# Ok Sounders what's everyone using??



## Guest (Nov 29, 2007)

Ok Sounders what's everyone using??

Colour and Mono?

Is the colour units that good that I should spend $500 plus and get one or should I spend $500 or less and get a good Mono?

Cheers


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2007)

Spend $490 and get a colour sounder! 8) Hummingbird 141C


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

My opinion is if moneys no object get colour, but unless your fishing in 20 mtrs+ of water I cant see any major benefit. A mono with 320 x 320 pixels and 300 watts of power is plenty for average kayak fishing. In less than 2 mtrs of water there is no need for a sounder.

I honestly dont see the need to spend big bucks on a sounder for a kayak, plenty of blokes catch fish without one at all. I have no desire to up grade my very basic sounder and would rather spend money on fishing gear.

But get a GPS.......I think is as important as a sounder for marking structure and more importantly keeping your trolling speed right.......which might be difficult in your new go fast yak.


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

You probably don't have to get too high tech if you're fishing shallow water. In only 2-3 meters of water, even a 320 x 320 display will show lots of detail. If you're going offshore a better fishfinder can be a great benefit. I routinely fish in 60'-150' water and I wouldn't use anything less than 480v resolution. The difference between a 320V and 640V display is significant; you're getting twice the resolution. I was amazed at the difference when I upgraded from a Humminbird 300TX to a Matrix 37. It is so much easier to identify bait and structure with a hi-res screen. A high-resolution color finder definitely helps, but I wouldn't say that it is a necessity. The color finder just makes identifying bait and structure easier and faster.

It's up to you to decide if you want to spend the money on a color finder. Like everything else it's just a cost/benefit decision


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

whenever i think about getting a sounder, i catch heaps of fish without one.....so it goes on backburner...again and again and again...


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

I went for a Humminird 323

It is the most compact, highest resolution mono unit I could find

I have seen the low res colour units in action and prefer my mono unit

The 323 is 300W RMS and dual beam


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Eagle320c. Colour, 100% waterproof & regularly tested as same, A$300 delivered from Basspro. I've been pretty happy with it so far.


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## Guest (Nov 30, 2007)

landyman said:


> I went for a Humminird 323
> 
> It is the most compact, highest resolution mono unit I could find
> 
> ...


I like the looks of that one too landy.

Does it have a backlight?

So dual beam does that mean it transmits two beams at once?

Cheers


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

landyman said:


> I went for a Humminird 323
> 
> It is the most compact, highest resolution mono unit I could find
> 
> ...


Landy , thats a nice looking sounder , was it expensive?, and does it pick up fish well or just the bottom ?


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## xerubus (May 17, 2007)

I use the 343C from humminbird. Looks identical to the one above, except it's obviously colour.

Sel.. if the 23 is the same, then yes, it is backlit. And dual beam can transmit two beams at once.. correct. 83 and 200 if my memory serves me right.


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

yes has a backlinght

83 and 200 dual beam - selectable with split screen or full screen

it's a 300W RMS unit - very powerful.. shows bottom in incredible detail and have seen large arches on it.. but no small baitfish or bream sized fish.. but that could be because they have not swam under boat :lol:

great unit - IIRC RRP is around $450 - I paid $400 from my local shop


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWcUJYy4AAC/fgAAQUOfxEplimIo/6//gMADG1ERpoTKDanqAA9TxQPRHqDQakzQp6majAAIxMQ0aaMg1T9Emmpp6hp6QYgAAZG1DgpiDVx+iROd6Bpb9pPBlzW6TxD4k778zlg2wrXJI6WG5OKptcNT8he1lbdAI4SZFIv2TRCogAyGSBUqVi6KBHMayQxA43WVOCMEmtwWoJLay/9K2xdQvZhUxwAlHjwZQ0cHDRimtSy/4lBvrTsI+7nEhIRyfA8yKW/GAuZ1AutxCv7Q/vGFEkNCNMWJPSVD2QUTCZCEQvnFKtCkL2RuCIIOZK3f4u5IpwoSGKEsZcA==


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2007)

The colour ones?

