Humminbird News Fyi

[Pete-K]

They are making a bracket that will hold both a 360 and a Talon at the same time. Don't quote me but I don't know if the power pole and talon brackets are compatible?

Sure feel for who ever gets stuck in the back of the boat. LOL 2 Power poles or the Talon's and the 360. Sure take up the whole back of the boat.

[scrutch]

Man! I got really excited until I saw the ridiculous pole mount thing. What's wrong with just producing a regular transducer? Makes no sense to me!

[Wayne P.]

Man! I got really excited until I saw the ridiculous pole mount thing. What's wrong with just producing a regular transducer? Makes no sense to me!

The transducer has to be below anything on the boat including the boat so it can scan 360 degrees. If a trolling motor transducer version is offered, your trolling motor shaft would have to be long enough to accomplish the same UNLESS the selectable side or forward settings are used and not the 360 view.

I don't see many boats running a bow trolling motor with the motor itself below the level of keel at the transom.

[scrutch]

The transducer has to be below anything on the boat including the boat so it can scan 360 degrees. If a trolling motor transducer version is offered, your trolling motor shaft would have to be long enough to accomplish the same UNLESS the selectable side or forward settings are used and not the 360 view.

I don't see many boats running a bow trolling motor with the motor itself below the level of keel at the transom.

I agree Wayne, but it seems a little excessive to have a "talon" style object to deploy the transducer. Add to that the cost! $2000! Really?

My current SI transducer is below anything on my boat when my big motor is trimmed up.

I absolutely love the concept. I think it solves one of the major difficulties associated with the current side imaging technology, easily locating structure in reference to your boat so you can fish it accurately. I have a system for that using my 1197, but the 360 system is a marked improvement over that. It's just a shame that it won't be available to the masses due to it's prohibitive expense.

Hopefully the price point or design (or both) will change in the near future so that it can be enjoyed by more people.

[Wayne P.]

Well, it won't be available unit August. There is plenty of time to voice your recommendations to Humminbird for an alternative option for the transducer.

I'm going to do that.

A few years ago, forward scanning sonar was being discussed and one of the points was a place in boat hulls be prepared for such a feature. That may be a forthcoming design addition now that the hardware is an actual production model.

[Wayne P.]

Another point, I also do the same with my SI units, especially my bow mount setup as I am fishing.

My wife keeps telling me it's cheating.

[scrutch]

Another requirement is Ethernet capability. I don't think my 1197 has that port. I could be wrong, it has been awhile since I took a look at the back of my head unit. If I don't have it, I'm screwed anyway so the point is moot for me.

[Wayne P.]

Yes, you have the Ethernet port, BUT your unit is not listed as one being compatable with the 360 sonar. That may have been an oversite with only the latest models being shown.

[zip pow]

Have you heard about there new mapping technology. Supposable you can drop a way point has on a spot and it'll show you every place on the lake similar to the spot you marked

[Wayne P.]

Have you heard about there new mapping technology. Supposable you can drop a way point has on a spot and it'll show you every place on the lake similar to the spot you marked

No, I haven't. That would be some interesting technology that couldn't involve mapping since GPS has nothing to do with mapping. Mapping on a chart plotter is just an overlay on the plotter screen. It could only relate to similar depths if the unit recorded depth as part of a waypoint data file. Humminbird and Lowrance units do that.

What you describe would be classified as a fairy tale.

[Glenn]

I had a chance to thoroughly examine this at the Classic expo yesterday. The first thought that went through my mind was "Version 1.0". It's roughly the same size as the Talon and requires deployment...and must be raised whenever you run. Definitely a neat concept, but not ready for prime time just yet.

I'm sure they'll continue to refine it to make it more usable in the future.

[Fishing Rhino]

What really is significantly different from side or down imaging is that you have a nearly real time image of the bottom around you. It only produces a very brief history which would be the time it takes the sweep to make one rotation. The image is constantly being updated. Not so on the sounders that scroll across the screen.

For instance, if you see a rock pile at 45 degrees off the starboard bow, you can steer toward that piece of bottom. Since the entire image is being constantly refreshed, it amounts to the same thing as going to a waypoint on your GPS.

