Lowrance Mark-5x DSI Problems

[Bigbarge50]

Anyone have any tips on this unit. http://www.basspro.com/Lowrance-Mark5x-DSI-Gray-Scale-Fishfinder/product/10209988/-1753760  I bought it this winter, and have used it 4 times now.  The downscan does not seem very "downscan-y" more like old fashion sonar.  I have tried both the 455/800 kHz settings, as well as a split screen between the two.  I have also tried playing with other settings. 

The instructions are for all Mark 5x units, not specifically the downscan, so no real help there. My biggest problem is that I am not seeing detail like the simulation shows or how it was talked up to me at all.... might as well be a regular sonar.  I just do not think I a remotely close to getting the image I thought I would be. 

Any suggestions or tips would be very welcome.  I have it mounted on a transducer mount (this http://www.basspro.com/Transducer-Brackets-for-Outboard-Motors/product/387/-281961)  and not on the motor.  Thanks 

[vapredhunter]

I bought one, mounted it tried it once after a whole day of use I got 2 downscan pics that looked something like what was promised from there pics and simulator. Took it off the boat carried it back to Gander told them it did not work as they advertised and was not happy with the product >. They gave me my money back and I purchased a HDS 5 I'll have to wait to upgrade it with the Structure Scan but at least it will work as advertised hopefully

[R520dvx]

make sure to adjust the contrast on the downscan ..... the factory default is way off .....

[Carrington]

i hate my downscan thats on my side imaging, i actually can see more with conventional about 90% of the time so i dont even use downscan anymore.

[Bigbarge50]

R520dvx any suggestions on the contrast (like what a good "normal" setting is) or is it just something I will have to play with? 

[R520dvx]

If it is like the HDS's, the factory default is 78% .... needs to be turned down to about 60% to get a good image .... hope that helps

[Bigbarge50]

It certainly does..... thanks.  I will test this the next time I am out and give it a try.  I have faith in the unit, and like the company, I just have never owned one before and the instructions were so generic.  Then again it seems for every unit there is a learning curve that as a fisherman you just need to work through and learn your equipment. 

Any other suggestions of course are welcome.   

[Bigbarge50]

Went out yesterday and played with the contrast all day..... with very mixed results.

Think it is worth giving Lowrance an email or call?

I am still relatively happy with the unit, it simply is not what it was advertised as so far and I am not too sure if it my lack of experience with it, or simply just not a great product.

[jig]

I got the lss to go with my hds 5x and i have mixed results as well.The side scan part of it is what im not all that impressed with.I will go back and forth by pieces of structure that i can visually see and not mark it on the screen.Once in a while i will see something but not as advertised.It seems to work better in ten ft of water or deeper.Maybe the 5 inch screen is to small to see much,i dont know

[FrankGrimes]

I just installed the Lowrance Mark 5x dsi transom mount transducer.

I fooled with it all day on the river and was disappointed. To start with the screen was barely readable in the sunlight even after adjusting contrast. As soon as the boat started moving the screen became cluttered with noise to the point of almost blacking out. I tried adjusting every setting it had and it would only give a barely adequate picture while the boat was sitting still or barely moving. Never did see anything that might be a fish. There is not much of a sensitivity setting (or anything else) on the unit. I have been through many fish finders and this one is a big disappointment. People say its a good unit for the money. I don't agree. I have a "Garmin GPS Map 168 sounder" mounted on the front of the boat and the difference between it and the Lowrance is like night and day.

If you find a fix for this unit please share.

[Todd Driscoll]

I just installed the Lowrance Mark 5x dsi transom mount transducer.

I fooled with it all day on the river and was disappointed. To start with the screen was barely readable in the sunlight even after adjusting contrast. As soon as the boat started moving the screen became cluttered with noise to the point of almost blacking out. I tried adjusting every setting it had and it would only give a barely adequate picture while the boat was sitting still or barely moving. Never did see anything that might be a fish. There is not much of a sensitivity setting (or anything else) on the unit. I have been through many fish finders and this one is a big disappointment. People say its a good unit for the money. I don't agree. I have a "Garmin GPS Map 168 sounder" mounted on the front of the boat and the difference between it and the Lowrance is like night and day.

