You guys running 2 units on your console…

[SC53]

Are you running separate transducers or sharing a common one?

[Tennessee Boy]

Two units cannot share a transducer.  Two compatible models can share sonar data if they are networked together 

[WIGuide]

Haven't stepped up to 2 on the console yet, but the common configuration would be 1 transducer shared. Running two different transducers won't benefit you as they'll be reading the same information anyway and most likely causing interference unless you're running different frequencies. 

[gim]

My parents use two units on their 2090 Warrior Tiller.  But only one of them is connected to the transducer.  They use the other one for mapping/GPS.  I believe they are networked together and they can use either one for a purpose they choose.  They cannot use both for sonar at the same time.

[SC53]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Two units cannot share a transducer.  Two compatible models can share sonar data if they are networked together 

Tenn, I read online that they could share, via a y cable, but only one unit could use the ducer at a time.  That’s one of the reasons I asked.

 

Guide, it’s more to get a chart on one unit and sonar/side/down on the other. 
If I add one, and that’s a big if, it would be mainly for the chart. 

[casts_by_fly]

13 minutes ago, SC53 said:

Tenn, I read online that they could share, via a y cable, but only one unit could use the ducer at a time.  That’s one of the reasons I asked.

 

Guide, it’s more to get a chart on one unit and sonar/side/down on the other. 
If I add one, and that’s a big if, it would be mainly for the chart. 

 

Do you plan for your waypoints to sync?  Which units?  As an example, if you had a pair of Helix network models, you connect them together via the ethernet cable and hook the transducer to one.  You then network them together and they share information.  Waypoints on one transfer to the other.

 

If you don't need to share and just want to be able to see a map, then that's even easier.  You'll only need to run power to the mapping unit and leave it in map mode.  You could pick up a couple year old used model for that and get out at $250 or so for a 7" screen.

 

 

[SC53]

28 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

Do you plan for your waypoints to sync?  Which units?  As an example, if you had a pair of Helix network models, you connect them together via the ethernet cable and hook the transducer to one.  You then network them together and they share information.  Waypoints on one transfer to the other.

 

If you don't need to share and just want to be able to see a map, then that's even easier.  You'll only need to run power to the mapping unit and leave it in map mode.  You could pick up a couple year old used model for that and get out at $250 or so for a 7" screen.

 

 

That’s kinda what I’m thinking. Both are/would be Lowrance units.

[casts_by_fly]

15 minutes ago, SC53 said:

That’s kinda what I’m thinking. Both are/would be Lowrance units.

 

Which head units?  Some of the units from the past 3 years have wireless networking.  I don't know the limits on how to set them up, but I know my dad's elite Ti2 had it as an option.  

[Tennessee Boy]

45 minutes ago, SC53 said:

Tenn, I read online that they could share, via a y cable, but only one unit could use the ducer at a time.  That’s one of the reasons I asked.

 

Guide, it’s more to get a chart on one unit and sonar/side/down on the other. 
If I add one, and that’s a big if, it would be mainly for the chart. 

I’m not familiar with all brands but using a y cable to do that doesn’t make sense to me.   There are Y cables that let you separate out side imaging so you can mount separate side imaging transducers and the multiple transducers will look like a single transducer to the unit.  If two units tried to use a single transducer at the same time through a y cable it would not work and might even cause damage.  The only reason I can see why you would want to share one transducer with two units would be to save the cost of a network cable.  The cables are not that expensive and will let you do what you want and much more.  

[Junger]

2 hours ago, SC53 said:

Tenn, I read online that they could share, via a y cable, but only one unit could use the ducer at a time.  That’s one of the reasons I asked.

 

Guide, it’s more to get a chart on one unit and sonar/side/down on the other. 
If I add one, and that’s a big if, it would be mainly for the chart. 

 

You would want to network them then, so that if you mark a spot on your side-imaging, it would also mark the same gps coordinate on your chart unit.

[SC53]

Tenn, you’re probably correct, it’s just something I read. 
Networking would better and a lot easier. 

