HB vs. Lowrance technology

I have a question. This is a real question, not a smart a** question as I’m researching new electronics for dad’s boat.

Why is Fishton (from the other side of the world) the only one who seems to have good luck with Lowrance and it’s new technology? I looked through 3 pages of the Lowrance conversation and saw very few positive comments. I currently own a HB 997c with side imagining. I’ve been very happy with it, but no reason to not learn about new technology.

What are everyone’s experiences and thoughts?

I have a lowrance sponsorship and run HB’s… Nuff said

I don’t have the “New” Lowrance technology (yet). As a matter of fact, I am trying to decide whether to go with HB due to the reviews here or stay with Lowrance by upgrading to the HDS/Structure Scan this summer.

I have had Lowrance products for 7-8 years with virtually zero troubles (finding wood to knock on.) The 2 instances I had were quickly resolved by a phone call for one and a free product replacement for the other.

I’ve found the products to be very good and trouble free. That is the reason for wanting to stay with Lowrance. The reason for looking at HB is because they’ve had the SI technology for longer, the information on this site, and lower prices.

JD

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I have a lowrance sponsorship and run HB’s… Nuff said

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That’s what I thought. That comment speaks volumes.

Ruger,
I was wondering the same thing-seems Halfen’s posts show great resolution with the HB stuff. In the end, I am sure both products will be great-but lowrance has outpriced themselves and add on units would be a pain in the hinder.
I have always been a lowrance guy, but a 997 is currently going on my boat for SI.

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I have a lowrance sponsorship and run HB’s… Nuff said

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That’s what I thought. That comment speaks volumes.

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How dose that comment speak volumes? Look at fishton’s screen caps those speak volumes!

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How dose that comment speak volumes? Look at fishton’s screen caps those speak volumes!

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I take Fishton’s pictures with a grain of salt. I’m not accusing anybody of anything. However Fishton could have easily posted pictures where the Lowrance images are completely optimized and the Humminbird images are not optimized. I would need to do a side by side comparison myself or see it done to know the authenticity of the images.

I hear Ya cluckin on the LOW unit. I have a 520 and this summer will be getting a HB 997. Bases on 2 factors.
1. Lowrance customer service issues and steady increace of lowering standards…there operating systems are about as stablr as windows 95.
2. SI, Jason has totally opened my eyes to the capabilities of that SI and DI can offer a fisherman.

As i was looking at the pictures posrd earlier comparing LOW and HB down imaging all I could think of is that I have never seen a pic posted from Jason look as SHI**y as they weere posted there. My personal thought is that the HB was not dialed in… but who am I to say. Not calling the other poster a fake but just think maybe he was more framiliar with LOW products. No offence man.
–Mark

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I take Fishton’s pictures with a grain of salt. I’m not accusing anybody of anything. However Fishton could have easily posted pictures where the Lowrance images are completely optimized and the Humminbird images are not optimized. I would need to do a side by side comparison myself or see it done to know the authenticity of the images.

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Ouch!

I love my Lowrance HDS8 AND Humminbird 1197cxSI and have been using these brands on my boats for many years. (Side by Side)

The thread was created as a form of fun and education, not mud slinging.

Fishton, no mean or ill comments intended. I specialize in operating medical ultrasound. So by looking at the images, I thought the gain and contrast settings were not set the same on each system. No harm or mud intended.

I was a bit surprised to see the difference in the 2 units. The link in his bio take you to his store and he sells both units. I was thinking he was a Lowrance salesman when I first saw them. I’m sticking with Humminbird just because I have one unit already.

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… My personal thought is that the HB was not dialed in… but who am I to say. Not calling the other poster a fake but just think maybe he was more framiliar with LOW products. No offence man.
–Mark

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The Chucker,

It was my first day out with the new software by Humminbird, and you are probably quite right – maybe I’m not running it at it’s optimum. Hopefully time on the water will get me up to scratch with this new upgrade.

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Hopefully time on the water will get me up to scratch with this new upgrade.

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I would love to hear your continued updates as you get more familar with both products. Thanks for your postings and follow ups.

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I have a lowrance sponsorship and run HB’s… Nuff said

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A company sponsorship??

Update:- HB’s Down Imaging is definitely NOT looking directly beneath the boat (see image). But I have no doubt that their engineers are working on it as we speak.

One of the issues that you probably have missed, since you are just starting off with Humminbird’s DI, is the ability to change the Down Imaging width, or range (I can’t remember the term that is used in the menu structure). The DI range can be set to narrow, to focus on objects that are directly under the boat, or wide, to capture objects that are just off to the side as well. In fact, if I remember correctly, there are 3 settings: narrow, medium, and wide.

If I had to guess, I suspect that you are collecting information on the wide setting, and have scanned a tree that is just out of the 2D cone, so it is absent in 2D but captured by DI.

Humminbird is the only company to offer their users the ability to select their Down Imaging range, rather than being stuck with one single, factory determined setting.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. I collected this 3-way split screen capture using the Wide DI setting. There are three objects to note: a crib marked with the red arrow (right under the boat), a rock marked with a white arrow (right under the boat), and another crib marked with a green arrow. It is just visible in DI and absent in 2D. Note that in the SI view, the crib marked with the green arrow is not directly under the boat, but rather just a bit off to the right. The Wide DI setting allows the user to see these objects that are still very close to the boat’s path, but not within the 2D sonar cone. I see that as a technological advantage!