If you find a fix for this unit please share.

With these units, they are powerful and thus very sensitive, so the location for the ducer mount is critical for optimum performance and must have smooth flow of water around the ducer. If on an aluminum boat with ribs, make sure the ducer is mounted between the ribs. Optimum performance and returns will be obtained when idling at 5 MPH or less. Also, make sure the transducer is parallel with the water surface when idling. There is no sens. setting. This is automatically adjusted with all of Lowrance down/side scan units. I prefer the Sepia palette. With contrast, in general you will need more in deeper water, less in shallower water. Run the unit in 800 kHz when in water < 100 feet.

[3dees]

I have the Elite 5x dsi which is just the color version on the bow. with weed or rocks I don't think it's any different than the regular sonar. going over a single tree or bush or a sunken boat or foundations is where it shines. I was a bit disappointed at first also. I was expecting everything to look like a photo. all in all I'm happy with the unit, but for the console I went with the Elite 5 gps/sonar without the dsi. I don't know if the dsi is worth the extra cost. I fish with a buddy who has the HD5 and maybe it's these old eyes, but I can't tell the difference in the imaging between that unit and mine. the advantages of the hd's are networking and adding structure scan.

[Jhays]

I have an Elite 5 DSI and I had the same issue at first. I think that I just expected to see picture like detail constantly. I wasnt impressed the first time out. The more I have used the product the more I have become a happy customer. To begin, the transducer is mounted on the trolling motor and isnt in the water during runs, its in the water when Im in 10ft or less of water most of the time. I have now had the unit for 6 months and I have seen some incredible things. When Im in shallow water there is less lrg structure to see and It functions more like a traditional sonar. However, I run it right next to a friends traditional sonar and some things look similar, but its always my unit we're using to identify the structure. Water depth always plays a part in the picture quality images being deeper is better. It took some time for me to realize how the unit and technology work, but Im now certain that I would rather have the DSI than traditional sonar. More often than not the DSI provides me with the extra data that I need to properly identify the structure. I am a medical professional that runs Catscans on a regular basis and relate the DSI to a catscan vs. traditional 2D xrays. Sometimes we get a beautiful clear picture that allows us to make a diagnosis that would not have been possible on an xray, and other times we still cant make an identification. However its always the CT that gives us the upperhand. I love the Elite 5 DSI, and recomend the product to others.

[mako15]

It is a shame that such a good unit is brought down by a totally USELESS (yeah I meant to shout) 'manual' I also have a Humminbird 998cSI NAV and it's downloaded manual is literally a book ~ 2+ inches thick! Since the Lowrance 'manual' is for several models including the color Elite 5 virtually all of the 'manual' is devoted to the color items - none of which applies to the Mark5xDSI. The AUTO settings are totally useless for my installation - all it showed on the scan portion of the screen was solid black. Going to manual mode and trying a lot of things - literally by trial and error eventually got me to a point where the unit is actually usefull - but now with any help from Lowrance. Over the decades I've had a lot of Lowrance DF - from back in the very earliest days of fish finders. They all came with information and setups that made using them reasonably straightforward - not so with the Mark5xDSI. I'll post again once I think I've got the hang of the thing with the settings I'm using in case that could help someone else. If this was my very first FF I'd probably have thrown it in the lake!

[Bigbarge50]

As some follow up as people have written on here lately, the downscan has done a lot better for me this year so far. I feel like with a lot of work and playing with it, I have it dialed in some. I think I am a lot closer to the "picture" quality advertised.

It is annoying there is not a specific manual for each unit, think it could really help people dial in these units to their needs a lot faster. I also have learned the one needs patcience and water time to get good with these things and it is a continous process.