Electronics???

[Eric McNiff]

Scott - I think you're right - Furuno offers the machine in slightly different frequency scales which helps isolate the signal and differentiate yours from the other signals in the water. The power also helps - I got the 1000 watt, but they offer 2000 and 3000 - but with those machines, the beam gets really narrow. I have been 800+ feet away from boats that are using 300w machines that I blow out.

[fishbote]

CM - Have you thought about Raymarine HSB2 or Furuno Navnet? Both give you the ability to switch between displays. I went with the Raymarine HSB2. I have one color display and one monocrome display. Unfortuneately, they are still in the boxes as my boat is not ready for them yet. I like the idea of heading out with a color plotter and have monocrome radar and when I arrive change the color display to my fish finder and split the other screen to have radar and gps. I just wish I could give you real world feedback. Anyway, good luck and if you want to stay with a standalone ff then I would recommend the 582L.

[John R]

I know a reputable guy that sells marine electronics the 402 leaks / condensates - get the 502 or a comparable model

Fishbote - can you do that? Switch between screens so I'd get color from the monochrome FF by cross decking to a color screen? Anyone know if possible to output to PC [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ? Assuming I have a boat of course [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[fishbote]

John - With HSB(Raymarine) or NavNet(Furuno) screens are just displays. You can flip flop them or split the screen if you want. I went with 1 monocrome and 1 color to try to cut cost. Also, if you have 1 color display you can overlap radar on top of your map. Pretty cool technology. Raytheon was the first and Furuno came second. I hope this year the boat will be done and I can provide everyone with a field test!

[Tom Bare]

What are you fishing for and what's your budget?

I'll tell you that if you are looking for bait to find the fish and you have some serious sheckles the Furuno CH-250 is real hard to beat. It's a searchlight sonar machine-looks 360 degrees around boat as well as down. It'll find bait pods anywhere around you. I talked the owner of the boat I run in the Bahamas Billfish Championship to pony up for one and all I can say is WOW! Unit is about 13K.

The only negative thing about the Furuno machines is the fact that they only offer a relatively narrow beam [11 or so degrees I think] on their transduceers at 200kHz. This means your detail in depths of say 40' and less will be inferior to Garmin and Lowrance, who offer 200kHz xducers at a 22 degree cone angle.

Furuno machines do come in dual frequency, so the argument is that you can switch over to 50kHz and get a 37 degree cone angle, but the detail of the 50kHz signal is far inferior to a 200kHz at 20+ degrees.

I had a 582 on my boat and switched it out for a Lowrance X16 for these very reasons. I do a lot of freshwater striper fishing along with the offshore thing and the Furuno machine simply would not mark diddly in 20-40 feet of HOH. I had a buddy who had a Lowrance x85 run around in the same area and he was marking striper and bait everywhere, and I would mark straight lines and blobs.

Hope some of this rambling helps....
Tom.

[ocuyler]

Tom,

How do you like the LCX-16c? I just ordered the 19 combo for my project 23' Any installation tips or oddities? Mine's going in flush.

Otto

[Tom Bare]

Otto,

Great unit- I wired it straight to one of my batteries and have had zero interference issues. I have always been a Furuno man but apparently Lowrance has done something with the screen by twisting the crystals in some new way [this is far different than the x15 so I have been told] and it makes the resolution unbelievable.

I am used to the Northstar GPS so that area of the Lowrance takes some getting used to. I am of the opinion that the GPS "user friendliness" could use some work. Maybe its just that I'm not used to it but it sure does seem they could make things a little easier.

All in all, worth every penny!

Good luck,
Tom.