Looking for a flasher/graph.

Wondering others opinions on ice fishing graphs. Looking at the marcum mx7 and the humminbird helix 7. Had marcum lx9 and had to send back twice so wondering if the MX7 is improved or just go with the hummingbrand or something else.Thanks

My old Vex FL18 still works great and never fails me.

I don’t have any experience with the LX7, but if you’re going to invest that kind of money I would go with Helix 7. I got a Helix 7G4 last year and I love it. It’s newer tech vs the LX7 which has been out for a number of years. Just my 2 cents.

Just get a helix 7 however I love my Vexilar and can’t go wrong with them.

I’d go with a Garmin over a Helix without question (I’ve owned and ran both)

Lots of reasons…Touch Screen, affordable realtime imaging (especially if you use a PS-22), built in “free” mapping, no special chip needed to record your own maps, ability to really slow down scroll speed when using 2D, etc, etc

The touchscreen and zoom features blow the Birds out of the water.

They’re simple to use, but more advanced.

Having a main page with digital and customizable favorites, along with keyed shortcuts is awesome. You don’t have to scroll through 13 pages like the Bird. There’s even a built in owner’s manual lol

Here’s a video I did a couple years ago with the standard 2D transducer on the Garmin, the same thing can be done when using Pan-Optix and Live Scope to move your zoom around.

No pushing buttons or going through menus to chase a fish around in the water column.

On top of that Garmin is cheaper. A standard 7″ Garmin Ice bundle is $699 (but comes with an sla battery, so call it $800 with a battery upgrade)

The standard 7″ Helix Ice bundle is $949 with a lithium….less features for more money.

The newest live imaging bundles are priced similar between the two brands, but again the Garmin will have more included (mapping, touch screen, etc)

You could also build a “cheap” 9″ Livescope set-up yourself with the now “old” LVS-32 transducer and black box. The GPS store has a great deal on them right now (but you’d need a shuttle/battery to go with it). $1,639 for a 9″ graph, Livescope LVS-32, black box and side imaging for your boat.

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Mike S wrote:

Wondering others opinions on ice fishing graphs. Looking at the marcum mx7 and the humminbird helix 7. Had marcum lx9 and had to send back twice so wondering if the MX7 is improved or just go with the hummingbrand or something else.Thanks

If you’re considering a graph and not a flasher, take note of the latency(the lag between when a target is pinged and when it shows up on the screen) of the unit. Graphs have a delay, sometimes a significant delay in cheaper models, while flashers show real time results. It’s been my experience that flashers are also easier on the battery. (Not an issue for a day trip, but may be one on an extended trip w/o access to recharging.)

Marcum would be my last choice.

I still have and use my garmin on ice, but much prefer my vexilar. I sold a lx7 and lx3tc and bought a flx28 and flx12. The 28 is sweet but I don’t use half of its features. The 12 is awesome but I wish it had a zoom. The 12 is simple accurate and works. My lx7 quit reading bottom 2 times both while out on trips, that requires mailing it in and getting warranty work done at their pace. I don’t like jigging under my garmin but mapping is always great to have with

The lag mentioned is a real thing on screened units, BUT can be reduced drastically by playing with some settings. I have more experience with Garmin, but this should also help with Birds.

Most people have their interference rejection turned up higher than needed, which adds a ton of lag to the unit.

The higher the setting is set, the more time the processor uses to interpret data. On my Garmin I run it no higher than medium (can choose between off, low, medium and high)

For some reason setting the bottom search limit to a 300′ max seemed to lessen lag as well (Garmin advanced settings).

Another setting I changed was the “transmit rate” to a “+10” under “installation”. This is on my 942xs, not sure if it’s on Echomaps.

One last final setting worth playing with is TVG (time valued gain). It adjusts target size/strength to be more uniform throughout the water column. IE an 10″ Crappie will look the same 5′ below the ice as is does 40′ below the ice when turned up to a higher TVG setting.

Like interference rejection, the higher the TVG setting the more the computer has to “think” because it’s adjusting the data output on the screen.

Hope these few tips help you guys to make screen latency virtually unnoticeable. The Garmin’s are good with factory settings, but you can really dial them in too

Zero on my vex.
It’s virtually unnoticeable on my Garmin. A little more on my helix.

I use my Garmin the most.

I have a helix 7 G3 this will be my third year on it I like it a lot no complaints on the unit so far. If you do go that route, be sure to add about $100 more to the budget due to the SLA battery it comes with only lasting about 4 hours. I got a Marcum brute battery and have never had to charge while fishing. I got the brute from watching reviews on the batteries on ice hole power you tube page and decided that was the best one.

I’ve had an LX-7 for about 5 years and bought the MX-7 when they first came out thinking it would be the same but with mapping. This is not the case. The screen on the MX-7 is much smaller and in my opinion should be called the MX-5. Sold it after one time of using and still running the LX-7 which I love.

Can’t beat a M5 by Marcum or a FLX28. 2 of the best options out there.

I got an FL-20 with a dual beam transducer that I was considering selling. Comes with a pro pack. Message me if interested, it’s a great unit and has a brand new battery.

