Learning to utilize electronics

Hey guys I need to learn to utilize my electronics better. I know they can be a huge asset if you know how to use them. Any ideas where to start? Currently have a hds5 gen 2 but would like to go bigger. Thanks

Buy an elite fs 9 or hds 9 live. There’s youtube videos that do a good job explaining electronics, but the best way is on the water. You can also talk to a guide. Book a 4 hour trip and tell them what you’re trying to learn and they’ll teach you all kinds of stuff!

Here’s a school of walleye up on leech I was chasing around early July

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Thanks what’s the big difference between the elite and HDs? Hds blows elite out of the water right? Haven’t totally decided what we are doing with our current boat. We may look at trading within the next year or two.

I have one of each. The image there is from my elite. The screen resolution on an hds is a higher quality (720p) where the elite is a lower quality (480p). I am really impressed with the overall quality of the elite fs. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another if I needed it!

Thank you for the help. Will look into it.

You’re not the only person who doesn’t know how to fully utilize their electronics boos1996. I use Lowrance products too (since 2001) and currently use an Elite at the bow and a Carbon at the console. I’m sure there are features I could learn better too. It takes time and experience and experimentation to figure it all out and to best maximize the electronics realm.

Seems like its constantly changing too. Its like when you upgrade, 2 years later it feels outdated already.

What does the hdi mean on a elite series? I might have a used elite hdi located. Thanks guys

I am a Humminbird guy and have had SI since they first came out, best thing I ever did was leave the rods at home and just take a day and learn to run the depth finder. Hard bottoms, soft bottoms, edges each may take a little different setting I usually run with my Enhance menu ( small box with the settings ) up on the screen to constantly tweak settings as bottom changes and depth.

Hey guys I have a lowrance hds 9 gen 3 located. It has the standard 83/200hz transducer and a lowrance 2-1 transducer. He wants 850 dollars for it. Is that a fair price?

boos1906 wrote:

Hey guys I have a lowrance hds 9 gen 3 located. It has the standard 83/200hz transducer and a lowrance 2-1 transducer. He wants 850 dollars for it. Is that a fair price?

Not a bad price. I have the same unit for sale with just the 2d sonar for 700.

rjthehunter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>boos1906 wrote:</div>
Hey guys I have a lowrance hds 9 gen 3 located. It has the standard 83/200hz transducer and a lowrance 2-1 transducer. He wants 850 dollars for it. Is that a fair price?

Not a bad price. I have the same unit for sale with just the 2d sonar for 700.

I’ll be honest 850 is kind of more than I was wanting to spend. I’d have at least 1200 in it after shipping, buying a mount, and paying to install it. Im not sure I’m comfortable putting that kind of money into a boat that is going to be traded within a few years most likely.

I have ran both. They both do a decent job, obviously the live will do it better. Biggest differences

To me they both have 1200nit brightness screens, but the FS does not have the viewing angle that the live does. So to me the Live screen just seemed brighter because of it.

As someone stated above Live has a 1280×720 screen resolution where the FS has a 800×480 which comes into play with side scan. You will get a finer picture from the Live units.

I said above that the viewing angles are different. The Live is a 80deg x80deg left to right, the FS is a 60deg x 70deg which seemed odd. But you for sure notice this on the live unit having a better viewing angle. You don’t have to be more direct to the face of the unit on a live hence to me why it seems like its brighter.

Other big thing is Live has 2 ethernet ports and the FS has 1. If you plan to expand and add more than 2 units to your boat, the live is going to be your unit. Yes you could add a hub but with the price of that, you’re getting close to the difference of the units.

Another thing I didn’t like about the FS vs the live is that I run multiple transducers (2D and 3in1). The live has Channel 1 and 2 plugs for ducers where as the FS you only can plug one in at a time.

I would say if you can swing the cost of a Live it is a better unit. If you’re on a budget than the FS is your unit. The FS will work just fine for most people to be honest. Great unit for the price and does everything you need it to do to get out fishing and have a decent graph with mapping and side imaging.

I have done some on the water training with a few people in the past on Lowrance units. I should start a side business dialing peoples systems in and training..

Chris where are you from? I bought a elite 7 this morning. I bought it on bass boat central. Can’t wait to get it and start playing with it.

I live in Blaine (north metro twin cities).

Chris, I have 3 7 inch HDS units in my boat. Oldest in HDS Gen2 then I have two HDS 7 touch units with the newest a Gen3.
I have been contemplating going from 2 units at the console to 1 larger unit. I found a good price on a 12″ Carbon which is LiveSight capable which is what I want in a newer unit.
How much differences are there between the Carbon and the new Live units? A Live 12″ wouldnt be in the cards for me.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Chris, I have 3 7 inch HDS units in my boat. Oldest in HDS Gen2 then I have two HDS 7 touch units with the newest a Gen3.
I have been contemplating going from 2 units at the console to 1 larger unit. I found a good price on a 12″ Carbon which is LiveSight capable which is what I want in a newer unit.
How much differences are there between the Carbon and the new Live units? A Live 12″ wouldnt be in the cards for me.