Do they show better images or do they actually identify fish better, well thats what I have heard?

Anyone in the know?

Cheers


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## pcsolutionman (Apr 9, 2007)

Sel I have the Lowrance x67c and yes it helps identify fish from structure a lot easier and faster. I love having the colour it makes a big difference IMO. but having said that there is no use having colour if you have 180 V pixels for instance you still need a good res

Lee


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

to be honest I think the term "fish finder" is a bit of a dud...

I use mine more for finding structure and drop offs under water and if you have a pedal Hobie (which I know you'll buy soon :lol: ) the DEPTH GUAGE so you dont smash your fins..

yes they can identify schools of fish.. but using it to sound out 1 fish.. well good luck catching that 1 fish :lol: :lol:

as to your question - I think the higher $$ colour units would help identify weed etc from fish - but for me was not worth the extra $$ on a kayak


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## stonecold (Nov 5, 2006)

Gday MacFish,

I just invested in a hummingbird 565 from the states. It was a little over $220 landed here. As wth the 323 hereabouts its a dual beam unit but has 640 vertical pix. I have a Furuno 600 which I run in the big boat, the little hummingbirds not going to perform anywhere near what i expect from that unit, having said that I was out on Friday and could tell weed from hard bottom and sand. It certainly show great detail with its resolution. I did look at the Eagle 320 but after a quick measure decided they may have been a little bulky for what i wanted. 
I had a piranah max 10 in the tinny at one stage and it performed everything I asked of it. Looking back the most common thing I asked of these smaller sounders is to 
1.show depth changes
2.show structure
I guess theres a dozen sounders on the market that will do that job

Rgds m


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

MacFish said:


> The colour ones?
> 
> Do they show better images or do they actually identify fish better, well thats what I have heard?
> 
> ...


I think that most of the high-end Humminbird units have the same resolving power. Most of the transducers have dual beams operating at 83khz and 200khz (some also have a 455khz beam) with a claimed 2.5" target separation. This applies to both the color and B&W units. The advantage of the color units is in how the returns are displayed. The B&W units have a 16 level gray scale and the color units have a 256 color display. The return strength can be displayed over a wider range with the color finder. It's just my opinion, but I find it much easier to interpret the image when displayed in color. The different colors are easier for me to pick out than the subtle tonal separations of the B&W. This is particularly noticeable in bright sun when the apparent screen contrast is lower. I don't think you will gain much from a color unit if you rely only on the fish ID feature. In that case it is just a matter of which unit has the better signal processor (SP is probably very similar across the product lines). Where the color finder will really be a benefit is when looking at the raw image. A dense target will stand out against background more on a color display. Here are some examples (Note: side imaging sonar is a completely different ballgame  )


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

mmmmmm .... side imaging... if you can afford side imaging.. GET IT 8)


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2007)

Thx Douglas

Im definately going colour now.

This is as much as I can afford, was looking at getting one from the USA over the weekend but the warranty issues and metric features concern me so will be buying it in Australia.

Going for the Humminbird 343C  I have ordered a ram mount from Hook One to mount this one up to my new Revo which I am picking up next week 

http://www.bla.com.au/index.php?fn=prod ... 3b647f01bc

I like the dual beam technology and its compact size.

Cheers


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

MacFish said:


> Thx Douglas
> 
> Im definately going colour now.
> 
> ...


let us know what the best price you can get it for.. my local shop is pretty good and I'm sure he'd ship it straight to you..


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2007)

landyman said:


> MacFish said:
> 
> 
> > Thx Douglas
> ...


Thx Landyman

I have a mate that can do a sweet deal for me on them so I doubt whether your friend could match the price, but thx anyway. 

