Hi All I currently have a Lowrance GPS/FF unit an

[BrentC123]

Hi All

I currently have a Lowrance GPS/FF unit and I have been looking at upgrading to a chartplotter version. The 2 units that I was looking at was the Lowrance HD-5 or Garmin GPS 520.

I saw the HD-5 the other day and the screen quality is really impressive (420x420) and it also features a broadband fishfinder. Also, Lowrance are offering the maps free with the unit as part of a launch special.

The garmin on the other hand is a Garmin and most people will advise to get a Garmin for GPS and Furuno for a FF? The screen resolution is not as good as the Lowrance and the FF is not broadband.

What I was wondering was if any of you have:

1) Used the Lowrance "NAUTIC MAP" as well as "Garmin bluechart"? I know that the Garmin 520 will use G2 vision that will have other bells and whistles (google maps, mariners eye etc), but do the Lowrance charts have the same detail as Garmin i.e. restricted fishing spots, reefs, rocks etc?

2) Used or played with a broadband fishfinder vs the traditional one. Previously I would have looked for the one that had the greatest RMS. However the Lowrance unit, due to being broadband is far less RMS than Garmin. I have been told by a Lowrance guy that "the new broadband units don’t shout as loud, but they listen better"?

Any other thoughts and comments would be appreciated e.g. map refresh rates, user friendliness etc

Thanks

Brent

 

[Fishton]

High Definition Broadband:

What is it?
This is what the Lowrance website says-
The Most Revolutionary Finders Since The Little Green Box
HDS Highest-Definition Broadband Fishfinding
• Less Noise, More Targets
• Crystal-Clear Clarity
• Greater Shallow-Water Detail and Coverage
• Incredible Deep-Water Performance
• Expandability at No Extra Cost

… and this is their image that explains all this, a 216 x 100 pixel image? If a picture tells a thousand words, then this little picture would normally only say about 20.
BUT … there is something very important to notice here:- This is the broadband at 83kHz and not 200kHz! (it would have been nice if they mentioned that here) “How do you know that?” you might ask. The majority of the arches have very long ‘tails’. This means that these fish are not directly below the boat, but around the outer perimeter of the cone*. This image tells us that it has a very large outer perimeter, as in a 60º cone of the 83kHz transducer.
*These are ‘cones’, or the ‘eye’ of the transducer:

And it shows a clear thermocline with hardly no clutter in the mid section! To us ‘echo heads’ this goes well into the paranormal. Usually you would need at least a ½oz tungsten sinker at least to see it in the 83kHz range. But now you will be able to not only see the sinker while drop shotting over the transducer, but you’ll see the worm as well!
What this means is that at only 41% of the frequency, you are getting the same echo definition and target separation as the 200kHz.
Most of you that have tried this with your standard 200kHz might say, “but I’ve done that!” But have you done it with 83kHz? Why would you want to do it on the 83kHz? The 83kHz is giving you a much larger FOV, field of view. That means that you can drift quite a ways before you will lose ‘sight’ of your lure.

“Drop shotting and 83kHz is for sissies” you might say, “what about where all the real fishermen play, the 200kHz?”
My first statement here is quite simple … “If it’s that good at 83, can you just imagine at 200?!”
That’s a typical salesman pitch I know, so let me try explaining it a bit better.
The echo we are transmitting up until now can be compared to this:-

Being played on this:-

With this effect

.

But broadband can be compared to this :-

Being played on this:-

With this effect:-

In summary:-
Ever wondered why the Nikon D90 sells for around R10 000.00 with a 12.3 mega pixel image…

And yet, the Nikon D3 sells for around R70 000.00 which only has a 12.1 mega pixel image!

And as far as sonar logging for 3D bathymetric image creation goes …. No contest!

 

[Fishton]

BrentC123 wrote:

Lowrance HD-5 or Garmin GPS 520.

Hi Brent,

You can't compare the HDS-5 and the Garmin 520.  The Garmin 525 on the other hand would be a better comparison.

 

[BrentC123]

Thanks Fishton, this is definitely informative. You pictures certainly have a way of telling the story.

So, if I understand correctly, even the fish finder on the 525 would be miles apart due to the finesse and clarity of the Lowrance Broadband system. My understanding is that the 520 supports up to 500W RMS/ 4,000 Peak to Peak but the 525 can support up to 1,000W RMS/8,000W Peak to Peak, while the Lowrance claims their equivalent is 30,000W Peak to Peak!!

So the only remaining question is the GPS in the 2 units. Garmin uses BLUECHART while the Lowrance uses NAUTIC MAP as well as Navionics. The launch special of this unit includes a free version of NAUTIC MAP and Navionics Gold is currently available with Navionics Platinum coming latter this year.

Has anyone worked with these 3 maps and if so how do they all stack up? From my reading platinum will have similar info like Garmins G2 Vision i.e. Mariners eye, Google map overlays etc. However, in the 2D view, which is where I am guessing I will spend most of my time, does anyone know which will have the most detail i.e. contour lines, wrecks, restricted fishing zones, rocks etc?

 

[Fishton]

So, if I understand correctly, even the fish finder on the 525 would be miles apart due to the finesse and clarity of the Lowrance Broadband system. My understanding is that the 520 supports up to 500W RMS/ 4,000 Peak to Peak but the 525 can support up to 1,000W RMS/8,000W Peak to Peak, while the Lowrance claims their equivalent is 30,000W Peak to Peak!!

You are quite right, even the Garmin 525 is no comparison.

