Wayne P.

jeremy, that sale is on the discontinued 798ci SI not the 2011 model year 798ci HD SI. The 798ci HD SI is not being discontinued, BUT you can still get one of those at below MSRP if you deal with a marine electronics dealer instead of the big box general sporting goods places like Cabelas and Bass Pro.

They had those same units on sale last year on Black Friday for $699. A few dealers have been getting some of those discontinued units lately and putting them on sale. The difference between that model and the 2011 year model 798ci HD SI is the HD version can use the Ethernel connection to link with another Ethernet ready unit and the screen is LED backlit instead of the older version with CCFL backlighting. The LED backlighting just gives a wider range of screen brightness control which is expecially beneficial to night fishermen. The rest of the functions and specs are the same. Putting HD in the model number has nothing to do with any function changes other than being Ethernet capable. It is also marketing for the already high pixel count of the 640 X 640 in a 5" diagonal display that has been available previously and still is. The 798ci SI is one of my units. Don't believe any person in Cabalas or Bass Pro Shops about anything related to Humminbird equipment--they don't have a clue.

If you cross a river channel perpendicular you can watch your sonar "draw" the channel ledges on each side. If you have your screen scroll speed and boat speed just right, you can see both ledges on your screen when you cross the channel.

A PROPERLY installed shoot-thru 2D transducer looses very little in sensitivity in a hull that is suitable for shoot-thru use. Yes, a transducer can wear out. It is a combination speaker/microphone that transmits and receives sound waves. Also changes in the hull can occur due to rough water operation causing some delamination or just the installation coming loose from the hull due to hull flexing will affect performance. That most important PROPER installation, if not done correctly, will allow for the transducer to come loose from the hull. To remove one, just chip away some of the excess epoxy from around the transducer and whack the side of it with a block of wood and hammer.

Depending on your angling expertise, it may or may not be a wise choice. It only does Down Scan. It does not do regular sonar which is needed for vertical presentations where you need a wider sonar beam to keep up with the presentation. It is a good way to get into the imaging technology though if you are an inexperienced angler.

Wayne P. All are just about the same except the Garmin 160c which has a lower resolution display.

The "official" announcement is supposed to be Thursday Dec 8, 2011. It has already been kind of announced in South Africa and via an early catalog by Bass Pro Shops Offshore Angler. Copied from another web site: New features for HDS Gen2 include: ¡¤ Faster microprocessor (more computing power, improved responsiveness and ridiculously fast graphics redraw) ¡¤ Improved price points on Insight models for 2012 ¡¤ Real time StructureMap ¨C The ability to overlay Structure Scan images on your chart screen in real time. Compatible with Insight and all HDS compatible 3rd party charting cards ¡¤ Saved Mode StructureMap ©\ Create detailed overlays of your favorite fishing spots for improved fishing on the water or for review on or off of the water ¡¤ New cosmetic look (new colors for front case/back case/buttons/bezel) ¡¤ Removal of capacitive fly©\wheel feature on 8¡± and 10¡± products, and much much much more!

I try to keep up with most of the marine electronics stuff and you will see similar statements as you posted about Humminbirds. All the new stuff is way more sophisticated than the old flasher units and with all the electronic parts involved as well as the computer programming involved there will be issues with any brand. But overall the products are similar in reliability. The most important to consider is the service provided by the mfg if an issue occurs. Most of my stuff is Humminbird and my friends have equipment by Humminbird, Lowrance, and Garmin. All of their stuff works great all the time--mine too. For every complaint, there are thousands of happy owners that no one hears from. I chose Humminbird based on ease of use and ease of installation with less pieces and parts along with more experience in the imaging technology. Humminbirds are made in the USA and serviced in the USA, but "they ain't perfect" and no company is. Your results may vary.

I loaded it to my Acer Tablet last night. It has more detail and more waters than I expected for such a low price. I've been using Navionics software for 6 years and am pleased with that product. I probably won't use it on the water, I already have three sonar units with their regional software and some extra region cards. It makes a good teaching tool though. Additional note, I haven't had or seen any mobile devise that had a very sunlight readeable display to even use that for serious navigation. Also what I downoaded was the Marine and Lakes for USA and Canada for Android devices. There were no "regions". It has HD surveyed waters also.

