The best brand of sonars!!

[laker24]

what do you think the best brands of sonars are and, why? <'((><

[laker24]

i just recently bought an x67c. so i like lowrance:):):)

[rdubu]

someone get the popcorn! :coolgleam

[ih772]

Let the slugfest begin! :evil:

In this corner we have Mr. Lowrance - SFW1960! and in the other corner we have Mr. Vexilar 5 times over....ZX10R2004!

[Fred Bear]

shesh! no one has said vexlair yet? I like my Marcum LX5

[fish-on]

I have a clearwater classic which works great.When I bought it several years ago it was the fastest on the market.Only thing I dont like about it is it isnt color.But,the best thing I like about it is how long it will last on a charged battery.This thing will run for days without haveing to recharge the battery.With the 9 degree transducer it will mark the waxy on my ice fishin' jig 60ft down.

[double trouble]

furuno by far


its for professionals. thats why most guys on this site don't even know about them.

[wildcoy73]

i use the vexilar fl 20 dual beam and have to say it is a nice unit. but fishfinder are like the ladies each guy has to find the one that fits his fishing the best.:lol::lol:

[unclecbass]

I have an fl 18 that I like but I also like the lowrace unit. Only problem with the lowrance unit is that a marcum or vex will render it useless if used in close proximity. My buddy is really upset with his lowrance because if we go fishing together, or there is any other sonar unit in the area, his lowrance wont function. When there is nobody else around I think the lowrance is a superior unit, plus it costs alot less. Just dont try and use it on a certian smelt lake.:dizzy:

[Gutz]

furuno by far


its for professionals. thats why most guys on this site don't even know about them.

Wow! You're so cool! How did I ever get by without a VGA screen?

[wolverines]

furuno by far


its for professionals. thats why most guys on this site don't even know about them.



Professional what??? The people I would consider professional ice fisherman (Dave Genz, Bro, etc.) are using Vex's and Lowrance. I guess they aren't? Tried to see who's on Furuno's pro staff and all I learned is their web-sight sucks.

If we are talking strictly ice fishing sonars I'd vote for Vexilar. For everything fishing I'd say Lowrance...But in the last two years Humminbird is right there with them.

[laker24]

post your poles

[Crappie Depot]

furuno by far


its for professionals. thats why most guys on this site don't even know about them.

To own one = professional. He doesn't say he owns one. I like my $69.99 eagle cuda 168. It makes me a professional.

[averageguy]

I Don't think I'll ever decide there are too many choices! Maybe I can just buy whatever one wins the poll. Hopefully its not the most expensive.:xzicon_sm

[busybeaver]

Vexilar for ease of use icefishing and durability. We have had both the lowrance lcx 15 and the lcx 15c on the boat both were purcased within a year of each other. Never had problems with the performance but the color unit crapped out and the non color was acting funny when I sold it with the old boat. Lowrance said they would fix it for like $150 or something like that. My next unit will be either a raymarine or furuno.

[Drake]

Take a good look at the Marcum,
I've had my lx3 since they came out and haven't had any problem.
Dave

[woodie slayer]

wife and I both have fl-18 vexilars..lot more fun fishing with them.eve if they re tight lipped you know they are down there

[logsawer]

vexilars...i like seeing the fish comin to my bait.just got mine this year, but muddman showed me the way...

[electronic everything]

I have a Lowrance 67c and I love it. I have learned how to overcome the interference form the Vex and I like the fact that I can see a line, indicating a fish, coming up to my lure. However, I do use it in flasher mode also. Which is comparable to the Vex? My opinion is; use whatever you like, it is all about getting use to the tool. Personally I use my camera once I find fish but it weighs a lot and when I am on foot I decrease the weight I pull and leave the camera behind. Good luck with your search.

[MrFysch]

i have had an fl-8 for over 10 years....like a timex it takes a lickin and is STILL outfishn everyone who fishes with me!!!!....Like all units the more you are familiar with it the better a tool it is. The advantage it gives th ice fisherman is almost unfair somedays,

[laker24]

I have a Lowrance 67c and I love it. I have learned how to overcome the interference form the Vex and I like the fact that I can see a line, indicating a fish, coming up to my lure. However, I do use it in flasher mode also. Which is comparable to the Vex? My opinion is; use whatever you like, it is all about getting use to the tool. Personally I use my camera once I find fish but it weighs a lot and when I am on foot I decrease the weight I pull and leave the camera behind. Good luck with your search. how do you overcome the interference from the vexlairs. i was wondering because i just ordered an X67c online.:help:

[zx10r2004]

how do you overcome the interference from the vexlairs. i was wondering because i just ordered an X67c online.:help: "ping speed" is a menu option. Just turn it up.

[averageguy]

What are the pros and cons of the line type display vs. the screen type vs. color vs. black and white?

