Lowrance question

[Scotty58]

I have a chirp 7 at the front of my boat. Thinking of upgrading. Was wondering what the main differences were between the Hook Reveal 9 and the Elite 9 TI? Is the Elite 9 TI worth the extra money? Thanks!

[Hoosierman]

How old is your Chirp 7? Lowrance has a program that let's you upgrade your old fish finder within 5 years of purchase. My Hook2 9 TS went bad at  2 years 4 months (just out of warranty) so I had the option of $200 to fix mine or upgrade to an Elite 9 TI2 TS ($899) for $495. Got them down to $395  by asking them why I should stick with them vs one of the other brands.

 

I decided to upgrade but something went wrong with the order (a wrong number was put in for the new model).

 

I got a shipment but it was a SD card C-Map Insight Pro. 

 

I called them 3 times (3 hours of hold each time) before they figured out the problem. Since they hadn't shipped the new unit yet I made an inquiry as to how much it would cost to upgrade to the Elite 12 TS ($1699) instead?

 

Since I had some much trouble with the whole thing and the fact that I stayed calm and polite, they sent me the Elite 12 TS for the $395 price (sent it over night Fedex too)

[Scotty58]

I'd say its 4 years old, cant actually remember? There's nothing wrong with it other than sometimes it seems like it doesnt find bottom. I turn it off and back on and usually fixes it. Just would like a bigger one at the front. Did you call lowrance about the upgrade?

[gim]

The new reveal series introduced this year look pretty good. They have most of the features the higher end models do but for a fraction of the cost.

[DogBone_384]

I planned on installing Hook2 7" & 9" on my new Ranger but ended up with Elite TI2's.  Lowrance says they share sonar information when networked, so I thought I could use the side scan on my transom on the front, 9", unit.  Yes, they'll share sonar, but only 2D, not down or side scan.  Shame on me for not reading the 'fine print' and jumping before looking.  Hopefully they'll be able to share down/side scan information with future updates.

 

Lowrance's 'fish reveal' is excellent.

 

I also bought the Yamaha/Lowrance connector for the NMEA 2000 network that shows engine information on both screens.

 

To do over, I woudn't spend the money on the Elites and instead buy Hook Reveals.

 

If networking, touch screen, and blue-tooth connectivity are important to you, YES, the Elites are very good units.

 

Best of luck choosing your units.

[gim]

33 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

Lowrance's 'fish reveal' is excellent.

 

When these units came out this spring, they looked like a solid unit for the price.  If I need to upgrade anytime soon, I'm going to do it with one of these.  They were offering a $100 rebate on them until early August too.  Next year when their "new" units come out, there will be a sale on these and I am going to consider it.

[MN Fisher]

20 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

When these units came out this spring, they looked like a solid unit for the price.  If I need to upgrade anytime soon, I'm going to do it with one of these.  They were offering a $100 rebate on them until early August too.  Next year when their "new" units come out, there will be a sale on these and I am going to consider it.

I just wish I could find a list of what lakes they offer for the 'built in' maps.

[gim]

37 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I just wish I could find a list of what lakes they offer for the 'built in' maps.

The base maps are not very good.  I have found some on my Lowrance units to simply be the "boundary" or "outline" of the lake and not even the contours.  When you get a compatible chip, then you can see what lakes are on the specific chip.

 

Ya, I know, the chips cost more $$$.  But when the older units go on sale, they are sometimes included with a chip.  My last unit came with one.

[MN Fisher]

19 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Ya, I know, the chips cost more $$$.  But when the older units go on sale, they are sometimes included with a chip.  My last unit came with one.

I guess I'll skip the chip this time round and keep using my Galaxy Tab and I-Boating - can't afford both a new unit and the chip...and the unit itself not until my Yule 'gift' comes from the parents.