LX-7 Whats your view?

My favorite view as of right now has to be the flasher display on the right with the chart display on the left, the black background and the R-O-Y-LG-G-B color palette. Simply AMAZING! At first i wasn’t anxious to use the chart display, but now i can say i am addicted! I love the ability for information to be stored for a length of time right next to my flasher display.

The LX-7 continues to impress me every time i head out on the ice. I would say every outing, I am finding a new setting, look or power feature that i like better! The sharp, detailed, and crisp display is brilliant. I have had no issues what so ever am I am very impressed!

There is still so much to put this unit through as far as different depths, structure, fish species etc go, but my initial impression is full of astonishment. Also, a warning for those of you who have this unit, it WILL draw a crowd out on the ice, so get ready to show her off!

On the ice this morning, it took me no time to realize the fish were going to be finicky. Numerous times, the walleyes would come in 2 feet off of bottom, look at my slender spoon, and then sink to the bottom where they would wait for two to three minutes before deciding if they would come up and hit it, or lethargically swim away. When these fish would move up or down, I would constantly find myself staring at the chart display to see when or why that fish reacted the way it did according to the movement of my spoon. As i mentioned above, the ability to have information stored for 8 or more seconds depending on ping speed is such a huge benefit. Looking at my flasher display, I will play the fish, trying to persuade it to come up. Once it does, I am still watching my flasher display, but if that fish darts away, or sinks down to the bottom, I have the ability to look to the left and see my jigging motion at the instant that fish went away, so i put that image in the memory bank, and when that fish comes back, you can bet I will not be doing the same jigging technique. This is just one of many incredible features the 7 possesses. There is still so much to learn and i cannot wait till Monday to get back out there!

Grant when I saw the unit and the chart, that was how I thought it would be the perfect application for it. To be able to visually see what the fish were reacting to and how they were reacting. Are you able to freeze the graph to analyze it before it goes off screen?

Since it is a digital unit, maybe an update could be to see the chart over X amount of time, not just the 8 seconds or whatever. So maybe you could call up the chart for the last 30 seconds or “scroll” back as far as it would allow. That would be cool, kind of like having paper charts like there were the past.

I’ve only got 2 1/2 hours of ice time with mine so with all the options I have yet to find a favorite

I haven’t got mine on the ice yet, but I think I would like the flasher and graph combo.

First Merry Christmas everyone.Glad the LX-7s are working out for you guys.Been doing that stuff with the HDS on ice for a coulpe years now.Wait till you really learn how to tune them in.To bad they don’t have GPS, maybe someday.

May all your rods be bent.

Anyone figuring out how much battery life/time you are going to get with these units? With the 4800 watts I am thinking it might be limited though the screen will save some power I’m guessing over the other units. I know they are sending them with the 9 amp battery so that will help also I’m sure.

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Anyone figuring out how much battery life/time you are going to get with these units? With the 4800 watts I am thinking it might be limited though the screen will save some power I’m guessing over the other units. I know they are sending them with the 9 amp battery so that will help also I’m sure.

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I’m told the Lx7 uses between 450 & 800 milliamps depending on how the screen is set up, the brightness and the cone angle being used. For reference the LX5 uses 750 milliamps.

We’ll be putting out a video later this coming week that talks about the power usage, which features consume power and at what rate and how to get the longest run time out of the LX7. The fact that the engineers found a way to get the LX7 to use as little as 450 milliamps, versus the LX5’s 750, is double good work on their part.

Sounds like some good news on the battery draw side. I have the lx5 and always take along two batteries just in case (7 amp size). The cold really seems to play havoc with the meter/performance. Thanks for the info, James!

Had over 10 hours run time on both my 5 and 7 today, 60% left in the 5 ,7 still read 12.1…

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Had over 10 hours run time on both my 5 and 7 today, 60% left in the 5 ,7 still read 12.1…

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Your results are very similar to mine. Run-time hasn’t been an issue at all which is pretty impressive given the 8″ screen.

I also have the backlight turned way down, black background only running flasher and zoom… So far loving it more and more…Just need to refab the power wires with a couple zip ties and she’s good to go…

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I also have the backlight turned way down, black background only running flasher and zoom… So far loving it more and more…Just need to refab the power wires with a couple zip ties and she’s good to go…

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The electrical connections leave a lot to be desired. Not sure why they don’t stay connected. They look to be exactly like the ones on the 5 but they come off all the time. I’ve crimped them down with a pliers and if that doesn’t work… zip ties.

