Electronics Advice Requested

[Hawg Snatcher]

If you could put three Humminbird units on your boat, what would they be, where would they be located and what mounts would you use?

 

I'll be setting up a new rig in a few weeks and am looking for some recommendations from those with tournament/electronics experience. I'm looking to network three Humminbird units: 12" (SI/DI) Helix Gen2 at the council, 10" GPS/sonar in the dash and still undecided about the unit up front. What size unit would you run up front? Is GPS/sonar enough? I've used DI on the deck, but find sonar to be more useful. 

 

Appreciate the help!

[Wayne P.]

I would use all Helix 12's. BIGGER is better.

 

I would chose the Helix 12 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G2N for all of them. Then add the bow 360.

 

You can just afford one 12" model, put that at the bow. Your eyes will be farther from the display so the larger images are more easily seen from a distance. Two Helix 10's at the console would work OK. Helix 10 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G2N.

 

The G2N versions have a dedicated Down Imaging crystal in the SI transducer like the ONIX SI units do.

[A-Jay]

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

 

If you have the resources, then by all means follow @Wayne P. advice to the letter . . . .

 

You'll be glad you did.

 

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

10 hours ago, Wayne P. said:

I would use all Helix 12's. BIGGER is better.

 

I would chose the Helix 12 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G2N for all of them. Then add the bow 360.

 

You can just afford one 12" model, put that at the bow. Your eyes will be farther from the display so the larger images are more easily seen from a distance. Two Helix 10's at the console would work OK. Helix 10 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G2N.

 

The G2N versions have a dedicated Down Imaging crystal in the SI transducer like the ONIX SI units do.

Santa Wayne I'm up in Michigan I've been good this year will put these units under my tree?

[A-Jay]

29 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Santa Wayne I'm up in Michigan I've been good this year will put these units under my tree?

 

Nice ~

Me Too and I'd be happy if he just sent one of Santa's helpers down from the North Pole to Otsego County to rig it all up correctly.

 

A-Jay

 

[12poundbass]

23 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

 

Nice ~

Me Too and I'd be happy if he just sent one of Santa's helpers down from the North Pole to Otsego County to rig it all up correctly.

 

A-Jay

 

Hello A-Jay from Montcalm county!

[Hawg Snatcher]

On 12/20/2016 at 7:41 PM, Wayne P. said:

I would use all Helix 12's. BIGGER is better.

 

I would chose the Helix 12 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G2N for all of them. Then add the bow 360.

 

You can just afford one 12" model, put that at the bow. Your eyes will be farther from the display so the larger images are more easily seen from a distance. Two Helix 10's at the console would work OK. Helix 10 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G2N.

 

The G2N versions have a dedicated Down Imaging crystal in the SI transducer like the ONIX SI units do.

 

Thank you for the advice everyone. Question about that front unit - with the Bird 360, I understand that the 360 transducer would be mounted to the TM shaft. Is it recommended that I also mount the SI/DI transducer to the TM so that I have that functionality as well or doesn't it work that way? Is there a particular mount for the front unit that you'd recommend? 

 

As for the counsel units, I was planning on a 12 Helix Mega SI on a ram mount (as you stated above) and just a 2D/GPS 10" bird in the dash (10" is the biggest unit I can squeeze in there). Would I be missing an opportunity by not having SI/DI on both counsel units? 

 

Great point Wayne P. about pointing out the value of a larger screen up front!

 

[Wayne P.]

You don't have to use a Side Imaging unit to have Side Imaging if you can get that from another source.

 

Since the 360 is a Side Imaging transducer that rotates, you can use a Sonar or DI model at the bow and get Side Imaging from the 360. BUT the images won't be as sharp as when using a HDSI transducer on the trolling motor due to the shorter SI crystals (same as the Compact SI transducer).

I personally would use a Side Imaging unit at the bow with a Side Imaging transducer on the trolling motor (well that is what I have always done with 5 different SI units)

 

For the console units, you can just use the SI unit's transducer for both units. You have to do that anyway since the two units will cross-talk when operating at the same time with transducers connected to both. If you have a suitable fiberglass hull, you can put a shoot-thru in the bilge, put the SI transducer on the transom/jackplate and share the shoot-thru with both units and share SI/DI with both units also. To do that, you connect both transducers to the SI unit and then share the sonar technologies via Ethernet.

 

Additionally you can share all data with all three units via Ethernet. That takes the Ethernet switch and then all three units and the 360 connected to that. Then when fishing you can display 360 at the console on either unit for your co-angler while you are viewing 360 at the bow.

[Wayne P.]

As far as a mount system, it depends on the waters you fish as to how solid of a mount you would want to use. The most solid is a bridge mount over the trolling motor foot pedal tray.

Bass Boat Technologies and Dek-It are a couple.

There are flexible mounts also.

[Wayne P.]

Download this Humminbird sonar technology sharing matrix so you can see what can be shared with what units:

 

http://www.humminbird.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=10463

[Wayne P.]

1 hour ago, 5965derek said:

If money is no issue I agree that bigger is better! I think sonar is fine for the console and I prefer the bigger units up front if I had to choose. Obviously the bigger and better one can afford with any electronics is an added bonus. I don't see the need for gps anywhere but the console but that's all personal preference.  I like to have sonar and di up front  but again that's preference 

 

If you fish offshore waypoints and what to know where you are in relation to them while fishing, you need GPS at the bow also.