[icefishermanmark]

You'd have to be a fool to buy an FL-8 or FL-12 anymore. Marcums have zoom on the base model and are cheaper than Vexilar, and the X67 has zoom and is cheaper. Why would you pay more for less features? If you're going for the top of the line, the LX-5 and fl-18/fl-20 are probably comparable, but the FL-12 and FL-8 don't have zoom which makes them far inferior to Lowrance or Marcum.

[Ugly Stick]

Have had an Fl-8 for years and also have a Fl-18 well over three I think. You cant beat em I dont care what you say.

[Gutz]

Have had an Fl-8 for years and also have a Fl-18 well over three I think. You cant beat em I dont care what you say.

How open-minded of you;):lol:

[COHO]

i thought we allready went through this like 5 million times. :confused::confused: anything is better than staring down the hole:dizzy: go marcum:evil:

[swampbuck]

Actually fishing higgins I enjoy watching fish through my 2'x4' hole. never miss a bite when you watch them suck it in.

As far as what sonar. I will buy the first one that goes down there and catches the fish for me.

[sfw1960]

how do you overcome the interference from the vexlairs. i was wondering because i just ordered an X67c online.:help:

First Menu page: (MUST be IN chart mode)
Sonar Features: (Second Item)
Noise Rejection

I don't think you'll actually get any unless you're 2 feet away......


"ping speed" is a menu option. Just turn it up.
Ping speed is the transmission rate & pulse length , while it may affect received interference it is NOT primarily used for interference rejection.

How open-minded of you;):lol:


REALLLYY!!!!!
Of course this , coming from a guy that promotes use of an 00gLY stEEk!!!!
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Buy a REAL rod along with a REAL Sonar!!
:evilsmile

[shadow]

i have a clearwater classic. i dont know how old it is cause my dad gave it to me. it tells me where the bottom is and where the fish are. any more than that and i would be wasting precious fishing time.

good luck out there

[electronic everything]

how do you overcome the interference from the vexlairs. i was wondering because i just ordered an X67c online.:help:

Laker24
You need to turn the automatic settings off. I leave my auto depth on but you also have to adjust the ping speed. Vex's ping at a specific frequency and the Lowrence can function out of their frequency. I still get a tracing from the Vex's but the Lowrence does not read the rebound signal. A good example of this is: the last time I was on Gull smelt fishing there were several people fishing with sonar’s. I would pick up the downward signal from one of the people near me but my Lowrence would not pick up the rebound. It was kind of weird seeing a signal going down and not coming back up but after a few sensitivity adjustments we did not even get that interference. What I did not understand, is why a person that has a four mile long lake that is a mile wide needs to drill a hole five feet from where I had my shelter set???

[pratt94]

I picked the x-67 because, for the money it has the zoom mode for laker jigging in deep water and it can be used as a color finder in the summer. I have used it a few times and have been impressed although I have not fished by anyone else.

[melnik]

I have the x67c. I've fished near lots of Vexs. I mean, how can you ice fish in Michigan and not be fishing near a lot of Vexs? I've never had a problem with interference. Maybe I'm just lucky, maybe having the ping speed turned up did it, maybe I inadvertently had the Noise Reduction set right. But I've never been bothered by a Vex. A lowrance has more power then a Vex, I'm surprised the Lowrance doesn't interfere with the Vex.:confused:

I see the poll is showing more voting for the Vex. But like most things humans do, today the sans-Vex-ite is the downtrodden minority, tomorrow it will be the No-rance-type.:lol: I'm waiting for sfw1960 to give the I Have a Dream speech.:lol::lol::lol: (This is intended to be humorous, no offense intended to any one or group.)

[STEELNEYES]

I think it was stated earlier, as long as you how to use what you have. What I've found with a flasher unit is instead of fishing, I'm catching.

Go Vexilars!!!

[bowman68]

I have reading everybodys post on vex vs lowrance for about 1 1/2 months,I have never fished with either. I looked at both units and ended up with the x67c, I liked that you have a choice of differnt screens. Like I said I have never used one before but after a couple weeks using the x67c I love it don't ever want to fish again without it. And I don't even use the flasher mode, the graph mode is the one I like. Oh yea, (for you vex guys) I am not suffering from lag at all :lol::lol:

[Ultra-Light]

Oh yea, (for you vex guys) I am not suffering from lag at all :lol::lol:

I still do not know what this 'lag' is, everyone talks about. In digital flasher mode, the ping adjustment can easily be turned up, & lag is not apparent. I think for the few that are complaining about this 'lag', the Lowrance machines are like a new computer, they have to learn how to operate the controls.(Can start by reading the manual).:lol:

Besides, I used to be a die hard vex fan, but I found by using the LCD screen on the Lowrance, it does not chew up the battery life a vexilar does. No motor parts spinning inside of a Lowrance......... Vexilars do not offer GPS or Digital Lake maps built into the unit either... I can also transform my winter pack into a summer pack for far less than another purchase of a sonar unit.