So are either of these a “turn them on and go” imaging unit?

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Jason Halfen:- One of the issues that you probably have missed, since you are just starting off with Humminbird’s DI, is the ability to change the Down Imaging width, or range (I can’t remember the term that is used in the menu structure). The DI range can be set to narrow, to focus on objects that are directly under the boat, or wide, to capture objects that are just off to the side as well. In fact, if I remember correctly, there are 3 settings: narrow, medium, and wide.

Fishton Reply:- – I tried the different widths, anything less than wide, when looking at a brushpile or tree in less than 100ft, gave absolutely no return whatsoever.

Jason Halfen:- If I had to guess, I suspect that you are collecting information on the wide setting, and have scanned a tree that is just out of the 2D cone, so it is absent in 2D but captured by DI.

Fishton Reply:- 100% correct, therefore this is not DOWN imaging.

Jason Halfen:- Humminbird is the only company to offer their users the ability to select their Down Imaging range, rather than being stuck with one single, factory determined setting.

Fishton Reply:-

I say this (and images) with a ton of respect for you Jason.

But I really need to wrap my mind around this whole ‘Down’ story.

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Well, you clearly have your Lowrance figured out, which isn’t surprising since you had your hands on that structure scan module for months in advance of its release over here. Enjoy it!

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Well, you clearly have your Lowrance figured out, which isn’t surprising since you had your hands on that structure scan module for months in advance of its release over here. Enjoy it!

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I wish the guys who got the Humminbird DI software months ahead of the rest of us had done the same. Enjoy it.

fishwater,

The Lowrance works different to the Humminbird in that it is using Broadband technology in the 50/83/200kHz range, depending on the transducer. The LSS-1 High Frequency Side and Down Scan is a totally independant unit with it’s own unique transducer using seperate crystals for left, right and down. Whereas the Humminbird currently is only using left and right crystals and using software to try cover the gap directly beneath the boat. Keep in mind too that all the Lowrance HDS units with the LSS-1 use 455 OR 800kHz for super sharp high contrast and definition images. The 798cSI for example only has 455kHz.

to Fishton

To say that one company is using software to make the image is really irresponsible. All modern sonar units are specialized computers and they all have software in them to create the image on the screen. The information coming from the tranducer is processed and displayed. They all do it. The signal isn’t made up to create the image. I really don’t get your point on a lot of your post on many forums and you seem to go out of your way to post on Lowrance specific boards. I have seen evidence disproving your own results that the Humminbird SI beams do look straigt down. I think Doug Vahrenberg and Triton Mikes images showed that they do. There are many excellent images from both companies as well. Even your own images comparing side to side have one brand showing things and the other showing things it missed. I will make my own conclusions when things finally thaw out to do my own testing.

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So when imaging using the LSS-1 at 455khz or 800khz there isn’t any other frequencies being transmitted at all (if you turn off 2d?) Both the side and down crystals use those two frequencies only?

Thanks for your time. Would love to see some more of the Lowrance lss-1 images if you get a chance.

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Fishwater. It’s important to remember there is a sending AND recieving property in a transducer. The transducer sends out a 455kHz (for example) signal and then listens for the same frequency coming back. It just ignores the other frequencies that may hit the transducer crystals.

When in SI mode the 200khz only gives the depth number. It isn’t needed for anything but that.

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To say that one company is using software to make the image is really irresponsible.

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I think you’re missing the point here. I always figured that Lowrance’s transducer was similar to Humminbird’s and hence the reason they could offer the easy upgrade until Fishton pointed out the transducer difference.

That’s a hardware difference that seems to me would be very advantagous to the Lowrance system. Look at Humminbird’s own technical photo.

Doesn’t look like they’re covering everything below the boat to me.

Does it mean Humminbird’s Down Imaging is crap, and they’re making everything up? I don’t think so, and I don’t think Fishton is suggesting that. But it may mean that it’s not quite as good as Lowrance.

Fishton may be a Lowrance plant, personally, I don’t think he is. Regardless, I think we need to keep an open mind here.

This is some really good information.

I think Fishton’s apolgy on BBC on this issue is a good start. There are many images showing the SI beams looking straight down with mirror images on both right and left sides.

web page

Or the apolgy he made to T Mike on the Humminbird forum here about the “gap” on the down imaging.

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So when imaging using the LSS-1 at 455khz or 800khz there isn’t any other frequencies being transmitted at all (if you turn off 2d?) Both the side and down crystals use those two frequencies only?

Thanks for your time. Would love to see some more of the Lowrance lss-1 images if you get a chance.

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That’s right fishwater.

No problem, I will post more screenshots.

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I think Fishton’s apolgy on BBC on this issue is a good start. There are many images showing the SI beams looking straight down with mirror images on both right and left sides.

web page

Or the apolgy he made to T Mike on the Humminbird forum here about the “gap” on the down imaging.

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I am busy working on an article at the moment that will incorporate all our ‘views’ (T Mike, Doug and myself) as I see it.

I need to use diagrams to explain myself better, and this takes time and effort. Coming soon to a forum near you! lol