Humminbird questions??

I purchased a new boat and want to upgrade electronics. My questions are how good is the internal antenna on the 597ci or 587ci? Are these two units good or should I just pony up to the 788ci? My thoughts were just putting a 728 or 718 at the bow of the boat and a 597ci or 587ci or some type of good color gps/sonar at the wheel. Thaks for any advise and I would be interseted in any good used Humminbird units.

Welcome to IDO!!

Considered any of the SI units??? They are more $$, but worth every penny!

Jason Halfen has a ton of useful info on this site about Side Imaging – take a look, there are tons of great images.

Thanks for the welcome!! Ya I would love to have SI but I dont want to drop all the money on one finder when I could use 2 quality finders, but in the future I plan on a SI upgrade as well.

I might argue that the info you would get from one SI unit would be way more useful than having two lesser units… But thats just me, and everyone sets up their boats differently. Best of luck in what you decide, and again, welcome to the forum!

I may have a 788ci on the market if I can talk my wife into letting me put an 1197 on my bow…

Sorry for the slow reply. I have limited experience with the 500-series models, and wanted to make sure I had my facts straight before responding.

There are two internal GPS models in the 500 series, 597ci and 587ci. Both feature 4.5″ diagonal screens. The 597ci has twice as many pixels in that area than the 587ci does (597ci: 640 x 480; 587ci: 320 x 240), so your resolution while using the chartplotter of the sonar function will be better with the 597ci.

Both the 597 and 587 have 50-channel GPS receivers, just as you’ll find in the other Humminbird fishing systems. One distinction between these models and the 700-series units (and up) is that the 597 and 587 are only compatible with Navionics Gold or Hotmaps (not Lakemaster).

By moving up to a 788, you’re getting a larger screen (5″, 640 x 640 pixels), Lakemaster compatibility, and compatibility with all of HB’s accessories (weather sense, XM weather, Interlink, etc).

If you pay close enough attention, you should be able to score a deal on a used 788. I just sold one that was on the bow of my boat for a couple months (which is getting replaced by a new 898). My recommendation would be to move up to a 788 and experience all of the power and possibilities of a true Humminbird fishing system, rather than being limited to something that is just a graph.

When the new models come out, I may be interested in upgrading and selling my 997 that has been a proven performer.
I want to be able to put in and use the new upgrades in January before making a decision to change units.

I dont start fishing until Christmas time and finish up early May, so it would be available prior to most peoples seasons.

You can see all of my images at:

http://imageevent.com/okoboji_images/hummingbirdsideimaging

You will not regret buying a Humminbird!

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You can see all of my images at:

http://imageevent.com/okoboji_images/hummingbirdsideimaging

You will not regret buying a Humminbird!

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Reddog – I didn’t know that site was your images (until just now…)

The images on your site are awesome, with great to the point explanations for most of them. I looked at those images a TON prior to getting my 997, over the last year ot two. They played a part in the decision to buy it, and I certainly don’t regret that decision!! The SI has been just unreal to see. It makes being on the water more enjoyable, even if just for that WOW factor.

Thanks for the great images on your site!!

Mike

Thanks for the compliments.
Glad to be of help Mike.

If A low tech guy like me can use a Humminbird, anybody can!

Rollie