898C SI….or…….998C SI

I’m not totally on top of the new electronics but have decided on either of these for my boat, I don’t see alot of difference between the models except of course screen size. I’m after opinions, facts on these 2 units, not other brands, just these thanks, why did you go with what you have instead of another, thanks

If your avatar photo is actually your boat, I’d get the largest screen size possible so you and your passengers can view it easily from any spot in the boat.

whitt,
I just like that picture, it might be someone’s dream boat.. Actually my boat just arrived to the dealer from Lund, I pick it up the first week of April, it’s an 1825 ProGuide, and I’m seriously considering switching from being a loyal Lowrance guy to HB, new boat, new attitude. I’ve read so many posts on bashing units, I’d like to hear some positive feedback for a change.

Check out the HB forum if you haven’t… Some good stuff there if you search back.

I’m glad I got the 997.. I don’t think I’d want to go much smaller, screen-wise. The 1197 would have been very nice to have, but at the time the additional cost was not an option.

Good luck with HB, I think you’ll be impressed!!

Mike

I share two thoughts with you…

One, I haven’t had a single customer that I can recall who has been disappointed with his Humminbird SI unit.

Two, I have a feeling that the next big thing in electronics is going to be the Minn Kota I-Pilot evolving into a GPS/Sonar-guided trolling motor. Those of you familiar with the I-pilot are aware of what it can do for fishermen and it is fantastic. But now imagine your Humminbird 998C SI guiding your Minn Kota trolling motor up and down the lake. Imaging you Minn Kota following a selected depth contour of your Lakemaster map displayed on your Humminbird 998C. How nice would that be? That, IMO is the future of Humminbird and Minn Kota. And I say Humminbird because, for those who may not be aware, Humminbird and Minn Kota are both owned by Johnson Outdoors, as is Cannon Down Riggers. And if you look at what Cannon has done in terms of integration with Humminbird GPS/Sonar you can see the writing on the wall. The ability to integrate your Minn Kota trolling motor with a GPS/Combo is very likely going to be a Humminbird exclusive, with other marine manufacturers being shut out. Lowrance has had the marine electronics market cornered for many years but you can really see Humminbird picking up steam now. It’s not a bad time to jump on the Humminbird train if that’s something you’ve been considering.

Thanks for sharing this insight with us Wade! How far out is this technology? Not holding you to you guess. Just something to keep in the back of your head when considering upgrades.

Thanks,

FDR

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Thanks for sharing this insight with us Wade! How far out is this technology? Not holding you to you guess. Just something to keep in the back of your head when considering upgrades.

Thanks,

FDR

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It is pure speculation on my part. But I suspect most would agree it is the logical progression of things. My guess would be 2012.

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I’m not totally on top of the new electronics but have decided on either of these for my boat, I don’t see alot of difference between the models except of course screen size. I’m after opinions, facts on these 2 units, not other brands, just these thanks, why did you go with what you have instead of another, thanks

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Drifter, You and I are on the same wave length. I am working on saving my pennies and I can’t decide if I should get the 898 or the 998. I think if I can afford the larger screen I will go that way. I’m sure Jason will chime in on this, but it is my understanding that the 898 was released for guys that wanted a larger screen than the 798 offers but not go up to the 998. Im my 3.5 years running a fishing shop I never heard a guy say he should have gotten the smaller screen. My opinion is get everything you can afford.

I have been considering an HB unit and I did some calculations on the screen size. They give it to you in diagonal inches, but here it is in rectangular:

1197 = 6H x 8W
998 = 3.9H x 7W
898 = 3.4H x 6.1W

I’ve got a 997 (8″ screen) and a 917 (7″ screen) in my boat.

I can tell you that when I run the split screen on the 917 (7″) it is noticeably smaller than the split screen on the 997 (8″). Now, that’s just split between 2 screens. When I go with the [2D/down image/side image] 3 way split. I can’t even imagine trying to look at that on the 7″ screen.

When I can afford it, there will be a 1197 in my boat. So, my advice. Buy the biggest screen possible, even if it hurts a little. It’ll be worth it later on.

drift, check out the video section. In there is an EXCELLENT video done by Jason called “The technological advantage” It may just answer any questions that you have about what the hummingbird can do for you. It sure made me a believer. good luck!