GPS in Humminbird so whens it coming to Marcum??

I just looked at Humminbird and it looks like they have what i have wanted in a unit with that being GPS and a digital sonar read out. I have an old GPS and run an Lx-3 so i was looking to upgrade this year to an Lx-9 because i dont have an underwater camera either so i was thinking why not kill two birds? But having GPS in a sonar unit that runs lake master chips which i already have sounds pretty nice.

So to get to the point do you think it pays to get an Lx-9 or the humminbird? I am a marcum man for ice fishing so i was thinking of holding off in hopes of them not too far behind in this category and add GPS capabilities to a unit of theirs maybe by next ice season?

Being that any of MarCum’s LX6, 7, or 9 is upgradable at any time. Why not get a 9 now, and IF (that is a very BIG IF) MarCum comes out with GPS I am sure they will make it so you can upgrade.

At least with the MarCum you will always be able to update to new technology whenever released.

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I just looked at Humminbird and it looks like they have what i have wanted in a unit with that being GPS and a digital sonar read out. I have an old GPS and run an Lx-3 so i was looking to upgrade this year to an Lx-9 because i dont have an underwater camera either so i was thinking why not kill two birds? But having GPS in a sonar unit that runs lake master chips which i already have sounds pretty nice.

So to get to the point do you think it pays to get an Lx-9 or the humminbird? I am a marcum man for ice fishing so i was thinking of holding off in hopes of them not too far behind in this category and add GPS capabilities to a unit of theirs maybe by next ice season?

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Nobody is going to spill any beans regarding specifics of what is or isn’t on the horizon regarding new products. This goes for Lowrance, H-bird… and MarCum.

Speaking in general terms, in years past any time one of the electronics manufacturers skips a year of product releases, like MarCum is this year, the following year we typically see something of some significance.

What’s on the horizon for next winter? Nobody’s going to talk specifics. But don’t expect MarCum to sit on their hands for a second year, either.

I’ve been using my HDS-5 on the ice the past couple of years and its awesome having all my waypoints from late fall fishing right there when i go out early ice.

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I’ve been using my HDS-5 on the ice the past couple of years and its awesome having all my waypoints from late fall fishing right there when i go out early ice.

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I did the same last year and loved it. Definitely would recommend an HDS 5 for ice fishing!

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Being that any of MarCum’s LX6, 7, or 9 is upgradable at any time. Why not get a 9 now, and IF (that is a very BIG IF) MarCum comes out with GPS I am sure they will make it so you can upgrade.

At least with the MarCum you will always be able to update to new technology whenever released.

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IF Marcum were to come out with GPS capable flashers, the upgrade would not be cheap. It would require a hardware upgrade similar to upgrading from the 7 to the 9, not the simple software updates they do for the 6 and 7 every year or so.

What is the price to upgrade from the 7 to the 9?

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Being that any of MarCum’s LX6, 7, or 9 is upgradable at any time. Why not get a 9 now, and IF (that is a very BIG IF) MarCum comes out with GPS I am sure they will make it so you can upgrade.

At least with the MarCum you will always be able to update to new technology whenever released.

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IF Marcum were to come out with GPS capable flashers, the upgrade would not be cheap. It would require a hardware upgrade similar to upgrading from the 7 to the 9, not the simple software updates they do for the 6 and 7 every year or so.

What is the price to upgrade from the 7 to the 9?

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The upgrade from the 7 to the 9 is 500 bucks, as you are adding hardware. I agree not cheap, but you will not have out dated electronics with a 6,7 or 9. I would imagine adding a gps function would require sending the unit in and having the upgrade performed/adding hardware…if possible, that is up to the engineers and tech heads at MarCum.

Either way like James mentioned, don’t expect MarCum to sit back when so much technology is available now to blow our wool socks off!

Hardware or software updates stil means you have a fully up-gradeable unit, unlike anything on the market today.