So the only remaining question is the GPS in the 2 units. Garmin uses BLUECHART while the Lowrance uses NAUTIC MAP as well as Navionics. The launch special of this unit includes a free version of NAUTIC MAP and Navionics Gold is currently available with Navionics Platinum coming latter this year.

Has anyone worked with these 3 maps and if so how do they all stack up? From my reading platinum will have similar info like Garmins G2 Vision i.e. Mariners eye, Google map overlays etc. However, in the 2D view, which is where I am guessing I will spend most of my time, does anyone know which will have the most detail i.e. contour lines, wrecks, restricted fishing zones, rocks etc?

I have seen screenshots of Garmin’s BlueChart Vision, and it looks very impressive, but I would like to see their ‘interpretation’ of a reef such as Aliwal Shoal before I invest my trust and cash into it. I have emailed requesting this but to date have not received anything from Garmin. I have Navionics Gold, but when I zoom into a reef that I know very well, like the Aliwal Shoal, this is all it gives me … terrible!

It is important to remember that those fancy 3D charts you see in the glossy adds were actually charted by a person / s and takes a lot of time. 

Here is an example of one my freshwater maps in Lowrance format:  These depth increments are only 2ft!

Google Earth:

And the ultimate in 3D Bathymetry:

 

[BrentC123]

Thanks Fishton, any sealine users with Bluechart Vision that can help us with these screenshots?

 

[Craigr]

It's the same as the Navionics.

 

[Fishton]

Craigr wrote:

It's the same as the Navionics.

That is terrible Craig, are you sure?

 

[Craigr]

Yes, as per the Atlantic Blue Chart on my PC, I will double check my sounder tonight which has the Blue Chart SD card. I suppose that one can never assume that they are the same.

 

[BrentC123]

Hi Guys this is the Garmin Bluechart view from one of my friends PC.
Craig, I am keen to see what the Bluechart G2 Vision views look like.

 

[Fishton]

BrentC123 wrote:

Hi Guys this is the Garmin Bluechart view from one of my friends PC.
Craig, I am keen to see what the Bluechart G2 Vision views look like.

Thanks for the sample Brent, very much the same as Navionics Gold.  For shipping these charts must be great, but not so great for an angler.

I really look forward to seeing some of the 3D views of our local reefs with the BlueChart G2 Vision.

Has anybody got this version?

 

[Craigr]

Checked my fish finder last night, there's no difference between the  chart shown and the G2 visioncard & I zoomed up to 20m. Don't think that there is any mapping software that has more details. Logic tells me that Navionics & G2 purchased the details from the same provider who is most propably the same survey company that produces our local charts & we all know that they aren't detailed.

 

[Fishaholic]

Hi,


I am also interested in the quality of the Lowrance maps. Does all the HDS-5 units still come with a free version of NAUTIC MAP? Does anyone have more info on how good the Navionics Gold chart is.

 

[Fishton]

Fishaholic wrote:

Hi,


I am also interested in the quality of the Lowrance maps. Does all the HDS-5 units still come with a free version of NAUTIC MAP? Does anyone have more info on how good the Navionics Gold chart is.

Nautic Path is an optional extra.  Some time back a couple of dealers were running a special which included these charts, but that has been discontinued.

These are all Navigation charts primarily, but with the HDS5 you will be able to create your own High Definition detailed fishing maps using the sonar logging feature and DrDepth.

See my article on Mapping the Aliwal Shoal .............  http://www.fishtec.co.za/aliwal.htm

 

[Freakazoid]

As far as I understand all electronic charts for our waters are based on SAN charts and is part of the IE ENC for electronic charts, blah blah, it seems to get very complicated. Because there is major legal implications with charts, especially electronic charts it is very tightly regulated. Hence the only data available is that through SANHO and that is the same as on the paper charts.

Fishton, is it possible to start a collective of "better" mapped sea bottoms liek the offroad guys did with Tracks for Africa. So that everybody who has the ability to log depth and position can pass it on so we can generate a better sea bottom? What would be required?

 

[Fishton]

Freakazoid wrote:

Fishton, is it possible to start a collective of "better" mapped sea bottoms liek the offroad guys did with Tracks for Africa. So that everybody who has the ability to log depth and position can pass it on so we can generate a better sea bottom? What would be required?

It has started already.  I am helping users become more aware of the power of their electronics every day.  Sharing basic stuff like dam outlines, Aliwal Shoal and Limestone Reef is a start.

It isn't the learning how to use your electronics thats hard, its the sharing. :shark

 

[Mombakkie]

Hi Fishton

If I purchase a HDS unit with a transducer then I have a high definition fishfinder/GPS. To get the broadband functionality I need to get the broadband sounder "box" as well.

Is my interpretation correct?

Which brings me to my next question ..... is it worth getting the HDS unit if you are not going to buy the broadband sounder box?

 

[Fishton]

No Mombakkie, the HDS comes with Broadband. That is why it is such a good deal. The guys who had the unit before the HDS5 (LMS520) had to buy the unit for around R12 000 and then another R10 000 for the Broadband.

The HDS5 including Broadband is now less than R10 000!

 

[Mombakkie]

aaaah I see, so that box "thingy" is the structure scan which comes as an optional extra ...

another thing, what transducer would one use for coastal fishing in water less than 100m ?

 

[Fishton]

100% Mombakkie

LBS-1 (like the prize I have sponsored for this month)

LSS-1 Structure Scan

You will need the HST-WSBL