Side Imaging Units

What’s everyone’s favorite side imagine unit and why? Im thinking about upgrading from down imaging but the list of options seems confusing at first glance. My other units are hummingbird and i like them for ease of use but wouldn’t be opposed to changing brands if one offered something hummingbird doesn’t. Ive read that in order to get the best results you should get a large screen is that the case? Just want to talk about something else besides the plague

I like my mega si humminbird, but the transducer was so large I had to install a jack plate to move the lower unit back far enough to not cause an obstruction. Now I don’t have to trimmed the motor up to have both sides working.

I am a big SI user the new Humminbird 12 Helix Mega + series is out standing for SI when I upgraded from Helix 12 Gen 1 the difference is night and day. I have been on boats with Garmin and Lowrance for SI Hbird just cannot be beat. Lowrance has better 2D as they tweak there settings more and Hbird you get more raw data. For ease of use Garmin right out of the box most settings are pretty good, just my two cents.

I run SI up front on my trolling motor and it is just plane fun to mark Eyes laying in wash board slide over and pick them off. With out SI unless I ran directly over them would never know they were there. In shallow water may have spooked them out if I ran right over the top of them. .

Gino wrote:

I like my mega si humminbird, but the transducer was so large I had to install a jack plate to move the lower unit back far enough to not cause an obstruction. Now I don’t have to trimmed the motor up to have both sides working.

You could install a second mega si ducer on the opposite side of the motor for this reason, they sell Y splitter cable to run both for each side. Then you won’t have to trim up to see past the motor. I have a second ducer I got on sale at Cabelas for 200$ and the splitter cable for 20$. Just haven’t gotten around to installing the second ducer.

Will you be able to have both transducers visible on the same screen? In my knowledge of running a net work, you have to select which 1 transducer you want the network to read from. That tells me that you would not be able to see the transducer on the right side of the motor simultaneously with the transducer on the left side of the motor. You would continuously have to go into your menu and change transducer.

This is in reply to running 2 transducers and a y splitter

I don’t think so it just works. I have a high speed transducer on with my side transducer and it just works .no switch needed. I didn’t want three so I got the jack plate instead.

Kris Berg wrote:

Will you be able to have both transducers visible on the same screen? In my knowledge of running a net work, you have to select which 1 transducer you want the network to read from. That tells me that you would not be able to see the transducer on the right side of the motor simultaneously with the transducer on the left side of the motor. You would continuously have to go into your menu and change transducer.

This is in reply to running 2 transducers and a y splitter

The Y cable takes care of it plug in and go.

I have the G3 mega si/di hummingbird helix 7 with Navionics. I have no idea how to use the SI. I like the gps & Navionics best, just cause I can now see the rock piles that used to kick my ass.

Kris Berg wrote:

Will you be able to have both transducers visible on the same screen? In my knowledge of running a net work, you have to select which 1 transducer you want the network to read from. That tells me that you would not be able to see the transducer on the right side of the motor simultaneously with the transducer on the left side of the motor. You would continuously have to go into your menu and change transducer.

This is in reply to running 2 transducers and a y splitter

Yes the y cable allows you to see them both on 1 screen.

What trolling motor do you have? What brand are your other unit? Do you have familiarity with one brand and not interested or really good at learning multiple systems?

I’ve got bird, not because it may or may not be the best. Because I wanted to keep all my items in the Johnson Outdoors family. Once the new to me boat came with a MK Terrova I knew where was going, Bird and Lakemaster chips.

On the bonus side I had been a Bird user, my main fishing partner uses Bird, and I also happen to really like the units.

I run both Garmin and Humminbird on my boat. I had the HD garmin SI. I fished with a friend that has a Humminbird Mega SI and it is so much better than the Garmin I added a Humminbird mega and just use the Garmin for the panoptix, livescope and standard sonar. I use the the Humminbird for mapping too.