So if your flasher had GPS then when your walking to your spot you’d have to keep taking the flasher out and looking at it to make sure your going the right way?? You would think a handheld would be much more convenient…On a wheeler or in the truck I suppose it would be nice..

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So if your flasher had GPS then when your walking to your spot you’d have to keep taking the flasher out and looking at it to make sure your going the right way?? You would think a handheld would be much more convenient…On a wheeler or in the truck I suppose it would be nice..

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Generally if I’m walking out, that means I’m fishing relatively close to shore so I can get myself in the neighborhood and then pull out the HDS to get exactly where I want. If I’m on my sled, I just put it in between my legs unless it’s long ride, in that case I’ll take it out of the rear rack when I get close.

The nicest thing about about having GPS on a flasher is that it’s always there, staring me in the face. I mark a lot more “spot on the spots” while fishing because it’s as simple as 1 push of a button. With the handheld I always kept it turned off in my pocket, so dropping a waypoint while fishing meant I had to turn it on and wait a couple minutes to get good precisions, and I just didn’t do it as often then. One of those things that sounds stupid and lazy but I found to be true after a season of using it with my fishing style.

I use my 788 humminbird off my boat for ice fishing and I think it works awsome, there is no way I would use a flasher again. And anybody that spends the money on one for ice fishing when they already have a unit like this in their boat would be a fool. Trying to read a handheld with contour lines is a joke when you are moving. I bought a second mount station for my bird so its a matter of taking it off my boat and snapping it on my portable box and I’m ready. With alittle playing around you can customize settings to just about anything you want and when the sonar can show what was going moments earlier as well as right now is invaluable in my opinion.

I’m in the camp that dont want a gps on my ice unit, I prefer the large screen of my HDS 5 or 7 on the rack of the quad or dash of my truck, I also have no desire to try and tech the wife to use my HDS units as I dont want them scewed up….My LX7’s we both have are set to what we each like….

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So if your flasher had GPS then when your walking to your spot you’d have to keep taking the flasher out and looking at it to make sure your going the right way?? You would think a handheld would be much more convenient…On a wheeler or in the truck I suppose it would be nice..

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Agreed.

If you purchase the same name brand handheld and boat unit, all your waypoints are easily transferable. Seems much easier in my book. Also, I’m sure that we are very near having all of this update and upload wirelessly without ever having to plug it into your computer.

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I just looked at Humminbird and it looks like they have what i have wanted in a unit with that being GPS and a digital sonar read out. I have an old GPS and run an Lx-3 so i was looking to upgrade this year to an Lx-9 because i dont have an underwater camera either so i was thinking why not kill two birds? But having GPS in a sonar unit that runs lake master chips which i already have sounds pretty nice.

So to get to the point do you think it pays to get an Lx-9 or the humminbird? I am a marcum man for ice fishing so i was thinking of holding off in hopes of them not too far behind in this category and add GPS capabilities to a unit of theirs maybe by next ice season?

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They are two units IMO. However I can see the value. I am keeping my Vexilar but I just bought a 788 HD DI that will be used in the boat, in the truck, on the wheeler/sled and on the ice. I really really wanted GPS/Lake Map functionality on the ice.

Having a gps screen that big would be cool.

But don’t want to burst any bubbles but H-bird bought out lakemasters so i doubt you will see a lakemasters chip for a MarCum.

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I use my 788 humminbird off my boat for ice fishing and I think it works awsome, there is no way I would use a flasher again. And anybody that spends the money on one for ice fishing when they already have a unit like this in their boat would be a fool. Trying to read a handheld with contour lines is a joke when you are moving. I bought a second mount station for my bird so its a matter of taking it off my boat and snapping it on my portable box and I’m ready. With alittle playing around you can customize settings to just about anything you want and when the sonar can show what was going moments earlier as well as right now is invaluable in my opinion.

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Yep! I agree.

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Having a gps screen that big would be cool.

But don’t want to burst any bubbles but H-bird bought out lakemasters so i doubt you will see a lakemasters chip for a MarCum.

