Lowrance StructureScan is Now Available

Did you guys see that the Lowrance side-scan hardware has been released? More info here – Lowrance StructureScan Released .

Has anyone bought and installed it yet? Please post reviews if you have.

Thanks

on another very very national forum.. Lowrance seems to be having tons of problems.. one, with servicing their units. two.. not servicing units that are as little as 6 months old.

three.. having tons of lag time before returning your unit.

maybe other guys who are dealing with Lowrance directly, could comment on their situation..

but for the first time ever.. I would be very careful in buying a Lowrance product and that’s being in the industry since 1972.

I have heard some bad reports too and then also some good ones. Don’t know who to believe. I have never had problems with Lowrance or Eagle in the past.

My HDS7 went bad in july. I went online and got a return auth #. I sent it to them and had it back within 6 days. I was not happy having problems with a 6 month old unit, but the quick service made up for it.

basspro.com has finally added structurescan to their website. same price as the others ($599). the best deal is still westmarine using the 10% off promo code – info here: structurescan promo

has anyone received a non-early release structurescan pack yet? should be any day now I would think. please let us know.

Yup Received my Side Scanner on the 19th. I preordered on 9/11/09. Just got it installed in my Ranger Z520. Did manage to get the control box mounted under the Dash after fabricating an Aluminum backer plate (3/8 inch). I threaded the backer plate to match the holds on the module and then anchored the backer plate under the console and then mounted the module to it (out of sight and high and dry). While at the machine shop I had them fab’ed an aluminum transducer mounting bracket. I threaded the piece to match the mounting screws pattern on the transducer mount and secured the transducer bracket to the aluminum mount. I then drilled the aluminum bracket to match existing bolt holes in the jack plate. Now if it will only stop raining so I can try it out.

Hey ChuckH, have you had a chance to try out the StructureScan on the water?

How much of a hassle was it to mount the extra box and wiring? Sounds like you had to do some extra work. Would you be able to post a pic of your transducer bracket?

Thanks,
grego

Unfortantly I have not made it to the water yet…To busy Deer Hunting . But hope to be on the lake next week-end. Wire not a problem. hooked the hot and ground on the block under the console, and wired all yellows togeather (this turns on the LSS-1 when you press power on the HDS)With regard to pictures here u go. Two of the tansducer mount and several of the box under the console.

http://s771.photobucket.com/albums/xx352/cuh7111/LSS-1/?albumview=grid

Thanks ChuckH. That looks fantastic. Very nice work. I hope you can get out there to use it soon, but if you’re deer hunting I guess you get a pass for this weekend . Hope you had success.

Thanks for the great pics.

I purchased my StructureScan unit from Bass Pro in Kansas City on November 21, installed it on the 22nd, and tried it out on Stockton Lake the 23rd. Installation was pretty easy, however, the instructions could have been more detailed. Have had it on the water only the one time but was impressed mostly by the side scanning feature. The downscan feature I am still not sure of, but I only had it out for a few hours. I want to figure out how to capture screen shots so they can be downloaded and the instruction manual is a little unclear on how to do it, but I think I know how. Next time out I will be trying it. There will be a learning curve regarding operation. Also, understanding what you are seeing, for example, how big will a brush pile appear on the screen.

I have an HDS 7 unit that I purchased in April 09. I have my share of problems with the unit. Water intrusion was my problem and I really hope they have it fixed, but I am still reluctant to take it out in the rain which is a real bummer. Lowrance was good to work with as far as replacement. I went online and got an RMA # and sent it in. I had a brand new unit within a few days.

I know there are strong opinions between Lowrance users and Humminbird. Even with the problems I had with the HDS unit I am still glad I went with Lowrance. When I bought the unit I went in expecting to purchase the smaller Humminbird. The clerk told me about the new Lowrance unit and the HDS 7 had a bigger screen. Sure the price was higher, and when you added the cost of the StructureScan, you were up to the cost of the larger Humminbird, but I was also intrigued by the newer technology. I was then chomping at the bit waiting for the StructureScan release and was disappointed that it took so long. But I now have it and if the weather cooperates, I will be testing it out some more soon.

Sorry that this post was so long.

Welcome to IDO Skeeter ZX190. Glad to have you here. Thanks for your imput on your Lowrance unit. I’m looking at running the same setup as you by spring. Please keep us updated as you learn the ins and outs of your new toy.

The option to turn on Screen Capture is in the Settings menu. Go to it in the Settings menu and turn it on, then you can save the current screen any time by hitting the unit’s power button.

Screen captures are saved to the unit’s internal memory and you can then transfer them to an SD card and move them to your computer.

One odd thing – I have to turn the screen capture feature on every time I power up the unit – it is not one of the feature settings that your unit remembers after powering off. This has resulted in me missing a few great screen shots because I keep forgetting that I have to turn the feature on every time I restart the unit.

There is hope for me, though, they say even a worm learns after three or four hundred times…

One problem when you select Screen Capture is that you get a screen capture when you push the power button to turn off the unit. You can de-select the Screen Capture to get the power off menu or press and hold the power button for few seconds.

thanks for the info Skeeter (and everyone else). Very interesting.

I just learned that pushing and holding the power button to turn off is a poor way to turn off the HDS. You can lose data, settings and sometimes change the backlight. Lowrance strongly recommends that you push the power button and select turn off to power down. I apologize for the earlier misinformation I posted.