Is this a must have up front? Looking at putting it in by the console for sure but possibly up front too and turning just one side on for along docks and shorelines is this a bad idea?
Side imaging on a trolling motor is difficult at best. Best bet is to get down imaging up font and maybe link the 2 units so you can see the side imaging from the other unit.
The fish graff on my trolling motor. Mounted up frount, Is where I have my best unit. My console graff has basic fuctions plus GPS. It gets me where I'm going. When I hop into the front seat is when I need all that information. Got to have two graffs. Don't be to tight on the $$. Get yourself a decent unit to start.
I would say no. You have to be moving for side imaging to work. That's why they came up with 360 imaging. If you are on a budget get a 898 for counsel and 858 for bow or what ever the models HB has now.... down imagining isn't really that special and if you are unsure of what the 2d is giving you, you can always go over it with your unit at counsel. Personally I have linked 998 and 858 birds and couldn't be happier whole setup only cost me about $1,600.
so heres what i bought I bought humminbird 899ci hd SI for the console and a 859di for the front the rear has side imaging and the front has down imaging but am linking them together so I can look at my side imaging from the back on the front without it moving how far infront of the boat will that side imaging view or none? Also I bought a hydrowave just to take a stab at it and see if it works
is 360 imaging worth the money its about $1,000 for the setup it looks like
nevermind its a lot more than that out of my budget
Not sure if u can you see side imagining at the front if it's not capable to begin with.
According to the guys at cabelas i could hopefully i can
im putting same set up in my boat this year but im not sure you can do the si on the front unit if its linked im sure you can see all the same gps points but i doubt that a di will show si..but im not that smart on the graph deals so..
Maybe WE can try an arrange for HB to conduct some seminars in our area. D&R in Kalamazoo host them sometimes and so does Gander Mountain. We spend all this money on these electronics and are entitled to training.
Quote from: huston on March 04, 2014, 08:23:44 AM
Maybe WE can try an arrange for HB to conduct some seminars in our area. D&R in Kalamazoo host them sometimes and so does Gander Mountain. We spend all this money on these electronics and are entitled to training.
I agree!!
I also agree.
I've had my 898 and 788 for 4 years. They are interlinked together. They will share way points, but that's it. They won't even share maps.
I just don't see how DI units can display SI from another unit. But I'm no expert by any means.
SI on my boat works best when I'm moving between 3 and 5 mph. Having said that though I have fished on the back of a boat that had SI on and 1197. We were moving on the tm at a pretty good clip and I could see rock piles on St. Clair.
I've been studying some you tube videos about using SI from a guy named Doug Vahrenberg. From what I've encountered on the net these have been the most helpful.
What we need is a Humminbird expert in the area similar to what Lance Valentine does for Lowrance.
Maybe a road trip to D&R for there open house is in order. If you try and organize someone over here let me know. I will have 2 HB's on my boat this spring.
Mike Elkins does them at D&R
Mike Elkins has told me he will start helping with Humminbird questions on GreatLakesBass.com. I created a new child board under Electronics Talk - Humminbird Side Imaging and Marine Electronics (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/index.php?board=138.0) for this. If you start posting Humminbird-specific questions in that board I will get Mike Elkins aware it is up and being used, and see if he is able to provide some answers.
Mike will be doing this on his own time of his own free choice so please be patient with him and realistic in expectations. I will be very happy if additional resources come out of GreatLakesBass.com but we'll see how it goes first. No promises. Just hope that this website can provide more helpful resources for all of you to enjoy your fishing more. Of course, anyone who can contribute is always welcome to pitch in too! That is the primary benefit of a public open forum.
I have 998's at both bow and console - console is best for SI - a "must have" on the big water. On the TM it is less useful, but it does help spot a rock or piece of structure off to the side when I am moving with the TM or drifting. I also have a lowrance at the bow and console and use them for GPS - the 998's just are not big enough if you plan to use 2D, SI and GPS all at the same time.
SI at the console for great lakes, on the bow inland. I spend less then 15 minutes of my day in the drivers seat inland. I won a tournament because as i trolled along the shore line, i looked down and saw a stump field on the other side of me. 2 extra fish
The seminars at D&R are helpful but when I attended last year, you shared a unit with maybe two or three people and they were conducted by a HB rep. But all questions just were not answered because of time restraints and not all display units were SI. My two units are Ethernet connected because that is what HB informed me was best. Me not really knowing it all, later found out that Ethernet does not lock in waypoints to both units when marking them on either unit,(788 & 898). The interlink does that. Before anybody buys these electronics, they should study, research, ask, and if any of us are knowledgeable, like Dan says weigh in with info to help us all. Every other week it's a software update, or installation fix or repair.
I have a 898 at the dash and a 788 at the bow. Mine are connected by Ethernet. It's true that when marking a waypoint it only locks to the unit you are setting it on, but the waypoint does show up on the other unit as long as both are powered up. There are times I'll go to the bow and cant see the point I want then realize I hadn't turned on the one at the dash where I set the waypoint or vice verse.
I think DI on the bow would be more helpful fishing structure you might see in reservoirs. Flooded trees etc but I really liked using it on Mullet last fall and easily spotted the smallies on the bottom.
One tip I learned for side imaging ..... set the chart speed as close to the MPH as possible. Ex. using the big motor at 5 mph, set the chart speed at 5. ( it's range is 0-10) You'll get the clearest picture this way.
Unless it's changed they don't share mapping chips. I bought one for each unit.
Side imaging on the bow does not show anything forward if the boat is going straight. The sonar shoots down and out perpendicular from the transducer. If you turn the TM when using SI one side will blur some until you are heading straight again. Eventhough, I do hear of guys that really like SI up front.
Huston, I attended the same at D&R a few years ago and agree with everything you said. However, it was only $10 for the class and you could use it as a credit in the store afterwards. :)
I had 898 units at console and bow, never used the SI at bow because of the interference lines. So, this time around, I have a 998 for console and 859 for bow. It's your money and your decision though, make it for how you fish.
1jav
In my new Nitro, I had 2 HB 899 DI/SI units installed- 1 at console and 1 at bow including Ethernet setup. I had the bow unit transducer mounted onto my trolling motor while my console unit was mounted on the transom. Whats neat is since im running an Ethernet, I can switch which transducer I want to read in each HB 899 unit. So for instance when I am at the bow and want to dropshot, I can set it up so the bow will read my bowmounted transducer so I can use the sonar to watch my dropshot. I also can switch the bowmounted unit to read the transom transducer which would be more likely the situation I would like when covering a lot of ground and wanting to take advantage of the sidescan from the bow. In all likelihood I will never switch the transducer setting at the console unit to the trolling motor transducer. That wouldn't make much sense at all. There are so many variations when you hook 2 together vi Ethernet. Unfortunately I cant run the 360 imaging from the trolling motor because they don't work with the Terrova. And there is no way im gonna sacrifice taking off my Terrova for a Maxxum or Fortrexx because then I will lose my I-pilot Link ability. NO WAY!!!! lol... I also run a Lowrance Mark-5x Pro at the console as well. Sometimes its nice to see whats directly underneath you for the purpose of dropping marker bouys..