Electronics

[fishtildark]

Good Morning from sunny western Pa.
I have been looking off and on for a couple years at potential new electronics for my Quebec fishing trip and haven't been very successful . Currently using a portable hummingbird that is probably close to fifteen years old and runs on two 6 volts. Usually don't need to replace the batteries until maybe late week. Have replaced the transducer once but it has been all I need and I have been really happy with it . My concern is that with age I don't know how long I can expect it to continue to perform as well as it has and looking at other possibilities. Have seen some portable ones that run on d cells or rechargeable. Recharging could be an issue if there is a generator problem. Would like to hear any recommendations (I don't need enough technology to explore the ocean floor), what others are using , battery life etc, or if anyone has a similar hummingbird , how long they have used it. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Sam

[Flatline]

I use a Humminbird 345C Portable. I bought it about 4 or 5 years ago and it has been great.  Before that I had an older portable Humminbird similar to the one you are using. If you do upgrade, definately go with a colour model. It makes a world of difference. Mine has a rechargeable 12 volt battery similar to a small ski-doo/motorcycle battery.
It will usually last a full weekend before needing charging.

[RHYBAK]

LOL...Does not matter what you use.
To upgrade, go to Cabela's bargain basement and buy what is on clearance.

I use the Lowrance 67c that was purchase for next to nothing that way.

Just my two cents.

[Jay Thomas]

I concur with Flatline that a new sonar unit should be a colour unit - simply because a colour display is my own personal preference - it's easier to read. However, it really boils down to how many dollars you are prepared to spend to satisfy your requirements. I understand that requirements vary from fisherman to fisherman.

Any sonar unit can be configured to work portable. For me, a 5 inch screen is minimum for sonar only and a 7 inch screen is minimum for a sonar + GPS (facilitates split screen usage)

Last year, a fishing colleague purchased a Humminbird Helix 5 sonar + GPS colour unit and it's a great unit. It presently retails at Cabela's for $300. For $200, you can get the Humminbird Helix 5 colour sonar unit (no GPS). The only draw back for any colour unit is the current draw. The current draw for the above mentioned units is 650 milliamps per hour. For 7 hours of use per day for 6 days, you would require a 30 amp hour deep cycle battery to provide power without any recharging issues during a trip. Alternatively, you could provide power using 8 D-cell batteries. Since D-cell batteries equate to approximately 17000 milliamps, you would get 3 days of usage from 8 D-cell batteries.

For the last 4 years, I've been fishing lakes where the outfitter provides no power whatsoever. Consequently, I have been using a 51 amp hour deep cycle battery (weighs 38 pounds) to provide sufficient power to run my Lowrance HDS7 (colour sonar + GPS) for week long trips.

Jay

[johnny walleye]

the General is correct Cabelas bargin cave has some deals.

[fishtildark]

Thanks to all for the imput. Rhybak, you are correct on two points. first , Cabelas it will be when I do it. Second , it doesn't matter what, so long as it answers the questions as to how deep is it? and , what does the bottom look like? would be nice if it showed all the fish and baitfish but I am not convinced we catch what we see anyway. Thanks. Sam

[JLG]

I use a Cabela's bargain cave special  just for depth and the fish ID can be entertaining at times.  I Rigged to run off my 12 volt (which also runs a electric motor) and I get 2 or 3 days on a full charge depending on how hard I run the e-motor.  We have 24/7 electric at our camp so I can charge but if you don't have electric you can get a solar charger for less than $50 that will more than meet your needs and take advantage of a sunny afternoon at the Lake.

[RHYBAK]

I have a lowrance 67c color unit that is mounted on top of a marine box.
Small 12v battery fits inside along with the charger.
Transducer is mounted on a tite-lok bracket.
I only use this while in Quebec ,so why go expensive.

Shrink was kind enough to buy this unit for me in a U.S. Cabela's bargain cave seeing that we did not have Cabela's up here at the time.
Mind you, I think the Cabela's south of the border is 10 time better than ours anyways.

Cheap is good for once a year trips.

[RHYBAK]

Gander Mountain has a sharp looking Lowrance color unit for 299.99 this week and a Cheap Hummingbird color unit  for 99.99 that will do the job for a week in Kipawa.

[fishtildark]

Thanks. I will take a look. For whatever reason I never think about Gander Mountain but it is a good store.

[RHYBAK]

Whatever you buy, if it has built in lake maps, try to make sure that Canada is included.,

You may have to buy Quebec lake mapping on a separate chip

[adempsey]

I am fairly certain all the sonar units are 12V.  So, you can make a battery pack for any of them if you want a portable unit.   The two 6V cells are good, especially if they are the 4F type.   It seems that nowadays you can get a fairly decent color unit at a reasonable price from any of the manufacturers.  All of which are pretty good.    Not sure I'd go with Garmin though, according to the specs they seem to have a high current draw, which will obviously use your battery up faster.   Never tested one though.    If you're concerned about battery life, make sure to check the specs and the current draw.   Aim for something that's <250mA.   

For example, the Humminbird Helix 5 has a current draw of 650mA which will last about a day on a standard 7Amp Hour AGM battery.  I think the Lowrance Hook-3x is even higher.  That's not great if you want a portable unit and even worse if you want to use an alkaline battery pack.  Of course, it's fine if you can easily charge your battery.