As for the black back ground… love it.

Guys, I had a problem with the terminals staying on the battery of my LX-3. Remove the wires from the battery and use a needle nose pliers to squeeze the terminals on the ends of the wires. Just pinch the two sides together a little. My terminals now stay on my battery very nicely.

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Guys, I had a problem with the terminals staying on the battery of my LX-3. Remove the wires from the battery and use a needle nose pliers to squeeze the terminals on the ends of the wires. Just pinch the two sides together a little. My terminals now stay on my battery very nicely.

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Thanks for the suggestion but I already tried that and did it as basic prep on all my 5’s in the past. For some reason on the 7’s it doesn’t hold tight enough. If I had to guess it is due to tension on the charging pigtail applying pressure on the connections every time the case is lifted, etc. In short order it wiggles the connections loose. I’m thinking a quick wrap of electrical tape around the battery to isolate the wires is all it will take.

hopefully they will address these and the other small issues before the next production run.

Actually, the connector issues comes from the choice that Marcum makes to get the batteries as cheaply as possible and they go with 3/16″ tabs but make the wires for 1/4″ tabs so that replacement batteries will fit. This would not be an issue if they would use the 1/4″ tab batteries right up front. You can replace the wire ends with 3/16 if you have them or squeeze them as noted, but long term vibration from bouncing around will loosen them up again so remember to check those connections every so often to make sure they are tight.

I have noticed the connection issue that a few have posted on already. Minor issue really.

One of the issues I have had is that the screen seems to flicker briefly after an extended period of time. Thought it was just me the first time but have noticed it other times as well.

My depth has bounced around on occasion as well when in auto range mode.

I have been very pleased with the unit so far as well. Looking forward to the possibilities and tweaks a guy will be able to do with the options that are there and with the upgrades that Marcum will offer in the future.

I have noticed maybe what you called the “flicker” which appears to be a complete reset of the software. The entire screen will blank and reset every few minutes. This reset only takes a few milliseconds but is noticeable. I also have found that the LX-7 has issues when trying to use it in and around weeds. The entire screen will go red and short of turning the sensitivity to min, there is no way to see your jig in that condition. Makes the weed beds had to use with this unit. Anyone else seen this effect?

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also have found that the LX-7 has issues when trying to use it in and around weeds. The entire screen will go red and short of turning the sensitivity to min, there is no way to see your jig in that condition. Makes the weed beds had to use with this unit. Anyone else seen this effect?

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Try reducing your ping speed and see if that doesn’t clear things up.

Ah yes, the ping speed. I have not tried that very much yet. I will do some more playing with that function. It might just help. Heading to Gogebic for 4 days for eyes and perch. Heard that eyes are good in the bay.

Having all of last week off I was able to spend some time on the ice and so far I really like what I’m seeing… Just a couple quick thoughts.

Has anyone noticed that the numerical depth display given is usually a few feet deeper then the actual depth below the hole? Mine varied between being 1-4 feet off of the actual depth showing on the flasher. Is this due to the steepness of a breakline and the numerical number given is the outer edge of my cone on the deep side? Or could it be due to bottom composition where a harder bottom results in more of a true reading?

Also, this is a minor one, but since LX-7 is digital why couldn’t they have just added depth ranges for every 10′ in Shallow water? Without a 30′ depth setting since spent a lot of time fishing between 19-22 FOW over the week and had to use the 40′ setting which means almost half my flasher view wasn’t being used.

Here is a picture of what I was talking about with the depth differences…. As you can see on the flasher I’m not in 22 FOW but that’s what the numerical display at the center reads.

My view is that they missed the mark a little with the lx-7.

I have given it some honest ice time now and I have to say every time out I have found a little something that bugs me.

My first impression when I pulled it out of the box was wow, Kinda large. Not a big deal, all the features will make up for the bulkiness.. Well I don’t know that I have found that to be true yet.

The Case is my first beef. Once you flip the face cover open it blocks off the already small handle opening in the back (which is also right next to the loose battery terminals) this makes it tough to just snatch it up and hole hop. It does have a little sewn on handle behind the screen that you can pull out but it can fall down in front of the screen and is tough to grab with a gloved hand. The gimbal knobs are also tough to deal with, they are so tight to the back of the screen they can be hard to turn. They are also grooved to lock the screen in place but offer very few adjustments in the tilt of the screen. Then the screen has to be tilted back to the original position for the Velcro front flap to fit correctly. I don’t understand why the screen has such a large plastic frame around the sides. It seems the whole unit could of been a little more compact.

