Best Depth Finder Under $200

Hey guys I am looking for a decent depth finder for under $200. I am a poor college student so that is about all I can afford right now. There was one installed on my boat (1995 Nitro 170DC) previously but it doesn’t work. Any suggestions would be great. Also will it be a lot of work to change them out or can I use some of the old stuff from the other depth finder. Thanks for the help.

I JUST PUT AN EAGLE 480 IN THE FRONT OF THE RIG ,ONLY USED IT 6 OR SO TIMES .I THINK ITS BETTER THAN THE X 75 IN THE BACK OF THE BOAT. ITS PRICED OUT AT 200.FOR THE PRICE I TNINK YOU CANT GO WRONG.

If you do a quick search, someone asked the same question about a month ago and there were a lot of good answers.

My answer was the Eagle 480.

Good luck!
Dave

Fish Mark 480 – $219.00 Delivered!

http://www.jollyannsales.com/FishFinders/eagle_fishmark_480.htm

Thanks for the input. Sorry I should have done a search first. The eagle 480 seems to be the popular one. Is there any particular reason this one is a lot better than others. Is there anything specific I should be looking for. All I really want is one with a good display and one that is very user friendly. Thanks

I gotta vote for the Eagle FishMark 480, also. I just put one in my small boat and like it quite a bit. It is better than any of the mid-high end models of a few years ago. I especially like that it comes with built-in temp.

John

I think the reason that the Eagle 480 is so popular is that it is one of very few units under $200 that has pixel resolution over 400. I think the Garmin and Lowrance (who also make Eagle) units in the price range are generally 200 or 300 pixel units.

If you look the demo program that they run in the store displays, you will notice the difference immediately. The higher pixel count gives a clearer display with better target separation. Some of the really low price/low pixel units like the Cuda kinda look like the old Atari games where you can see the rough pixel edges of curved shapes. Units like this make it VERY hard to distinguish structure from fish (or baitfish).

Good luck,
Dave

I would agree with these guys on the Eagle 480, but I would also look at the Garmin Fishfinder 250 (see link). Either one would make a guy happy for around $200.

Here’s a link to the Eagle Fishmark 480 Product Emulator. You can download the emulator and take the 480 for a test drive.

Like Dave M. said, the resolution is very good on the 480. Makes reading/interpreting the sonar easier. Both the Eagle and the Garmin have easy to operate menu systems, which most people really appreciate as well. Good luck!

Wade the Garmin link in your post goes to the wrong page
Garmin Fishfinder 250

Thanks Steve! I got ‘er fixed now. Must be James playing tricks on me…

I Just purchased the Garmin 250 from Wade at Jolly Ann Marine and have used it the last two times on the water. Great unit for the price and very easy to install. Wade is also a great guy to work with if you have any questions.

Mitch

Thanks for the kind words Mitch. Glad to hear you’re enjoying the Garmin 250!

I have 2 Eagle 320s on my boat and really like them. The Eagle 480 replaced the 320s. Nice locators for the money.
Thanks, Bill

COOL!

Thanks for the link to the emulator Wade. That thing is a blast. I have the Eagle Ultramap and will be upgrading to the Elite 480 next spring. I have spent 20min in the store playing with it.. but now I can goof around with it at my leisure. It seems like everything on the unit actually works on the emulator. After I play with it in the comfort of my office for an hour, I will have zero learning curve next spring. Thanks!

BTW… Is there any chance that EAGLE will have a color unit in next year’s lineup?????

Dave

Quote:

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COOL!

Thanks for the link to the emulator Wade. That thing is a blast. I have the Eagle Ultramap and will be upgrading to the Elite 480 next spring. I have spent 20min in the store playing with it.. but now I can goof around with it at my leisure. It seems like everything on the unit actually works on the emulator. After I play with it in the comfort of my office for an hour, I will have zero learning curve next spring. Thanks!

BTW… Is there any chance that EAGLE will have a color unit in next year’s lineup?????

Dave

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Dave,

Good question and glad you asked because the answer is a big YES. Eagle has several new color units in development as we speak and some may be ready for release this winter. Below is a link to our Eagle product page where we will list new information as it develops. I will have pricing information on there soon – maybe this weekend. For now, all we have is the list of products that will be released for 2005. Thanks! — Wade

Eagle Color Fishfinders

EAGLE FISHSTRIKE 2000C
EAGLE FISHSTRIKE 2000C GPS Combo
EAGLE SEAFINDER 500C DF
EAGLE SEACHARTER 500C DF
EAGLE SEACHAMP 1000C DF
EAGLE SEACHAMP 1000C DF GPS Combo
EAGLE SEACHAMP 2000C DF
EAGLE SEACHAMP 2000C DF GPS Combo
EAGLE FISHSTRIKE 1000C
EAGLE FISHSTRIKE 1000C GPS Combo
EAGLE FISHELITE 500C
EAGLE FISHMARK 500C
EAGLE FISHEASY 320C
EAGLE INTELLIMAP 500C
EAGLE FISHEASY 240 PORTABLE
EAGLE FISHEASY 240

I wonder how Lowrance will continue to differentiate between the two lines. Right now the biggest difference appears to be that Eagle did not offer color units. I know the Eagle units tend to have a bit less power.

If Eagle carries their pricing advantage over to the color unit market, that will definitely impact Lowrance sales. I don’t see a slight reduction in unit power being enough for most folks to pass up a $100-$150 savings.

Not that I am complaining about more affordable color units of course…

David

Good question. My guess is that we’ll see Lowrance begin to make larger screens for comparable units. Faster processors, better screens perhaps. There will be differences but I agree with you, it’ll be nice to have affordable color units on the market. It was only a matter of time, and that time is approaching quickly!