Wayne P.

There are nine different Helix units. State the one you have so the OP will know. Use ALL of the model name. I know which one you have by your post, but others may not.

Neither of the Garmins have GPS. The Lowrance Elite 4X Chirp doesn't have GPS either. Why are you considering them if you want GPS? You have to add another $100 to get to a sonar/GPS model. Lowrance Elite 4 Chirp Humminbird Helix 5 Sonar-GPS

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewsufix832braid.html "Sufix's 832 is an eight strand braid with the unique feature of having a proprietary Gore fiber as one of those strands. This fiber was introduced to increase abrasion resistance and, more importantly resistance to sudden impact force breakage. The theory is this proprietary Gore fiber acts as a cushion and lubricant to the other seven, Dyneema fibers keeping them from cutting one another in situations of high impact - like a hookset."

The capabilities are the same as well as the map products they can read. Any GPS unit takes some time to startup and track enough statellites to establish position. If you use a max capacity map card, it will take longer. The units are computers, your computer doesn't instantly function when you push the power button.

NO, if anything it is equal or it has a slower processor. The 698ci HD SI Combo is $200 more MSRP than the Helix 5 SI-GPS Some stuff that affects the price: Display size Color or grey scale display GPS Background mapping--Uni-map or ContourXD Mapping capability Memory card reader/s Display control buttons Sonar technology-2D, SI, DI Bottom line is purchase a model that does what you want it to do and expect that to be reflected in the added cost above a basic unit.

Humminbird Side Imaging or 360: Another way is to extablish that the outside depth is with a sonar/GPS combo unit and set your GPS map depth shading to that depth and hold just off of it watching your Chart view. I have it set to 14' here: I do both.

How do you suppse that would survive the boat turning due to wind or current?

Sure. I don't have any "honey holes". I just find the fish and fish for them, That is why I have all those electronics. Summer time "deep" is the depth of the thermocline. Your electronics will show you that.

You didn't look in the right places. It has been widely discussed on several forums. It is compatable with the SI and 2D models. It has a 83/200 kHz 2D crystal that those models use. It has two SI crystals that the SI model uses. It won't add any capability that the unit doesn't have. What it will do is improve the image sharpness of the SI model. That is because the SI crystals are longer than the standard Compact SI transducer. The longer SI crystals producer a thinner SI pulse and the thinner pulses produce sharper images.

The Minnkota iPilot models and Motor Guide XI5 Pinpoint models will retrace a track you create. They have built-in GPS. The Minnkota iPilot Link setup will follow a chosen depth contour on Lakemaster mapping with a Humminbird sonar/GPS unit. Check each brands web sites for more details. As far as a sonar unit, four brands have units that do traditional 2D sonar, side looking imaging, and downlooking imaging. Some with and without GPS/Mapping. Humminbird, Lowrance, Garmin, and Raymarine. Just pick your technology preference and see what fits in your budget.

Silver Buddy and Krazy Blade

I did not go to the upper end. I stayed where the fish were and the water temp was:

I get 7.4 mph downwind on a cool day. I have 5 deep cycle batteries and carry a bunch of trackle.

Haven't been there since Tuesday. Nice day, 60-65 degees, mostly sunny and no wind. 5 bass and 7 crappie

I have the PT 170 TX with a 9.9 I see several PT 175's with 9.9.s at those lakes I fish those two lakes too. Was at Sandy on Tuesday.

This is a shad school at lunch time for bass and crappie that I took Tuesday. Only a few were large enough to be assiged the FishID symbols. This shad school was not disturbed, YET

Adjusted properly, it will show individual weed stems in a weed bed with Down Imaging. This was with a 798ci SI bow setup and trolling motor mounted SI transducer at an electric-only lake.

This is with my 798 Side Imaging unit. The top is 2D sonar and the bottom is Down Imaging.

A dock post will be displayed the same size as a fish that is the length of the post diameter. THINK about that. The post's shadow will be the most prominately displayed., but the shadow will still be the post's diameter. You didn't post any Down Imaging views. Down Imaging IS Side Imaging--same imaging crystals, just blended to create the Down Imaging view. The upper left side of both screen shots I posted is Down Imaging. I see your paddle strokes in the screen shots. You have to be where stuff is to see stuff.

Both good units and do the same functions. I would suggest you visit a store that has Humminbird and Lowrance units on display and push some buttons. Don't accept any help from a sales person. Get the one that you feel comfortable with. As far as the mapping, the Navionics+ software is customizable for the locations downloaded to the card. It comes with no maps, you choose what locations to have on the card anywhere in the US and Canada. It also has the Sonar Charts program to create HD contour maps where there are none by recording sonar logs and Navionics processes the data for you to download. That software can be used in the Lowrance unit too.

Technology and parts add cost. The HDSI is designed to function with 455 and 800 kHz so it comes with most units that have that capability. The Compact SI transducer is designed to function with 455 kHz--that is the capability of the Helix 5 SI unit. Those of us with the experience know that the 455 kHz units can be improved with the HDSI transducer. Humminbird does not promote that use. They promote their design and offer products in a range of prices. MSRP of the HDSI is $270, MSRP if the Compact SI is $200. The exchange price with shipping is $85--that has been posted recently by several that have done that exchange.

It makes no sense to downgrade the performance of a unit. You always what the best performance and IMPROVE it if possible.

No, a transducer does not give a unit a frequency it doesn't have. The Helix 5 SI GPS has 83/200 kHz for 2D sonar and 455 kHz for Imaging. A transducer is a combo speaker/microphone. Read the unit specs on the Humminbird web site.

No, not even close. The sound pulses are "broadcast" by the crystals-- like a speaker. Then the crystals senses "listens" the return echos like a microphone. You use one transducer or the other, the unit itself does not project the sound and hear the echos. The TRANDUCER does that. It is not adjustable. You can't change the shape of the pulse with the unit. You choose to use to use either the high detail sound transducer or the low detail sound transducer. One more thing, the Imaging sonar crystals are bar shaped, the length of that bar determines the pulse shape, NO way can the unit change the length of those bars. This is an X-Ray of a HDSI transducer. The Compact SI transducer is the same, just shorter bars (crystals).

If you would use 8# mono or fluorocarbon line on a spinning reel, you certainly can use 30# superline. They are the same diameter and the superline is more flexible and not subject to line memory.