If you’re in the market for a new flasher it is time to start doing your homework before attending one of the MarCum High Power Challenge Events!
Here’s what’s new from MarCum for the 2008 / 2009 Ice Season.
MarCum – More Power, More Performance
Through years of studying, fishing, and testing by engineers rooted in the heart of the ice-belt, a new leader emerges on the forefront of the ice fishing electronics market. The result is the MarCum line of high-power sonar flashers that were designed from the ground-up, relying on modern principles of sonar and science. MarCum’s approach has always been the most performance for the money, period. It would follow then, that every single feature on any of the MarCum flashers and cameras results from years of continuous innovation and study. There’s alot of terminology here, but in the end, it’s all about features that translate into fishing success. Ultimately, all the features in the world mean nothing unless they allow you to accurately gather more critical information about what’s below you. Here’s a quick rundown of the many reasons that a MarCum will put more fish on the ice for you this winter.
More Power – MarCum flashers transmit the highest power in the industry, which directly effects the unit’s ability to effectively detect its own return signal
Most efficient – MarCum manufactures its own transducers to ensure quality, balance, and efficiency when paired with the flasher’s other components.
Increased sensitivity – Better transducers, paired with more power and efficiency translates into the best target separation in the business. The gain sensitivity on a MarCum flasher is nearly surgical, with the lowest signal/noise ratio in the industry. This translates into finer detail with less distortion.
Better Resolution – TrueColor razor thin display (not blended like competitors). MarCum never distorts any of its display segments by widening the signal, ultimately resulting in the best resolution, most crisp display, and finest detail in the industry.
“Total system performance” is what MarCum calls it. All the features in the world can’t help you if they’re independent of one another, not working in concert. A unit with more power, better efficiency, increased sensitivity, and better resolution is the complete package. The net result for the angler is a better understanding of what’s going on below them; something that can’t help but put more fish on the ice this winter.
In addition to those standard performance traits, below are features exclusive ONLY to MarCum, and why they’re engineered to be the best:
Adjustable, Optical Zoom – While many folks know that MarCum has the only zoom feature that’s adjustable anywhere in the water column, few are aware that the zoom on a MarCum is a true, optical zoom. Unlike competitors, whose resolution never increases and whose display is merely “blown-up”, the MarCum optical zoom feature actually increases your ability to discern distance and size between targets. Rather than a larger display of the same data, you’re getting better information through a true optical zoom. This is the same principal that applies to digital photography.
Patented Interference Rejection (IR) Technology – Due to the very positive signal/noise ratio put out by the MarCum units, the IR in-turn performs better allowing the receiver to better separate noise and clutter from true signal.
Super Fine Line™ – This patented feature reduces the width of target display to increase the target separation and give you more information, especially in weeds/cover or amongst schooling fish.
True Color – Marcum makes the only flasher that utilizes 3 separate, distinct colors; Red, Green, and Yellow. True color offers the most crisp, distinct display, giving the user the best accuracy in distinguishing targets. No more fuzzy blending.
Ice arm – Rather than a float which moves about the hole and bobs with increased pressure on the ice or currents under it, the ice-arm allows the transducer to be placed anywhere in the hole. This includes up against the edge, hiding most of the transducer under the ice to the far edge of the hole. This results in fewer tangles, and less confusion from a changing bottom depth.
3 Stage Digital “Smart” Charging System – An accurate, digital battery life display, along with a single plug 3 stage charging system maintains the electrical performance of the units. The single plug prevents reversing the polarity and burning up your battery, and promotes reduced corrosion on the battery charging posts themselves. Even if you only have an hour to charge your MarCum, the initial charging stage loads heavily at first, and backs down to top the battery off. No other charging system can claim this!
Standard Soft Pack – Rather than an add-on feature, a padded soft pack anchors and protects your investment in electronics.
This year is not without surprises. NEW for 2008, all MarCum flashers will get a boost in power, as described below. Furthermore, Nature Vision has announced the inception of Auto-Tune Technology for their full line of 2008 Marcum flashers. Since all transducers have a frequency tolerance of plus or minus 4% (192-208kz) there exist a small mismatch between power head and transducer. This variance, depending on how extreme it is from ‘ducer to ‘ducer, creates increased noise and essentially decreases the sensitivity and performance of the sonar unit. Marcum engineers have developed Auto-Tune Technology to automatically adjust the frequency of the transmitter/receiver to the frequency of the transducer, thus eliminating additional noise and sensitivity concerns. As if MarCum’s technological feats weren’t impressive enough, this innovation is essentially a “sonar technician in a can” and available in every new 2008 Marcum flasher.
Power Boosts
LX-5 – 2000 watts peak-to-peak to 2500 watts peak-to-peak
LX-3 – 1500 watts peak-to-peak to 2000 watts peak-to-peak
VX-1 Pro – 600 watts peak-to-peak to 1000 watts peak-to-peak
That is why MarCum leads the industry in innovation and performance. It’s a fact that MarCum engineers can and are willing to test and prove. A full suite of mechanical and electrical sonar tests have been run on all flashers currently on the market, and MarCum’s technology exceeds the competition often by orders of magnitude.
Also, stay tuned for this winter’s MarCum On-Ice Challenges. MarCum openly invites all to come and take a look at their flashers, and compare the competition on the ice where it matters most. View for yourself the power, sensitivity, and display; along with the features exclusive only to MarCum, and compare them to the competition.
In the lab or on the ice – MarCum leads the way.
That sounds like a challenge in itself! 
I have a ? for anyone except product reps. I saw somewhere that a transducer only uses 400 watts and any talk of 1000-2000 is just hype for the consumer and will actually wear out the transducer quicker. True/not true?
Im still planning on being over there around noon or a little after with my neighbor and a few others. Some of us will most likely be looking for pike on tip ups. For me Im going to ty to locate some crappies. Should be a good time. I have never fished this location before and love to go looking for new fish. 