Same screen resolution as the hds live units. The carbon units are great units and compatible with the active imaging transducers and active target. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a carbon unit

I bought a couple graphs yesterday. I bought a elite 7 and hds 7 gen 3 with down and side imaging. The 7 on the console I’ll use for sonar, down, and side imaging. The 5 on the console will be used for mapping. And then the elite 7 on the bow

CaptainMusky wrote:

Chris, I have 3 7 inch HDS units in my boat. Oldest in HDS Gen2 then I have two HDS 7 touch units with the newest a Gen3.
I have been contemplating going from 2 units at the console to 1 larger unit. I found a good price on a 12″ Carbon which is LiveSight capable which is what I want in a newer unit.
How much differences are there between the Carbon and the new Live units? A Live 12″ wouldnt be in the cards for me.

To be honest, a Carbon will work perfectly. If it comes down to being able to afford a 12″ unit, the carbon is a great buy.

If you have old ducers with a live you have to buy another 7 to 9 pin conversion cable unless its strictly a AI 3 in 1.

As stated above the HDS Live and the Carbon they have the same screens. Same SolarMax screen and resolution.

Another difference is the ports on the back. The live will have the HDMI and USB ports. Also the live will have the 4 shortcut keys on the bezel. Also the HDS Live 12 and 16 have higher processor speeds but to be honest, I don’t notice much difference.

So again, if you can live without those couple of features…. the Carbon is a good buy.

You can actually turn your carbon into a live with a smaller live unit as well. I run a 12 in carbon with smaller live and there is an update that will turn of the operational pages and what not into the exact same looking as the live. The processor is slower like mentioned above but really only notice it on startup.

Ripjiggen wrote:

You can actually turn your carbon into a live with a smaller live unit as well. I run a 12 in carbon with smaller live and there is an update that will turn of the operational pages and what not into the exact same looking as the live. The processor is slower like mentioned above but really only notice it on startup.

Looking at the Lowrance website it seems the smaller live units have the same processors as the carbon, but the larger Carbons (12 and larger) have quad core processors. So in comparing speed the 12 carbon appears to be the same as the 7 or 9 Live.

Thanks all for the replies.

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ripjiggen wrote:</div>
You can actually turn your carbon into a live with a smaller live unit as well. I run a 12 in carbon with smaller live and there is an update that will turn of the operational pages and what not into the exact same looking as the live. The processor is slower like mentioned above but really only notice it on startup.

Looking at the Lowrance website it seems the smaller live units have the same processors as the carbon, but the larger Carbons (12 and larger) have quad core processors. So in comparing speed the 12 carbon appears to be the same as the 7 or 9 Live.

That may be so. Just know it takes almost twice as long on startup after that don’t notice it. It is nice having the operational pages be the exact same on both units. Running active imaging and soon to be active target.

Your comments are spot on…

Also one other thing people don’t realize…

If you have a network of graphs, say an HDS Gent 2 touch and you go and throw a live on, people get really frustrated that there Live unit is very slow.

The reason for this is that they don’t work well on the same network. THEY WORK… but the Live unit will now be in legacy mode so it will run slow.

Also (at least on the Gen 3 touch I had) the AI 3 in 1 WILL show up on that unit via the network, but you will not have the same detail as a live screen because of the units resolution and processor speed. It will be kind of laggy.

Just want to throw that out there as well. It is Gen 2 touch or older that it will throw a live into legacy mode if networked together.

Chris Messerschmidt wrote:

Your comments are spot on…

Also one other thing people don’t realize…

If you have a network of graphs, say an HDS Gent 2 touch and you go and throw a live on, people get really frustrated that there Live unit is very slow.

The reason for this is that they don’t work well on the same network. THEY WORK… but the Live unit will now be in legacy mode so it will run slow.

Also (at least on the Gen 3 touch I had) the AI 3 in 1 WILL show up on that unit via the network, but you will not have the same detail as a live screen because of the units resolution and processor speed. It will be kind of laggy.

Just want to throw that out there as well. It is Gen 2 touch or older that it will throw a live into legacy mode if networked together.

Very good info guys! I saw a video put out a few years ago by Russell Marine Group that does all sorts of comparisons, etc for trolling motors, GPS units etc and he explained the exact thing about the 3 in 1 on the carbon vs the Live. The Carbon would certainly be an upgrade for me over the units I have now and at least get me closer to current. I would plan to keep my HDS 7 Gen 3 unit so those two would be networked and sell off the others or perhaps just use them on the ATV/snowmobile. When I upgrade to a Live in the future I undoubtedly would notice the things you two are mentioning, but that may not be for a while.