I am looking to replace my tired, old fish finder (finally giving electrical problems 
). I would like to have temp and speed, and I never fish deeper than 50 feet. I am looking in the $250 to $350 price range, but will consider any. Any suggestions or warnings would be appreciated.
Bought 2 X-87 (around $300)Lowrance graphs with my boat 2 years ago and have not had any problems. No electical interference or problems with reading of structure and depth at high speeds, and is simple to use. The wheel mount for the speed tends to run a little fast, about 4-5 mph. My brother and friend have the Garmin 240’s on their Rangers from 4 years ago and had problems with it reading the depth at high speeds, Garmin did indicate it was a problem and I believe have since corrected it. Good luck with it all, I’ve heard good things about the Vexilar product and do own a FL-8 for ice fishing that works great. 
Good Luck graph hunting
I bought an Eagle 320 for the boat last year for $199 and have been very happy with it. It has built in temperature, but I did not get the speed wheel. Don’t know if you can add that and stay in your price range or not, but I would think it shouldn’t be more than $50 or so.
jags,
I would not waste my money on the speed feature, they are the first thing to go out on depth finders, GPS is much more accurate. Here is a unit from Jolly Ann Marine and Outdoor in your price range. Eventually I am going to add this unit to my boat, Garmin GPSMAP 162
If you order from Jolly Ann Marine and Outdoor you get free shipping & no sales tax if you live outside Iowa, plus great service from a great guy
you can buy an Eagle 320 at any Gander Mountain or Galyans for $ 169 heck of a deal.
Tom is this the unit you are talking about? Eagle SeaFinder 320DF Fish Finder
Wade what is your price on this unit?
Quote:
Tom is this the unit you are talking about? Eagle SeaFinder 320DF Fish Finder
Wade what is your price on this unit?
Steve,
Thanks for the question. We are out of the 320s. That’s last year’s model. Eagle makes a 480 now.
I really like the new Garmin 250 in that price range. They come with temp. and are GPS compatible. If a guy already has a GPS it can be connected to the fishfinder. It’s a nice feature. Garmin will be shipping these VERY soon.
The other unit I like in that range is the new Lowrance x125. These units were just recently released so you’ve got the latest technology on a good-priced unit. Also comes with temp.
I think the old speed wheel will be a thing of the past within a couple years.
Jag. what kind of boat are you putting it on/in?
You can go to the Lowrarnce website and check out their demos…if you’re using a pc and not a Mac and download the owners manuals. The Garmin site has much good info too.
The two MAIN things you want to look for is watts and the most pixals you can afford.
Mr. Wade is a good guy and backs his products, which is worth a lot in my little world.
Good luck on what ever you get…
Briank
Jolly Marine&Outdoor 2004 Poster Child~
As far as speed wheels go; my dealer gave me a good idea on how to prolong their usage. He suggested blocking the wheel so it does not spin while going down the highway in transportation. I use a piece of electric wire to push in the wheel area and just take it out when I get to the water. 
Does anyone make a combination depth and GPS unit?
If so what kind of price ranges are there in combo units,
and good choices in those ranges.
Whew, thats a big question.
Garmin make a good Sonar/GPS..from what I’ve heard. I just bought a Lorwance LMS-480 from Wade. Installed it last week.
The demo mode works real good! 
I haven’t had it out of the garage yet.
Most pixals and watts for the money with a GPS. Around $550.(?)
Quote:
Does anyone make a combination depth and GPS unit?
If so what kind of price ranges are there in combo units,
and good choices in those ranges.
Whew, thats a big question.
You bet they do. Lots of good ones out there this year. Here’s a link to our website which displays a bunch of Fishfinder/GPS Combo units:
A decent combo will start around $450 and top of the line can be a few grand! 
A weekend angler or even a fairly serious fisherman can get into a nice combo for a round four to six hundred. I would suggest a few to take a good look at:
The Eagle FishElite 480 for around $470 is a nice choice. 480×480 pixel screen and it’s compatible with Navionics charts. Made by Lowrance.
The Lowrance LMS 480M for around $550. Much of the same features as the Eagle 480 but it’s the Lowrance brand with a little more pop.
The Humminbird Matrix 67 for around $450. Humminbird stepped up this year. The 67 is a very nice unit, despite the fact that some folks won’t dare speak of Humminbird in the same breath as Lowrance and Garmin, it’s a solid combo for low cost. Like the other two above, it’s compatible with Navionics charts.
Finally, I have to mention a new favorite for this season. The Garmin GPSMAP 178C for a little over $700. This is a color combo unit that is soon-to-be released by Garmin. She’s a work of art. 320 x 320-pixel, 256-color on a 4.5″ screen in this price range is a gift from fishfinder heaven. This unit actually has a faster processor than the Garmin 188C for a lot less $$$. And now that Garmin has released the Garmin Minnesota LakeMaster ProMap a guy can’t go wrong with this unit.
Hope this helps!
Do it up right the first time. Run the Vexilar Edge next to a Globalmap 4800m.
Dang, that 178c looks sweet!
Is an external antenea advantageous at all
if your only fishing inland lakes?
And what are dual frequencies used for?
Here’s a link to a discussion about dual frequency.
Scroll down to Wade’s post…but it’s all good info!
Derek noted the Vexilar Edge and that is a great unit. There are advantages to going with a separate GPS and fishfinder and the Edge coupled with a Lowrance GlobalMap 4800 would be a great set up for anyone.
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Dang, that 178c looks sweet!
Is an external antenea advantageous at all
if your only fishing inland lakes?
And what are dual frequencies used for?
An external GPS antenna is needed if there might be interference, something obstructing the GPS satellite signal. If you have an open fishing boat and plan to mount the unit on a console, you should be fine. If you run a tiller, just be sure that the sides of the boat don’t interfere with the GPS signal. Otherwise, get the external antenna.
Dual frequency…
Most fishfinders operate at about 200khz, which is considered optimal by most manufacturers. Most dual frequency units offer 50khz as a secondary frequency. It is not necessary for fishing inland lakes but has some benefits, including a wider view of what’s below the boat. However, with the wider view you also get more noise and a lesser detailed image on the screen.
The Vexilar Edge is quite original and basically in a class by itself in that it offer TRUE dual frequency presentation, meaning that it actually comes with TWO SEPARATE transducers, one operating at about 400khz and the other at about 107khz. The Edge provides both data sets on the screen, side-by-side for a highly detailed veiw of what lies beneath.
For those who do not want to spend $700 on a fishfinder there are plenty of great options out there. For fishing inland lakes a single frequency unit will do you just fine and a guy can get a decent unit for a couple hundred bucks.
Back to sorting my tackle box… 
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