Hummingbird electronics question

[bassinbrooster]

i won a 2400 dollar hummingbird onix at last years classic.

funny thing is, i dont have a bass boat yet, only a jon boat.

I have noticed that Hummingbird seems to be advertising and  pushing the Helix series much more so than the Onix series now.  I was wondering if i would be wise to sell the onix unit now, and i could get a Helix 9 and a helix 7 and then have a graph for the front and at the console, when i do make the bass boat purchase.

Has anybody here used the onix and what are your opinions on how it works.

And what do you think of my strategy to sell it and get two Helix units.

[Wayne P.]

You don't need a bass boat to use high quality electronics.

The ONIX is the top of the line model in a single cabinet.

The Helix models are the current generation of the core units and have replaced all the models with number names.

If you want share data between units, the Helix 7 models and Helix 5 models cannot do that. It takes the Helix 9, 10, or 12 series

The Helix 12 has built-in 2D CHIRP and the ONIX models just got a software update to add built-in CHIRP.

The Helix 9, 10, 12, ONIX and ION models have built-in live contour mapping (Auto Chart Live).

The ONIX has more adjustability and capabilities and is available in a cross-touch version (buttons and touch screen--CT) and a button-only version (NT). It has a higher quality display than the Helix series.

I like the features of both.

I have an ONIX 10 SI NT and Helix 12 CHIRP SI GPS as well as a couple of number series 10" SI units.

[JaySixer]

Wayne,

I have been reading some other posts and you appear to be the guy that I need to talk to.  I have a 16 ft bass boat I bought last year, it came with a 798CI unit that I currently have up front.  I am planning on buying a new unit and am not ready to jump to the Onix line yet so my first choice was going to be the Helix 10 SI/GPS combo.  As I started researching I saw that $2,200 legacy units like the 1198C are now selling for $1,200.  That's $1,000 off.

So my question is, is it worth it to buy a legacy product that Humminbird is no longer moving forward with to save a few bucks, or should I just go with the Helix?

Eventually I would like to upgrade to an Onix and im afraid the legacy unit by that time will not be compatible with the Onix.  Maybe the Helix won't either?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jason

[Wayne P.]

The legacy and Helix series will only share waypoints with an ONIX via Ethernet.

 Ethernet capable legacy and Helix units will share GPS data, sonar data, sensors, and Ethernet accessories.

The XX9 legacy models like the 1199 will cross share sonar technologies. You can share SI to a 2D or DI model and reverse.

The 1199 should be the one on close out sale, not the 1198, that was discontinued over two years ago.

The Helix models are new for the 2016 model year so they will have a longer updateable lifetime. Plus the Helix 9, 10, and 12 series has built-in Auto Chart Live like the ONIX has.

[JaySixer]

Wayne,

This is great information.  Thanks a ton.

Do you think my current 798 unit is ethernet capable with a Helix 10 Unit?

Also, if you were in my shoes, would you go with new technology or try and save a buck?

Again, thanks in advance.

Jason

[Wayne P.]

There are three 798 models.

The two oldest are the 798c SI Combo and 798ci SI Combo. Neither of those are Ethernet capable.

The newest one is the 798ci HD SI Combo and is Ethernet capable. It takes the AS EC QDE Ethernet adapter to connect an Ethernet cable to it. That model was discontinued three years ago as well as the 1198c SI Combo. There is a 1199ci HD SI Combo between the Helix and 1198.

You can tell what day the unit was made by looking at the serial number. The first six digits are the year/month/day   YY/MM/DD     Older units would have five digits Y/MM/DD

Sonar wise the sonar technologies are the same, Humminbird put Side Imaging on the market in 2004. It is the same Side Imaging as then with some improvements and faster processing with more other stuff capability.

 The Helix 10 has a rectangular display like a flat panel TV 16:9 ratio

The 1199 has a more square display.

The Helix 10 has about 6,000 more pixels per square inch than the 1199/1198 and is about what the ONIX 10 has as far as screen resolution.

[JaySixer]

Wayne,

Thanks a million for the help.

Now it's just a matter of making a decision and putting them to use on the water.

Thanks again and happy fishing.

Jason