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Marcum could team up with Garmin and use their UMFG chip, I hear thats the same as Lakemasters, but you don’t have to buy 3 chips for MN

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Marcum could team up with Garmin and use their UMFG chip, I hear thats the same as Lakemasters, but you don’t have to buy 3 chips for MN

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DLD24 Thats cool and I didn’t know they had that. I have had base camp for a few years now for my Colorado/lakemasters chip and was bummed when I bought my bird DI and had to buy a diffrent lakemasters card for that unit.

I have been saying for years that Hummingbird needs to

come out with a handheld GPS that uses Lakemaster!!

The only reason I bought my Lowrance H2Oc is to run LM software. The H20c is a disappointment and the reason I bought a HB 898 and 788 for the boat.

If Humminbird made a handheld GPS it would be a HUGE success. I bet most that bought their H20c only to run LM

Bob

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I have been saying for years that Hummingbird needs to
come out with a handheld GPS that uses Lakemaster!!

The only reason I bought my Lowrance H2Oc is to run LM software. The H20c is a disappointment and the reason I bought a HB 898 and 788 for the boat.

If Humminbird made a handheld GPS it would be a HUGE success. I bet most that bought their H20c only to run LM
Bob

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Personally I would not want GPS on Ice Sonar. Just as I would not want to carry my 788 as a GPS. Walking around with this in a soft pack and battery is too heavy. Dont mis understand me I think it would be excellent performance but I would prefer a handheld.
Now if I ran a ATV or sled maybe I would think differently

I think a hand held hummingbird using HD Lake Master chips would turn the handheld market upside down
Bob

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Walking around with this in a soft pack and battery is too heavy. Dont mis understand me I think it would be excellent performance but I would prefer a handheld.

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Just to be a smart a$$. Who walks?

Actually. If HB came out with a handheld that I could use for hunting and fishing. Chances are I would own one.

Where I generally fish we rarely have the luxury of using anything but our boots to get around. For me a LX-5 with Navionics on my phone works good for me. I generally get close to where I want to be and start drilling.

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Where I generally fish we rarely have the luxury of using anything but our boots to get around. For me a LX-5 with Navionics on my phone works good for me. I generally get close to where I want to be and start drilling.

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Gotcha. I fish a lot of walk-ins but where I am there is no cell service. Hence no iPhone Navionics Maps.

Yeah its definitely always a hard choice with so many different options out there but this is definitely good input. I run an 898 on my boat so i would definitely have to put in some work and money to get it on a four wheeler or snowmobile if i would even want it on there since that is a big unit. I have been using the website fishidy on my phone as of now but when you get up to northern Wisconsin and Minnesota it gets tough and definitely kills the battery which i would like to have in the middle of nowhere. I was also thinking about trying out Navionics.

I fish all year but one of my favorite times is late ice so at those times snowmobile and fourwheeler are out of the question. I do like the upgrade capability though of marcum.

navionics works without a signal as long as you have downloaded the area beforehand. I have most of minnesota and western wisconsin on y iphone 5

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navionics works without a signal as long as you have downloaded the area beforehand. I have most of minnesota and western wisconsin on y iphone 5

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. Yes, but it doesn’t give you GPS location without service, does it?

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navionics works without a signal as long as you have downloaded the area beforehand. I have most of minnesota and western wisconsin on y iphone 5

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. Yes, but it doesn’t give you GPS location without service, does it?

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I believe it will however it will be rather slow and drain the battery in no time. I do not have a big unit for a boat as I fish from a yak or canoe 90% of the time. I am sure one day a handheld GPS or an all-in-one unit will be in my future. I just I can keep a flasher!

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navionics works without a signal as long as you have downloaded the area beforehand. I have most of minnesota and western wisconsin on y iphone 5

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. Yes, but it doesn’t give you GPS location without service, does it?

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Your GPS will work without service. I use my old phone to run outside and use my gps to map my runs.