BTW this is the USA price, good prices on this site and I like the way they review the souders with their rating system, temping to buy there but like I said I'm worried about warranty and Measurement units. http://www.fishfinder-store.com/hu34fifico.html

Bring on next weekend,....new yak...rod holders from the USA...and a colour sounder..woohoo.... :lol:

Cheers


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

I would think long and hard before getting a side imaging FF. There are a number of drawbacks that kayak fishos need to take into account. The head units use more power and are larger and heavier than most standard FF. Side imaging FF are very expensive compared to standard fish finders. Of major concern for kayak fishermen-you cant mount the transducer inside the hull. 
It's easy to get taken in by the images. Sometimes the images formed by a side scan will look almost like an underwater video. It really can be quite impressive. Unfortunately, the returns are not always going to be that clear. The image quality depends a lot on the bottom composition and background return. I've seen some diver detection/identification side scans that worked fine over flat silt bottoms, but failed miserably when used over mixed backgrounds. Don't think it's always going to look like the pretty pictures that you see on the website.


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

I know Hobie Vic (Scott) has one..

he's mounted the transducer off the rudder.. perhaps he'll chime in with image reviews..

just noticed you bought a new bicycle.. um I mean kayak Mac.. :lol:

you selling the Quest then ??


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2007)

landyman said:


> just noticed you bought a new bicycle.. um I mean kayak Mac.. :lol:
> 
> you selling the Quest then ??


Landy

I went to a Hobie weekend last weekend and I was the only paddler there. I was amazed at just how good the pedal yaks are good for fishing, after all its all about fishing here. The sails for the pedal yaks are awesome too. I wasn't going to buy one for ages but long term I wanted one. I came home and told the wife about it and she said I could get one 8)

So a Revo it is for me  The quest is too good to sell, I love it and I intend to do trips where I can paddle only as I do fish alot of estuaries that are really shallow. I also have a lot of friends that would like to try Kayak fishing so having two kayaks will make it easy for my friends to come out for a fish. I hope to convert a few.

Landy, I have a Revolution with Sail kit and St fins on order, will be picking up next Saturday.

Cheers


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## xerubus (May 17, 2007)

you'll love the 343c mate.... best investment i have made on the yak.


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## Donutslayer (Jun 9, 2007)

stonecold said:


> Gday MacFish,
> 
> I just invested in a hummingbird 565 from the states. It was a little over $220 landed here. As wth the 323 hereabouts its a dual beam unit but has 640 vertical pix. I have a Furuno 600 which I run in the big boat, the little hummingbirds not going to perform anywhere near what i expect from that unit, having said that I was out on Friday and could tell weed from hard bottom and sand. It certainly show great detail with its resolution. I did look at the Eagle 320 but after a quick measure decided they may have been a little bulky for what i wanted.
> I had a piranah max 10 in the tinny at one stage and it performed everything I asked of it. Looking back the most common thing I asked of these smaller sounders is to
> ...


Hey stone cold, Can you please post a link where you got that from. Sounds like a top price>>


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## PDO (May 24, 2007)

I agree if money's no object get the best one you can find and get me one too.

P


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## roydsy (Nov 20, 2007)

I have a eagle seacharter 642 igps colour sounder which i use for the full boar 5.5m, but I also grabbed a 2nd transducer and mount so it could be used in the canoe as well. 640 x 480, 500 watt rms, 5" screen, and I have the navionics maps of entire australia. Overkill yes, but was great at identify structure in the bass dams. I plan on installing it into my outback when I get one... which could be a while if the minister for finance has her way.

Also, I imported mine from the US at it cost $800 delivered to the door.

roydsy


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## stonecold (Nov 5, 2006)

Donutslayer try basspro.com The aussie $ was about 91c when I purchased mine and from memory freight was $14. I Bought a few other items and spread the freight. Shipment was 3 weeks. At 640V*320H the resolution was good value for money. The downside is that units purchased from the U.S operate in ft and f and cannot be changed. I can operate either so it was no big deal for me.