I do really enjoy all of the different screen options and settings but I feel all the lights can be a little blinding to the actual fish-ability of the unit.

The sonar really does work well over a hard bottom in, say, 15-30 feet of water but once I have gotten up in the weeds in shallow water I have found the LX-7 to be extremely frustrating and I have, in turn, reached for the trusty LX-5 a few times. The sensitivity adjustment is just much too coarse, It is either a huge mark or nothing at all. I have found the target adjust or ping speed to be of no help at all in this situation. I feel that I have gone through all adjustments and am at a loss. The flicker of the entire screen every so often is also annoying. I just expected more from this unit.

Let me say, I am a Marcum guy and I do believe this digital platform is going to be the future of Ice electronics but this unit the way it sits is not making me a better more effective Angler. Sure it is upgradeable for future software but where is the usb to computer cord? not in my box…

And why ditch the Dcs charger? That system is awesome. Strictly because of cost?

Let me finish by saying I am going to keep the LX-7 and give it some more time, And Let some buddy’s fish it. but my LX-5 is staying in the sled. I just expected more from the LX-7 and Marcum.

My .02 Who knows, This could all just be operator error..

Lester, that’s my general sentiment and findings as well. My biggest issue (maybe operator error), but I found the fine tuning difficult as well. My buckshout rattle spoon looked like a bowling ball, or nothing (on the flasher). Tried all different screen settigs and ping speeds. The depth reading was often off a couple / few feet as well.

I most most annoyed by the constant flickering on the bottom. Constantly looked like a fish maybe be on bottom hugging the bottom. Repositioned the ‘ducer, dropped it down, made sure it was not moving, all the usually culprits…constant flickering bottom.

I fished with it 2 days, one side-by-side with my Fl-18. Maybe it’s that I’m still used to the Vex, but I got more solid info from the Vex. I went with just the “7” the second night. Different night and area, same frustrations. I opted to return mine, but will definitely be have another if / when the bugs get worked out. Certainly could be a game changer, but not what I experienced. If operator error is the culprit, my bad…..I’ll wait for them to dumb-it-down for me.

Still a Vex guy, but secretly wish I had a LX-5. Awesome machine! I’m guessing I’ll jump ship to Marcum again in the future, but for now, I’m “stuck” with my trusty , idiot proof Fl-18.

Mike, I agree with you. The constant flickering is very frustrating.. weeds flicker, the bottom flickers. The only thing moving should be my bait. All the movement makes it hard to identify a fish on the outside of the sonar cone I have tried it all now and I can’t find a setting that I like.

I am also disappointed with my 7. The latest problem is that the unit no longer powers up! I also have to reboot it at least twice each time I use it because it keeps reading 298 feet! The target adjust does nothing. Its a pain to try and carry around. For $700 I wouldnt think I would have to rig up the battery connections to stay put! So I read some of you are returning them? I have had mine a month or so, can I return it for my money back?

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I am also disappointed with my 7. The latest problem is that the unit no longer powers up! I also have to reboot it at least twice each time I use it because it keeps reading 298 feet! The target adjust does nothing. Its a pain to try and carry around. For $700 I wouldnt think I would have to rig up the battery connections to stay put! So I read some of you are returning them? I have had mine a month or so, can I return it for my money back?

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Mines getting sent back, bought it at Cabelas between Christmas and New Years. Couldn’t walk around without pulling out the terminals then if I had my unit set up the way I wanted it it waould go bak to the intial set up – everytime the terminals would come off . Flicker was killing me too. Seems they should of held off on the release a lilttle in my opinion. I do love my 5 though and it has forgiven me for calling it a tip up checker

I love mine, of course seen some of the flickering issues but not the depth ones. Battery terminals should be better but a pair of neddlenose fixed that issue.. Haven’t tried it in shallow since thats all sight fishing but loving it out deeper say anything over 10-12′.. With future updates it will be even better, never once have I considerd returning mine….

Sent my 2nd one back on Friday, very disappointed in the LX7. Depth was always reading wrong, thing would always lose my settings, the target adjust was terrible, no super fine line, no dynamic depth, screen flickering, no updates from Marcum in a timely fashion. Couldnt read in direct sunlight I dont care what they say, huge glare off screen in direct sun.

Glad I bought from Cabelas so I had 60 days to return. Now to try to get another LX5 like I had, that unit is a much better unit than the LX7, from my own hands on experience. Marcum really dropped the ball on this one. I will not buy another LX7 period.