So as the ole' saying goes:

WITH A LOWRANCE, THE FISH DON'T HAVE A CHANCE!!!

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[zx10r2004]

i seen the lag on the lowrance 67 today out in this cold. it wasnt to bad but the vex had none. you pulled up on the jig and then a split second later the jig would go up. not so with the vex. it was fricking cold and windy out. only got about 2 hours in then my feet had lag so i had to head in. i did catch 12 gills but nothing really bragging about.i liked the 67c but will stick with the vex. ;)

[sfw1960]

i seen the lag on the lowrance 67 today out in this cold. it wasnt to bad but the vex had none. you pulled up on the jig and then a split second later the jig would go up. not so with the vex. it was fricking cold and windy out. only got about 2 hours in then my feet had lag so i had to head in. i did catch 12 gills but nothing really bragging about.i liked the 67c but will stick with the vex. ;)
PLEASE.

:p

Somebody is just chock full of "zx10r2004" !!!
(full of himself)

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[kcarlson]

I like the 4x mode, I don't think it gets any better than that. I really like seeing the history of whats going on down there. Can your vex do that?
Have any of you vex guys tried the 4x mode split screen on a Lowrance unit? Why are more, and more poeple on this site selling the vex, and buying a lowrance?

[melnik]

i seen the lag on the lowrance 67 today out in this cold. it wasnt to bad but the vex had none. you pulled up on the jig and then a split second later the jig would go up. not so with the vex. it was fricking cold and windy out. only got about 2 hours in then my feet had lag so i had to head in. i did catch 12 gills but nothing really bragging about.i liked the 67c but will stick with the vex. ;)

Proving once again, if you want to believe something bad enough, you will. I suppose the cold makes the electrons move slower in a Lowrance, but in a Vex the electrons are slung out to the spinning lights, so the centrifical force counteracts the cold.:dizzy: Oh, and a Vex probably heats itself with all the moving parts.:lol::lol:

[Gutz]

I haven't seen any lag in the M68c but that's not to say it doesn't exist although I personally think it's the last argument the "you can take the Vex from my cold dead hands" types have to hang on to. Don't get me wrong, I really like the Vex, I just don't think it's worth what they charge anymore with what else you can get for the money. I think $250-$300 should be the max for an FL-18/20. MAYBE there is some lag in these minus whatever gusty windchills we're having today but it doesn't get below 0 in the clam and at least in Southern MI, we don't have too many of these days.

[sfw1960]

I haven't seen any lag in the M68c but that's not to say it doesn't exist although I personally think it's the last argument the "you can take the Vex from my cold dead hands" types have to hang on to. Don't get me wrong, I really like the Vex, I just don't think it's worth what they charge anymore with what else you can get for the money. I think $250-$300 should be the max for an FL-18/20. MAYBE there is some lag in these minus whatever gusty windchills we're having today but it doesn't get below 0 in the clam and at least in Southern MI, we don't have too many of these days.
Very WELL said Gutz.
:)
There isn't any LAG though..... wutzhisputZ is just grabbin' at straws , just like you were saying.
:lol:

[Mister ED]

Well .... all I can say is that I wish Zercom was still around. Like a couple others are still using, I used to have a ClearWater Classic (wish I still had it). LCD flasher ... no moving parts or noise. Better seperation than a VEX. No ill effects from very cold temps, some of Zercoms inovations are why the newer LCDs do not have the cold temp issues. The only drawback, with the greyscale LCD it was hard to pick out the various shades. Color is the ONLY reason I went with a Vex FL8 several years ago.

That being said, I would have to agree that the new Vex's sure seam over priced. There are just too many other options out there. IF I was looking now, I'd probably give the Lowrance a look and probably settle on a Marcum. Never used either, but have watched both in use.

Long & short ... all the 'Ice Machines' will do the job. There are some give and takes with all of them. Best thing to do would be to try out the different models and see which fits you best.

[zx10r2004]

:pTHE POLL DON'T LIE:lol:

[Ultra-Light]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vexilar FL-20 = 409.00-479.00

http://www.vexilar.com/pages/products/images/fl-20_150px.jpg

Features:
Flat-screen Display
Super bright LED, three-color display
10 interference rejection settings
Five depth ranges down to 200 feet, plus 20’ Low Power mode
6 foot and 12 foot Auto Zoom Ranges
Built-in low battery indicator
Special night mode setting for comfortable night viewing
Target ID of less than 1/2"
525 segments of resolutionWhere's all the features for that price? 1985 technology with a slightly new interface? Damn that's expensive!!!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lowrance 522c Ice Machine = 549.00

http://www.lowrance.com/upload/Lowrance/Images/Products/LMS-522c-IceMachine_large.jpg


