Humminbird Helix G3 - Questions and Advice

[gilkeybr]

I am looking to upgrade my fish finder.  I got a Humminbird 899ci SI HD previously to see if having a fish finder would be a benefit for me:  It is.  I like the interface and functionality of the 899, although I do struggle with getting as good of clarity out of the graph as I would hope.

 

With that in mind I have been shopping some of the newer units, namely the Helix G3 8-10", and I had a couple questions that i'm hoping the more experienced people on this board can answer:

 

1) I see that the Helix G3s with Side Imaging+ have the "XM 9 HW MSI T" Transducer while the Solix models with MSI+ have the "XM 14 HW MSI T" Transducer.  Does anyone know the differences between these two?  I ask because I learned after getting my 899 that it came with the "compact" SI transducer, which in hindsight may have changed my buying decision.  I can see that the two transducers have different connectors, but looking at their specs and information they have the same operating frequencies/etc.

 

2) Would there be any way of connecting my 899 and one of the G3 Helix' (or G2 Solix for that matter)?  I plan to sell the 899, but in the event that I don't it would be nice to use one in the console and one on the bow.  Would I have to run both transducers?  Or can the 899 get information from the XM9 HW MSI as well?  *EDIT*  I did find a compatibility chart on Humminbird's website that shows the 899 can be paired with Helix/Helix G2/Solix.  No mention of G3?  I would expect it to be the same!

 

3)  Is there some other unit/brand that you would recommend instead of humminbird?  As I said i'm comfortable with the interface and performance.  However, its the only fish finder i've ever used so maybe I don't know what i'm missing!

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

 

 

[Mnpt]

1. I'm not sure.

2. If you 899 can be networked, you would be able to network to the newer helix/solix but you cannot share one transducer for both.  You would need transducers for both.  Your second unit would need to be a G2N in order to be able to share transducer data from my understanding but I could be wrong.  One nice benefit of the G2N is that you could get one with SI and another with DI and share the data between them.  

3. I think each person has their personal preference on what brand they prefer.  Personally, I just upgraded and went with the Helix G2N as they are not cheaper and the difference between it and the G3N did not seem worth the price difference.  

[Dirtyeggroll]

1) The connecting cable is the only difference. Solix and helix models have different plugs.

 

2) You can share data between helix units and the 899. Maps, waypoints and displaying transducer data.

 

3) Lots of people like Humminbird. Lots of people like other brands too. Right now it’s really a Ford vs Chevy thing. If you are familiar with the 899 layout, the helix layout is similar. I’d stick with Humminbird.

[gilkeybr]

Thank you guys for your input.

 

I ended up getting the Helix 8 MSI G3N.  I plan to sell the 899, but on the off chance I can't get a decent price for it, maybe i'll keep it and run one at the console and one at the bow.