Zseen Posted February 29, 2012 Posted February 29, 2012 I am in the market for a depth finder for my 175 tracker boat. I have decided on a Bird unit, but I can't afford a DI and SI combo. I am looking at the Humminbird 788ci HD DI Combo Humminbird 798ci HD SI Combo The unit will be mounted transom... Witch one would be better... Would I be better off getting more use from the SI? TIA Quote
Zseen Posted February 29, 2012 Author Posted February 29, 2012 thanks for the move... I thought I put this in boating section Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted February 29, 2012 Super User Posted February 29, 2012 First of all the 798ci HD SI unit does Side Imaging, Down Imaging and Switchfire dual frequency 2D sonar. The 788ci HD DI does Down Imaging and Switchfire dual frequency 2D sonar. No question Side Imaging is a lot more useful than Down Imaging due to the coverage it has. Regular sonar and Down Imaging has very little bottom coverage in shallow water, but Side Imaging works as far as you have the range set as long as the transducer is not buried in bottom mud. Both units will work great at the console with a transom mounted transducer or at the bow with a trolling motor mounted transducer. I rarely even use DI or 2D sonar any more. I have three SI units on my Tracker: Quote
Zseen Posted February 29, 2012 Author Posted February 29, 2012 Thanks Wayne, I didn't even notice that the 798ci done both! I am going to order my Bird today I am in for a big learning curve, having never even used a sonar before. I was brought up fishing by old timers that just knew the lakes and told you where the spots where... I am excited about learning this... Quote
lmoore Posted February 29, 2012 Posted February 29, 2012 Wayne, I was overcome with jealousy when I scrolled down to that pic! Then I noticed (I think) the kickin bass garlic in the holder on your front seat, and realized your boat must stink as much as my truck does during the summer! LOL Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted February 29, 2012 Super User Posted February 29, 2012 Wayne, I was overcome with jealousy when I scrolled down to that pic! Then I noticed (I think) the kickin bass garlic in the holder on your front seat, and realized your boat must stink as much as my truck does during the summer! LOL You are correct, that is some powerful stuff. Puts all that other stuff to shame when it comes to staying power. It allows your lure slip through vegetation very well also. Quote
dag623 Posted February 29, 2012 Posted February 29, 2012 Thanks Wayne, I didn't even notice that the 798ci done both! I am going to order my Bird today I am in for a big learning curve, having never even used a sonar before. I was brought up fishing by old timers that just knew the lakes and told you where the spots where... I am excited about learning this... I'm in the same boat, no pun intended, and the 798 is one that i am looking at. If you live close to a bass pro shop, they have it on sale for 770. Keep us posted on how ya like! Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted February 29, 2012 Super User Posted February 29, 2012 dag623, be aware of the complete model number when shopping for sonar equipment. Several model series have the same number but different suffixes. The one that BPS has on sale I think is the discontinued model. Only the 798ci HD SI Combo is the current model. Any unit without that complete model number is a legacy unit. There is a 798c SI Combo and a 798ci SI Combo. There are four units in the 788 series. 1 Quote
dag623 Posted February 29, 2012 Posted February 29, 2012 dag623, be aware of the complete model number when shopping for sonar equipment. Several model series have the same number but different suffixes. The one that BPS has on sale I think is the discontinued model. Only the 798ci HD SI Combo is the current model. Any unit without that complete model number is a legacy unit. There is a 798c SI Combo and a 798ci SI Combo. There are four units in the 788 series. Thanks for the tip wayne! Man they make this complicated lol! I did as u said and double checked, it is the 798si combo. Like I said... Complicated!!! Lmao Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted February 29, 2012 Super User Posted February 29, 2012 Thanks for the tip wayne! Man they make this complicated lol! I did as u said and double checked, it is the 798si combo. Like I said... Complicated!!! Lmao You still got it wrong and didn't use the whole model name. All three have 798si Combo in the name.Others that may be interested may want to know exactly which one is on sale. Quote
dag623 Posted February 29, 2012 Posted February 29, 2012 You still got it wrong and didn't use the whole model name. All three have 798si Combo in the name. Others that may be interested may want to know exactly which one is on sale. my mistake... 798ci si lol Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted February 29, 2012 Super User Posted February 29, 2012 my mistake... 798ci si lol That model is one I have on my dash. The $770 is less than that unit was sold at BPS on Black Friday in 2010 ($799), but is still higher than Cabelas had them at the same time for $699. Both had them on clearence for the upcoming model. The 798ci HD SI unit was the new model for the 2011 model year and still is the current model. 1 Quote
dag623 Posted February 29, 2012 Posted February 29, 2012 That model is one I have on my dash. The $770 is less than that unit was sold at BPS on Black Friday in 2010 ($799), but is still higher than Cabelas had them at the same time for $699. Both had them on clearence for the upcoming model. The 798ci HD SI unit was the new model for the 2011 model year and still is the current model. Thx for the info! So what are your thoughts on that model? Mapping similar to newer model? Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted February 29, 2012 Super User Posted February 29, 2012 The backgroud mapping can be Uni-map or ContourXD depending on the actual date of mfg. Mine has the ContourXD and was made on October 26, 2009. I would guess that a lot of small time dealers gave up their old stock for new stuff rather than take a loss on a sale price. Those units could be 2007 models depending on how long they were in somebody's stock. You can call and ask for a serial number, or check it yourself to see when it was made. The first 5 or 6 digits of the serial number is the mfg date. Year/Month/Day====80712XX-XXXX would be July 12, 2008 100115XX-XXXX would be January 15, 2010. edit: forgot to answer your other question---it is a great unit and has every feature of the newest one except the Ethernet capability to share data with another Ethernet compatable unit. Quote
scrutch Posted March 1, 2012 Posted March 1, 2012 Wayne, A those 1197s or 98s? What is the diff between unimap and contour xd? Is that why I can't use the 3d feature in the navionics platinum on my 1197? Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted March 1, 2012 Super User Posted March 1, 2012 The larger ones are the 1198c SI units. Your 1197c SI is Platinum compatable. The background mapping has no affect on the added map chips. It may be operator error in using that feature. It does not show in all zoom levels in the Birdseye View. Uni-map is basically a color background with no water detail. ContourXD has about 3,000 lakes country wide with contours. That is less than just a regional Navionics Card. No, you cannot upgrade the background map, it is a map chip attached to the unit circuit board. Quote
scrutch Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 The larger ones are the 1198c SI units. Your 1197c SI is Platinum compatable. The background mapping has no affect on the added map chips. It may be operator error in using that feature. It does not show in all zoom levels in the Birdseye View. Uni-map is basically a color background with no water detail. ContourXD has about 3,000 lakes country wide with contours. That is less than just a regional Navionics Card. No, you cannot upgrade the background map, it is a map chip attached to the unit circuit board. I've never been able to see anything in 3D on my 1197 screen. They claim there is a 3D feature with the platinum card. It probably is operator error. I've just never taken the time to dive into that issue. Quote
scrutch Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 Sorry about the thread jack. Didn't realize it until I came back and reread the thread. My apologies. Now back to the OP... Quote
boydn1 Posted March 9, 2012 Posted March 9, 2012 While we're hijacking. Wayne P. you can switch from transom to TM transducer from any unit on the network, right? Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted March 9, 2012 Super User Posted March 9, 2012 Yes, IF you have Ethernet capable units and the Ethernet cable. Quote
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