Lowrance Question

I know Wade or someone else out there can help answer this for me so here goes. On my Ranger I currently run an LCX38 HDc on the console and a LCX28 HDc on the bow. I’d like to purchase an HDS unit so I can have the Side and Down Imaging. Can I run the older units along side the new HDS unit without any problems ? I don’t think they can be linked or can they. I like my older units they work great. I’d really like to try this new Imaging stuff. Thanks for any help. Glenn

Yes Glenn, you can mount an HDS unit along with your other units and use each one for specific uses, sonar, GPS and the HDS unit for the Structure Scan. As you know the Structure Scan with Side Scan and Downscan capabilities will only work on an HDS unit. Just mount it up, wire up the power cord, add a tee to your NMEA backbone for sharing your GPS information and add a transducer. The Structure Scan connects to your HDS through the yellow ethernet connection on the back of your HDS unit.

If you are going to use your LCX 38c HD for your sonar then you won’t need to add an additional transducer to the HDS unit. If in the future you decide to remove the LCX unit that is alongside the HDS unit then you can use the same transducer you had connected to your LCX on the HDS.

This may conjure up more questions so don’t hesitate to ask.

Thanks Ken for the info. So the thru hull transducer I have now in my boat will connect to a new HDS unit? I was looking at the HDS8 model to do this with. I thought maybe the HDS5 would be a little small but if anybody out there has ran the HDS5 maybe they can comment on the structure and side imaging performance with the smaller screen. I believe the 8 is twice the cost as the 5. Thanks again Ken.

I have an HDS5 and an HDS7 on my boat. I use the HDS5 for the downscan, and the HDS7 for the side scan. The 5 is a little small to be able to see the detail when running side scan on it without sticking your face right up to the screen. You can see it, but I think you miss a lot of stuff on the smaller screen. Next year I plan to add an 8 or a 10 and get rid of the 5.

Yes, your transducer you have in your boat right now will connect to a new HDS unit. I am guessing that the silver tag on the cable that is connected to your LCX unit right now is a PD/WBL. The transducers did not change when the HDS units came out. Lowrance did change the crystal inside which made them even more reliable, but the cable and connector did not change.

I started out with two 8’s, one up at the bow and one at the console. When I added Structure Scan the HDS 8 at the console was OK until I saw Structure Scan on an HDS 10. The larger screen on the 10 really made quite a difference so if possible wait a little longer, save some more money and get the largest screen you can afford. Your experience will be far better with the largest screen you can get. Needless to say I upgraded to the HDS 10 but did so after I sold the HDS 8 so I could afford the upgrade.