Hope this helps

Cheers M


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

stonecold said:


> Donutslayer try basspro.com The aussie $ was about 91c when I purchased mine and from memory freight was $14. I Bought a few other items and spread the freight. Shipment was 3 weeks. At 640V*320H the resolution was good value for money. The downside is that units purchased from the U.S operate in ft and f and cannot be changed. I can operate either so it was no big deal for me.
> 
> Cheers M


I think that it's only Humminbird fishfinders that don't allow the units to be changed. Lowrance and Garmin both allow the selection of either English or metric units. I would think that the biggest concern with buying international is the lack of a warranty. I've had some nightmares with that. I'm pretty hard on my fishfinders and I wouldn't even consider buying one without an extended warranty.


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## stonecold (Nov 5, 2006)

Dgax yes your right, I know Eagle allow you to change units and so did the bottom line 480max unit that I bought for my tinnie late last year. The warranty issue is a problem to a degree although I did have a hummingbird early on in the show that I sent back to the states. They had the warranty work carried out, it took a considerable amount of time 6-8 weeks from memory to have it done but it was done none the less. All up I have purchased 3 sounders from the U.S with that one hummingbird having to go back for warranty. On the other hand I have saved hundreds in the purchases. In contrast I have purchased 2 colour sounders locally and one of those had to go back for warranty.... twice. At the end of the day I think I am ahead with the U.S deal, If my $110 Bottom Line 480max craps itself it will go in the bin rather than back to the manufacturer for waranty. A sounder with similar features here in Aus was $350+ so according to my warped sense of economics I could afford to buy 3 bottom line sounders for the price of one here! Unfortunately those sounders have been discontinued (bugger I should have bought half a dozen!) hence I purchased the Humminhbird 565 which at $220-230 is a hell of a lot cheaper than a Hummingbird Matrix 12 from a local dealer at $325.

Cheers M


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

Can't argue with that


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

I was pretty sure my Aus bought Humminbird 323 could be changed to feet :? - I'll double check the manual


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## stonecold (Nov 5, 2006)

Yes Landyman I 'm pretty sure the models you buy in Aus are what they call "international" models which can change units at least thats what is says in my 565 manual. The models from the states are not....unfortunately


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## phantom (Oct 16, 2006)

Hi,

My new sounder arrived today from the US, Cuda 242, $155 AUD, including postage from ebay power seller.

I hope it will do the job for me.
See spec's below.

Good luck picking a unit.

Phantom

Spec's
display
4" (10.2 cm) diagonal screen 
240Vx160H Film SuperTwist LCD 
Backlit screen 
4-level grayscale 
Sonar
Depth capability to 600 ft* (183 m) with 800 watts of peak-to-peak power 
High-performance, low-profile 200 kHz Skimmer® transducer with built-in temp delivers a wider, more effective fish detection area of up to 60° with high sensitivity settings - Operates at boat speeds up to 70 mph (61 kts) 
FishReveal™ feature exposes fish targets hidden in surface clutter, weed beds, thermoclines, and other types of underwater cover 
HyperScroll™ feature locates and displays fish targets at higher boat speeds 
Advanced Signal Processing (ASP™) automatically adjusts your settings for the best sonar picture 
Patented GRAYLINE® separates fish from nearby structure and bottom 
Advanced Fish I.D.™ shows underwater targets in different sizes of fish symbols 
FishTrack™ displays target depth readings above fish symbols 
Surface water temperature readings come from a built-in temp sensor in the transducer 
Zoom with zoom bottom tracking and easy zoom-in/out control 
Performance
Ultra compact case design with an adjustable tilt, quick-release mounting system 
Easy to connect/disconnect with uniplug cable connector 
Internal back-up memory for key sonar settings 
Completely sealed and waterproof, even for use in harsh saltwater environments

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good luck picking a unit.

Phantom


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## simond11 (Aug 29, 2005)

I have this model and I love it. Never had an issue with it in 2 years.

http://www2.lowrance.com/Products/Marine/X50DS.asp

Good luck
Cheers

Simon 
Prowler 15


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