The object of interest will never go off the screen until it is out of range of your setting.

With side and down imaging you have to factor how fast the image is scrolling across the screen and the speed of the boat. Yes, you can freeze the image on the screen of the si/di and move the cursor to get the lat/long bearings, and use that to get fairly close to the image of interest, but it's so much easier to just steer to a given patch of bottom with no other manipulations required.

I can see where having to deploy and retract the transducer might be problematic. But, some type of warning light on the instrument panel showing the transducer is deployed would provide a heads up before you blast down the lake.

[J Francho]

What really is significantly different from side or down imaging is that you have a nearly real time image of the bottom around you. It only produces a very brief history which would be the time it takes the sweep to make one rotation. The image is constantly being updated. Not so on the sounders that scroll across the screen.

That is only if you need to "read" the entire history left on the screen in order to interpret the returns. As with traditional 2D sonar, everything on the right is "right now." With this new technology, you have to wait for it to sweep the area of interest before you see what's there.

[Fishing Rhino]

That is only if you need to "read" the entire history left on the screen in order to interpret the returns. As with traditional 2D sonar, everything on the right is "right now." With this new technology, you have to wait for it to sweep the area of interest before you see what's there.

I understand the flashing "bar" on the right side of the image is in real time. The rest of the screen is a history of what the flasher has "seen".

It's a totally different image on the 360 degree sweep. If you change course, the next sweep will show you the position of the point of interest relative to the boat. Not so with the current sounders. What is on the screen remains on the screen until it exits to the left.

Furthermore, unlike the sweep of a radar which is a radius of the circle, it appears that the transducer emits a signal in both directions, like a side scan. I'm basing that assumption on the bright line which goes from approximately ten o'clock to four o'clock on the display. I'm also assuming the sweep "erases" the prior display as it passes over the images, much like weather radar.

My lobsterboat's old Furuno had a cathode ray tube. The images gradually faded, but were still noticable as the sweep reached them.

[J Francho]

I'm not talking about the flashing bar, that's for 2D. Maybe I'm not explaining it well enough for you....The fact remains, there is a stream of constant data emanating from display, top down, in SI/LSS, or from the right on a 2D, RTS or not. If you need the entire screen to interpret what you are seeing, then maybe the 360 is the way for you. Personally, it seems clunky and slow from what I've seen. Would be useful when prefishing, but while actually fishing, 2D or SI/LSS gives you a more instant and continuous image. It also seems as though you have to be sitting perfectly still to get a clear image, whereas SI/LSS works best when moving. Right now, it's way too much $$ for me anyway.

[Fishing Rhino]

If it's anything like radar, it will work while you are moving. The side or downlooking sonars have to be moving in order to work. I believe four to five mph goives the best image. I'm guessing the transducer is a side imaging unit of some type which rotates. Whether it rotates mechanically, like a radar, or electronically, I have no idea.

It will give you a nice image of the bottom around the boat while standing still, or moving slowly. I'm just guessing that the current image is refreshed as the sweep passes over it. If it didn't, you'd have a jumbled mess on the display.

I suspect it is a variation on the side imaging because it appears that it sends the signals in opposite directions.

[scrutch]

Let's all go together and put a 360 on my boat and I'll post my test results for all to read!

Who's in?

[scrutch]

This info quoted from Doug Vahrenberg on another site...

The 360 Imaging is an Ethenet Accessory that is controlled and operated by Ethernet Hook-up. It can be hooked direct to a single unit or connected via a 5 Port Ethernet Hub to Multiple Units. Since the Ethernet Hubs are stackable (connect via cable to one another) the Number of Units running a Humminbird is endless you just need multiple hubs and it can be done. As of the official release only the current Ethernet Systems on the 798ci HD, 898c, 998c, and 1198c can operate the 360 Imaging. Units already in the field will only need software update that Humminbird will provide at no charge to allow the 360 Imaging to connect to models that are already in the field. The only ethernet unit not compatible at this time is the 1197c which the internal working of the Ethernet system are different...my understanding they are reviewing to see if future compatibility will be adaptable.