LMS-522C IceMachine™ Sonar/GPS Chartplotter

DISPLAY
Display Size 5 in \ 127 mm
Display Resolution 480 x 480 (H x W)
Display Type 16-bit color SolarMax™ TFT
Backlighting Screen/Keypad
Backlighting Type Cold cathode
Resize Display Window Yes
Sonar And GPS Overlay Data Yes
Split Screen Presentation Yes
Multilanguage Display Yes

SONAR / SOUNDER
Sonar Frequency 200 kHz
Transducer Type Bullet-style and Skimmer®
Sonar Output Power Max 2400 W
Sonar Depth Max 900 ft \ 275 m
FasTrack™ Yes
Ping Speed HyperScroll™ Yes
Sonar Alarms: Fish, Max and Min Depth Yes
Temperature Display Yes
Speed & Distance Log Optional


GPS / NAVIGATION
GPS Antenna Type Internal GPS+WAAS
GPS Receiver Channels 12 channels
Background Map Built-in enhanced background map of the US and Hawaii
Custom Mapping Optional MapCreate™ USA Topo Accessory Pack, FreedomMaps™, Fishing Hot Spots® PRO, LakeMaster® ProMaps, NauticPath™, and Navionics®

Man Overboard Feature Yes
GPS Alarms Yes

NETWORKING / CONNECTORS
NMEA 0183 Input Yes
NMEA 2000 Pending Certification Yes
NMEA Output 0183/2000

TECHNICAL / ENVIRONMENTAL
Casing Sealed and waterproof
Width 6.9 in \ 176 mm
Height 5.4 in \ 138 mm
Depth 3.4 in \ 86 mm

POWER
Power Supply 10 - 17 vDC

OTHER
Memory Card Capable One MMC/SD memory card slot
Other Features Softpack bag with sure-grip handle, dual zippers and rubberized base; 12 volt, 7-amp rechargeable sealed battery and charger; swing-out hole transducer bracket; boating package including Skimmer transducer, gimbal mounting bracket and 12V power cable; 5-pin Ethernet expansion port and one full RS-232 port

That is just the beginning of endless features with this thing. How dare I compare a higher end Lowrance ice machine model?
Compared to a Vexilar FL-20, I will buy the corvette for an extra 100 bucks, thanks.... :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Gutz]

Well...let's be fair here. I've never seen the 522c ice machine for under $700. I've seen the 522 without the softpack, portable battery, etc. for just under $600, but not the whole ice machine package. If someone knows where, I'll take back the M68c but I didn't get the 522c because it was $300 more than the cheapest place I could find the M68c when I was looking. Maybe I missed something.

Anyways, I think the M68c and the FL-18/20 are the fair comparisons, because they are essentially the same price, otherwise we might as well throw in the Furuno;):lol: or whatever it is the "pros" use.

[Coldwater Charters]

comparing a flasher to the 522 is like comparing a pair of sticks to a lighter. Both work,,but .. Oh yea,, the flasher is the sticks in the scenario.

[electronic everything]

Technology will always improve. If you are a Vex, Lorwrence or anyother sonar user the advantages of each, are what we get use to. Personally, I am waiting or a side image sonar to be incorrperated into an Ice machine. Humming Bird has the technology and when it happens it will revoloutionize ice fishing. They will need to get the price down but it will be coming.
So if you are looking for a fish finder buy the one that is the most upgradeable.
Here is a link to the images for the Humming Bird side image sonar, look for yourself and decide it it would not improve our search for the fish?
http://www.humminbird.com/on_the_water/photo-gallery.aspx
I am patiently waiting. :cool:

[muddman55]

have been using a "useless" fl-8 for the last 5 years and love it, I got it for the ice and thats where she shines. we all love our toys so who cares if I use another unit for open water. that said, its like comparing chevy to caddie, both will get the job done. If and when the vex takes a dump I will buy the marcum for the price differance alone. SONAR RULES THE HARD WATER

[laker24]

vexliars A

[laker24]

thanks for telling me how to fix the vex interferience on the lowrance

[wojowalleye]

for open water i like the lowerance
for ice fishing i like the vexilar

[shawnfire]

the best one's are the one's that work when you turn them on and you see fish:yikes:

[BugSlugger]

SONAR RULES THE HARD WATER

ALL units use sonar. Without it.... Vexs Marcums Lowrances are all just useless bricks. The only thing different about them is the mechanism of display and the features.

[BUSTNDUX]

Personally.....I like the Vexilar. I won't hit the ice without it! There might be a different brand or model out there that is better....but I'm totally satisfied with my Vex!:coolgleam

[Duck-Hunter]

Marcum is definitely over looked.

Vex does have the name but thats all they got goin for them if you ask me.

Marcum:coolgleam