Im looking to get a better locater on my boat. Not looking to break the bank but ive been looking at a couple. Ive been comparing a helix 5 di/gps to a lowrance 5xdsi/gps
Any pros or cons you guys see with these units? They both seem to be right around 300 bucks.
Also i do need a some sort of lake chip to get contour maps on the gps correct?
Any advice is appeciated! Thanks guys!
HB are much more user friendly IMO. Plus you can link them to other HB units and utilize one lake card, and link them to a Minn Kota if you want.
The biggest plus of all is HB customer service. If you have an issue they will fix it. They even sent me a new transducer free of charge when mine went bad. And it was a unit that was on the boat that I bought used. They are awesome.
Check out the equivalent Garmin just to cover your bases.
And you don’t have to get a lake chip, but they sure are nice.
The humminbird should come with a base map pre loaded that has general “DNR” style basic maps. I am not familiar with the Lowerance, but it probably has the same. If you want more detailed countour maps you will need to buy a chip.
HB are much more user friendly IMO. Plus you can link them to other HB units and utilize one lake card, and link them to a Minn Kota if you want.
This is partially true. The Hbirds in question must have both networking and be compatible to network with each other. I don’t believe the 5 series in the OP has networking. Hbird has a chart on their site. A little tough to read but once you figure it out, it’s good.
Sorry, I don’t know enough about the Lowrance or comparable Garmin to give a competent opinion. In some ways these seem like Chevy/Ford or Vex/Marcum debates.
Yes to the question of wanting a lake chip. If you buy the bird you will have the option of either Lakemaster or Navionics. If you buy the Lowrance then Lakemaster is not an option. Depending on where you fish or personal preference this may or may not matter.
HB are much more user friendly IMO. Plus you can link them to other HB units and utilize one lake card, and link them to a Minn Kota if you want.
The biggest plus of all is HB customer service. If you have an issue they will fix it. They even sent me a new transducer free of charge when mine went bad. And it was a unit that was on the boat that I bought used. They are awesome.
See and I think the exact opposite. I think the Lowrance interface is much more user friendly.
The lowrance Elite 5X does not have GPS. You would Need to get the Elite 5 HDI /Hook 5. If there is an X in the name it does not have GPS.
I’ve had Lowrance HDS touch and Bird 1100 series units – no experience with Garmin or the Bird Helix. Between the ones I’ve had, I’d go Lowrance.
i have the lowrance Elite5 HDI and i do like it but after fishing with a few peeps that have HB, i do like the HB better then my unit
seems to take longer to locate my position and for some reason i’ve had to do a hard reset on it twice. from what i have researched that happens ever now and then. which sux cz u lose all your setting and way pts
I just went through this same issue this summer.
I setup a newer boat for my dad last summer. Installed a HBird Helix 5 GPS sonar w/o down or side imaging. Bought the map chip. Never could get the map chip to read. We both had difficulty running the damn thing. This summer I gave up and installed a Lowrance Elite 5 HDI. Got a chip for it, and it works. And we can run it.
Also, Gander still has a good sale on Lowrance Elite 5 HDI.
If you familiar with Humminbird, stick with it. If your familiar with Lowrance, stick with it. The menus gave me headaches. Both are good units.
I’ve got HDS gen 2 touches on my boat, love them.
This says a lot:
“RACINE, WI. (November 15, 2016) – When the Humminbird® HELIX® 10 took home the 2016 ICAST award for “Best Electronics,” few were surprised. After all, Humminbird has raised that trophy for six consecutive years. For 2017, the now iconic HELIX units offer more industry-leading technologies with exclusive new Humminbird innovations designed to deliver better, more usable information about what lies below the surface.”
To be honest, I think they’re both great. I’m partial to Humminbird myself, probably because I have more experience with their higher-end units.
As for the Lakemaster chips, they’re pricey but very useful on lakes with a lot of nooks and crannies. On the sandy bowl-shape lakes, they don’t show much because there’s not much to show! There are some decent deals for them on eBay.
I caught my personal best smallie, 6-8, this season just a week after getting the chip. It alerted me to a little (10′) point extending from a reef that I was previously unaware of. I don’t think I’d have found that spot (or the fish) without the chip.
Also, don’t forget about the Navionics charting app if you have a smartphone. It costs about $10 to start with a small annual renewal fee. That’s what I use for ice fishing. Well worth it.
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