These models are made for your purpose: http://store.humminbird.com/category/296590/SmartCast_Series

New units are coming to the market in 2012, you can get a good deal on the now discontinued HDS models or wait for the new Gen2 models. There are "bundles" being offered now with the LSS-1 add-on. The new HDS Gen2 are also being advertized for a bundled price.

Recreational Side Imaging sonar in 2004

Part two: there is a hole in the mount arm about 1" in diameter. Inside that hole you should see the knot of the pull rope. That part of the rope is tied to a metal loop. You can use a Phillips screw driver as a lever in that loop to help pull the lock pin out of the mount base slots. The lock pin has to move towards the boat bow to release. I edited the lock pin statement to bow instead of transom. It moves towards the transom to release it when stowed.

Usually situations like that are caused by the mount itself being in a bind due the mount surface not being completely flat. Did you break the pull cord? Loosen two of the mount bolts to get it out of that bind and see if it will release.

That is unusual, since most BPS employees in stores I have visited know nothing about the Humminbird products. They are usually biased towards Lowrance products.

That is correct, the present HDS series is being discontinued, thus the sale prices going on now.

I'll add another comment based on the way you asked that question. If you see some effect on the sonar display as a result of you running the motor, you have a RF interference issue.

Yes, dual MS-700E mounts. You can leave the 587 on the bow and the built-in tranducer hooked up, BUT you cannot have both of them operating at the same time. The 83/200 frequencies will cross talk. The easiest trolling motor SI transducer to install is the Compact SI puck style XTM 9 SI 180 T. Large one in this photo: The best one to use is the HDSI transducer:

alex, copy one of my 798 screen shots to your computer desk top and use a picture viewer software like Windown Photo Gallery to open that file. Use the Zoom feature to make the image 5" diagonally in size and then move away from the screen at a distance you would be between the consold and bow. A good set up for you would be what I was doing all last year with my 798ci SI. I had a mount at the console and at the bow. I had a SI transducer on the trolling motor and on the transom along with a power cord at both positions. It took less than 10 seconds to switch the display positions. Those snap-on mounts are great for that. The internal GPS antenna model is another plus for that type of setup without having to purchase another GPS antenna or use a AS SYSLINK cable to share an external antenna between locations. IF you had gotten one of the last years 798ci SI models, you could have used the 587ci mount and switched both units around. The 587ci will use the 2D part of the SI transducer.

I have seen the results of that setting a lot of times. It also includes some unexpected 360 degree+ maneuvers when making a turn.

If you get it, do yourself a favor to save maintenance costs by keeping the engine setting low enough to keep the prop from surfacing so much. That will save your lower unit gears and also keep you from throwing a blade/s off the prop. Giant rooster tails are interesting to look at but are a maintenace headache.

You must be considering one of the "go fast" boats (Bullet, Allison, etc). Those motors can turn very high rpms, require high test gasoline, and may require you wear a flack jacket to protect you from flying engine parts when they explode. They are quite noisy as compared to the non-racing engine models. That appeals to some boaters though. You can spot them from a distance with the rooster tail 8'-10 above the water as they scream down the lake. You can hear them also at least a mile away. Otherwise they are good engines, LOL

You are correct, I didn't go back through the messages to check the model you got. There is only one DI transducer made and it can be externally mounted on the hull, on a trolling motor, some holding device/bracket, or as a shoot-thru (if your hull material is suitable). Basically what you got is all that is available. The best way to tell if it will perform inside your hull is lay it in there with enough water to cover at least 1/2 of the transducer thickness, put some weight on it and see if you get sonar returns clearly. That is the same procedure for any craft. If it works fine, you can do the pool of water or mineral oil deal to put the transducer in or just epoxy the transducer to the hull in a locaton as close to center as you can get so rocking as you paddle will affect the images the least. Using the 2D function is not as critical as the Down Imaging for boat movement. Since the transducer has a built-in temp sensor, if you want water temp with a shoot-thru mount, you need to add the accessory temp sensor (TG W)

Your issue is your hull construction no matter what transducer you have. If the material has a lot of bubbles in it for floatation, it won't work well as a shoot-thru. The supplied transom transducer can be used as a shoot-thru, as an external hull mount, or on a trolling motor. The round type of transducer is just that "round" and has the same limitations due to hull construction. The installation for shoot-thru application is the same as the supplied one. The XP 9 20 T would be the best (if your hull is suitable) for shoot-thru and have a water temp sensor.