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

Which head units?  Some of the units from the past 3 years have wireless networking.  I don't know the limits on how to set them up, but I know my dad's elite Ti2 had it as an option.  

Not sure yet, just speculating at the moment.

I have a HDS Live 12 as my single unit. I don’t need another unit but have an older 12 unit to sell or trade so that’s where the thought of a additional unit came in.

[casts_by_fly]

3 minutes ago, SC53 said:

Tenn, you’re probably correct, it’s just something I read. 
Networking would better and a lot easier. 

Not sure yet, just speculating at the moment.

I have a HDS Live 12 as my single unit. I don’t need another unit but have an older 12 unit to sell or trade so that’s where the thought of a additional unit came in.

 

In that case, I'm going to guess no wireless, but if its an HDS you'll almost certainly be able to network them either with a hub or a cable.  I don't know for these specific units.  If its just a cable, then I'd do it.  One cable plus a power cable to give you dual displays of mapping and side imaging together.  That's pretty ideal and a pair of 12's is a lot of screen real estate.

[SC53]

Cast, not enough space for the old Elite12 gen 1 so considering a 7 or 9” that’s compatible to the Live. 

[Woody B]

I don't have 2 on my console, or bow but I do have 2 lives.  One on the console, one on the bow.  Via an ethernet network I share transducers and mapping.   

 

With that said, I just use the one on the bow for active target.  I can view the 3in1 connected to my console unit on it though.  I can also view the active target on my console unit.   

[casts_by_fly]

6 hours ago, SC53 said:

Cast, not enough space for the old Elite12 gen 1 so considering a 7 or 9” that’s compatible to the Live. 

you’re going to have to do some digging. Like I said, I’m not an expert on the lowrance units. I only know what I do because my dad runs a ti2 and (I think) and fs. He didn’t link them and instead put a transducer on the trolling motor for the bow unit. 

[Woody B]

The TI2 only has wireless and NMEA networking.   The only thing you can share is mapping is 2d sonar and mapping.  There isn't enough bandwidth on those networks.  

 

On Lives (and probably FS units) you can see any transducer on any unit via ethernet.  You just have to choose the correct source.   

[gim]

2 hours ago, Woody B said:

On Lives (and probably FS units) you can see any transducer on any unit via ethernet. 

I believe the only two units compatible with Lowrance's live sonar (Active Target) are the Carbon and Live units.  You can link up other units such as FS or TI but you will not be able to utilize live sonar with them.  I may be wrong though.  @WIGuide is fairly knowledgeable on Lowrance, maybe he can help here.

 

I have a Carbon unit that I have connected to an older Elite unit so they can share waypoints.  But they each use their own transducer.  Only the Carbon unit is compatible with live sonar (which I do not have).

[WIGuide]

To my knowledge Lowrance doesn't have a y cable to split a transducer to two units. Networking them together allows the information to be shared between units. When it comes to compatible units, you'll want to look at a Carbon, Live, Elite FS, or a Pro. All of them allow for ethernet networking which is as simple as a single cable and will share waypoints, charts, and sonar data. The FS units only have one ethernet port where the HDS 9 and above units have two, allowing you to add more of them to your network. You can network older units as well, but usually that will put the newer units on the network into legacy mode to be compatible and limits their ability. If you wanted to use your older unit exclusively for a chart and just want it to be able to share waypoints, you can set up a NMEA2000 network. It would be slightly more expensive and complex, but since it doesn't share sonar or map data, but should prevent your Live unit from entering legacy mode. 

[Woody B]

Carbon, FS and Live units are live sonar/active target capable, as well as the new HDS Pro units.    I can share my 3 in 1, and Active target between my lives via ethernet.   The 3 in 1 is connected to my console unit.  Active target is connected to my bow unit.   The Ti, and Ti2 units don't have ethernet.    You control a unit, and mirror the screen via wireless with a smartphone or tablet.  The app required is called "Navico go free" or something like that.   

 

 

On a side note, it aggravates me that they call it "ethernet, but it doesn't use standard (computer) ethernet cables and hardware.