Units

[spencerw]

Nelly-

I'm having a Lowrance HDS Gen2 Touch 9 installed on my boat. I have a 19' BW Montauk. I've caved to all of the new technology and want to set myself up for the foreseeable future so I'm also having the Lowrance Sonar Hub, CHIRP transducer and Structure Scan Skimmer added as well. As I'm visualizing how it's all going to come together, I see a space on my console where a 2nd HDS 9 could go . The responsible person in me is screaming at me that this is a unnecessary luxury without a doubt. Aside from the obvious or having the ability to view multiple pages in full screen, what is your experience? ........ and outside of having two different units in different areas of the boat? That obviously doesn't apply to me in a center console. Is there any objective advantages? What is your preference or what would it be if you had my boat (no wise cracks , I know you're not a fiberglass guy).

Sometimes I need to be rained back in . Help me!

PS. You also mentioned in one of your last fishing report posts that you were going to post some pics of the CHIRP imaging in action. Anxious to see those.

Cheers and Go Cougs!!

Spence

[Nelly]

Multiple units are a great way to "spread out" your marine electronic information and control!
For instance, if you have a forward helm and you sit back at the transom to troll, wouldn't a second unit back at your fishing station be great?
Think also of the networking advantages of today's Lowrance/Simrad gear.
You'll have your sonar, gps, radar, auto pilot and stereo all in one convenient, durable package!

[onwhiskeycreek]

For us having two screens (GPS Units) is a necessity, for navigation. We don't carry paper charts with us any more, so having a backup unit is important. When we are under way one unit is zoomed out to keep track of the bigger picture and one unit is zoomed in to navigate through the maze of channels, rock gardens and weed. If your unit is zoomed in and the weather settles in you can loose track of the bigger picture following a previous track that is put in.

Gary

[Eric]

Two units are pretty great. I have dual Humminbird 998s and run the chartplotter on one and the fish finder on the other.

I would recommend though that before you purchase them that you cutout two pieces of cardboard to the size of the units and then see how they will integrate with the space available around the helm. Be aware that there are some pretty slick ram mounts out there and that you are not constrained to the conventional mount.

CHIRP is definitely the way to go. I'm about to cave myself.