So I bought my Helix g2n early last ice season and am really liking it. I decided to forgo the SI unit because I believed (now learned, mistakenly) that those were not ice compatible and wanted the ability to use it both hard and soft water.
So I could have bought the SI and purchased additional transducer and mount for ice fishing but can I buy and SI transducer and convert my ice unit to use SI?
No
Dang that sucks. Thanks
I was given excellent info from the people here at IDO in this post:
The only way I could justify purchasing the Helix 7 for ice fishing, was to consider it an upgrade to my open water setup with the MEGA SI and DI. I would probably have made the same mistake if not for the information I received in that thread.
So additional question on this. Does anyone know if the Helix 7 g2n ice unit supports ipilot link? I’ve been considering a new trolling motor and thought it did but now I’m not sure.
The G3N does and I’m almost certain the G2N does as well. Check the manual. The one online will tell you most of what you need to know.
https://www.minnkotamotors.com/support/compatibility/link
If yours is an “Ice” unit, then no, it will not control your Link.
Actually, the head unit that comes in the Helix 7 all-season package is a G3N head unit, the same as the one you’d buy for open water. Since it’s networkable, it’s compatible with link.
My plan is to get a helix 9 mega g3n and a helix 7 all season pack. In summer, the 9 will be at the steering wheel of the boat and the 7 on the bow. In winter, the 7 will be in the ice kit and the 9 on the dash of the truck. Waypoints will sync when the units are hooked together in the summer so I’ll have them on both units on the ice.
My helix is model tag is ICE H7 CHIRP GPS G2N AS so definately able to be non g3 ice.
Got in touch with hummingbird coa chat. They confirmed my unit will work to link to the minnkota motors. Thanks all.
Got in touch with hummingbird coa chat. They confirmed my unit will work to link to the minnkota motors. Thanks all.
. So, your unit is not actually an “Ice” model?
It is the ice all season model I posted above (ICE H7 CHIRP GPS G2N AS). So maybe the web info is incomplete or the ICE g2n is really just the sonar g2n head? Kind of like the g3n comment ejdelvo28 made above. Or they gave me bad info. Hopping not that.
I am not an expert but the Helix units all have an open water mode and an ice fishing mode. I know that the Helix Ice units are good for open water as well but they are limited in open water to I think just down imaging and sonar? Or maybe just down imaging?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joe K wrote:</div>
Got in touch with hummingbird coa chat. They confirmed my unit will work to link to the minnkota motors. Thanks all.. So, your unit is not actually an “Ice” model?
There is no such thing as an Ice only Helix. The Helix doesn’t know if it’s attached to a boat or and ice shuttle. The only difference is what transducer is on it – ice ducer or open water. And…get this…if you were spotlocked, the ice ducer would even be usable.
The next difference is whether it is G2, G3, G2n or G3n. If there is an “n”, it can be networked, including networked to an iPilot Link unit.
You should learn how to set up the fresh water mode and ice fishing mode. That will be helpful. But any of these units came be used for open water or frozen water.
Yup I’ve used mine both ice (2 seasons) and open (1 season) with the corresponding modes. It is good to know thats what the “n” means. I feel like I figured that out during my original research but misplaced in the memory banks.
I wish I knew when I snagged the unit that all newer units have ice mode available. I missed out on mega side and mega down as a result.
It looks like the only reason a model has ICE in it is that it is bundled with the ice transducer and cradle.
There is indeed a dedicated Ice series in the Helix line. If you check the software between the Helix 7 Chirp GPS G2N (v2.180) and the ICE Helix 7 Chirp GPS G2N (v 2.110) they are different units. I do not know what the difference is but they are indeed different. There are currently 23 different Helix models, some at 2.110 and some at 2.180 currently. This is why it’s so important to select the correct unit when updating, because the versions are unit specific.
Glad your unit will do what you want it to do JoeK. SI is nice, but screen real estate is very important to utilize what it’s telling you.
Yeah I got lucky when I purchased mine that I checked on the open water capabilities of the Ice Unit to find out they were not the full SI and Mega Imaging. I think I bought my unit on the Factory Outlet site and got the full SI DI mega imaging with the ice fishing bundle for about $800 so I was happy and I can not wait for open water to see the difference between that and my old 898si and to use the auto chart feature! It has been good for Ice fishing as well just did not pay to upgrade the battery this year but I think next year I will do that.
No
I have a G1 SI Helix 7 and I believe it has the ability to run in Ice Mode… I’ll have to verify that, but I believe there is a “flasher” screen.
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