Thanks for all the reply’s. Will be deciding between the Humminbird or the Garmin. Leaning towards the Garmin after seeing the video that was posted. Thanks Again

Get the Garmin Echomap 73cv ice bundle. Picked it up this year and love it. The mapping and the Navionics comes with it, no chip needed that has been a huge help this year. I thought the touch screen would be a downside when wet and cold but it has actually worked very well in some bad conditions so far this year. You also get panoptix compatibility if you ever want to upgrade. For only $699 it is a much better value than the helix 7. My only complaint is there was a good amount of interference when fishing with my buddies and their vexs.

Aboxy17 wrote:

My only complaint is there was a good amount of interference when fishing with my buddies and their vexs.

You should have no problem running alongside Vexilars. Try changing frequencies and/or your interference settings. Also have your gain set so you can just see your jig.

This goes for all units and brands

B-man wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Aboxy17 wrote:</div>
My only complaint is there was a good amount of interference when fishing with my buddies and their vexs.

You should have no problem running alongside Vexilars. Try changing frequencies and/or your interference settings. Also have your gain set so you can just see your jig.

This goes for all units and brands

I can fish 2 vexilars and my garmin in my hub w no interference on any of them

You should have no problem running alongside Vexilars. Try changing frequencies and/or your interference settings. Also have your gain set so you can just see your jig.

This goes for all units and brands
[/quote]

I did try changing frequencies and gain and it helped a bit but did not get rid of interference completely. I will have to try playing with the interference settings tomorrow I was not aware the 73 had interference rejection or anything like that. Good to hear you guys found success with vexs now I got some hope lol.

I have fished with a vex helix and Garmin in same hub and tinkering frequencies all ran with no interference.

My $.02. Marcus’s basic flashers (up to M5) are phenomenal. Their LX series, on the other hand, has almost bankrupt the company. The other downside of Marcum is that they throw the absolute worst interference for other machines of people you may be fishing with (Vex, Humminbird, etc). If you want a flat screen with a ton of features and GPS, Helix is undeniably great. At the end of the day though, an FL-18 or FLX-20 are really hard to argue with. After all of the experimenting I’ve done, I have ended up with an FLx-20 in front of me with no regrets. I get my GPS from CMAPS on my phone and have more than everything I need to be successful.

Ended up getting the Garmin. Watched the video again and working on getting it set up. Thanks for the video. It is a big help. Was a little confused. Noticed it said to unplug the power to the unit screen when charging. Is that necessary? Was hoping to make up a 12v adapter to also plug in when using.
Thanks

I don’t unplug mine when charging. Unplug a wire to battery if you are concerned. Same thing.

I have a 10 year old Marcum M1. It still works but kinda ready for an upgrade.

If I go with a Vexilar, say the FLX12 will that be much of an upgrade?? I would lose the zoom feature but maybe the target separation and screen clarity would make up for it? Would also consider the FLX20 or FLX28.

The other route I am considering is the Garmin 7” Ice Bundle. They do look sweet.

lindyrig79 wrote:

I have a 10 year old Marcum M1. It still works but kinda ready for an upgrade.

If I go with a Vexilar, say the FLX12 will that be much of an upgrade?? I would lose the zoom feature but maybe the target separation and screen clarity would make up for it? Would also consider the FLX20 or FLX28.

The other route I am considering is the Garmin 7” Ice Bundle. They do look sweet.

Garmin 7, flx-12 isn’t even in the same zip code , I have two FL-20’s that I have and use but my 7’s are far better.

It’s not even an M1. It’s a Marcum VX-1P. Gotta be about 10 years old though.

I’ve fished with an LX5 for 10 years. It needed to be replaced after year 2 but Marcum did that for free. Since then it’s worked great. Having said that I wouldn’t buy another Marcum product. I had tons of issues with their cameras.

I recognize the advantages of the garmin/humminbird graphs but I like simplicity and winter time is tough on gear. When it’s time for me to replace my LX5 I’ll be getting a vexilar and just use that until I die in 30 years

Mike S wrote:

Wondering others opinions on ice fishing graphs. Looking at the marcum mx7 and the humminbird helix 7. Had marcum lx9 and had to send back twice so wondering if the MX7 is improved or just go with the hummingbrand or something else.Thanks

The one I have is best. I’ve had it for years and never let me down. I have a friend with a different brand and he’s had a lot of issues, I wouldn’t get one of those. You definitely wanna get the one I have, it’s the best.

tswoboda wrote:

The one I have is best. I’ve had it for years and never let me down. I have a friend with a different brand and he’s had a lot of issues, I wouldn’t get one of those. You definitely wanna get the one I have, it’s the best.

This is possibly the best post on this forum ever!!

However your wrong mine is the best and yours sucks lol.

lindyrig79 wrote:

The other route I am considering is the Garmin 7” Ice Bundle. They do look sweet.

I have used the Garmin 73 about 15 times this year and love it. The mapping is very helpful and has probably helped me catch more walleye than anything else has this year. The touch screen has preformed very well in some really cold weather this year and is much easier then havng your phone out looking at navioncs. The one thing I like way better about the Garmin is that when side by side with a vexilar you can tell the size of a fish way better it is not even close. Where on a vexilar even small perch can look the same as a walleye at times. I feel like the Garmin does a much better job showing the actual size of the fish.