There was a product made called Beam Bender by Northwoods Innovations I bought many years ago (but never got around to trying out) that was clipped on the transducer and cable that held the transducer at your desired angle (I think it had 3 angle choices) and slowly spun to find signals beyond the normal transducer cone. It eliminated people having to “swing” their transducers to accomplish the same results. This was being marketed before all this side imaging and forward facing sonar hit the market. It looks like their website is now down, but does seem they had a Facebook page active as of a couple years ago. I still think if you have 2d sonar only and don’t plan on jumping to new forward facing equipment that the idea has merit if you like to tinker with things.

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If I’m understanding you correctly, you said all the Humminbird stuff came on the boat package from the Skeeter factory? Seems like you should be engaging your Skeeter dealer for his help? Let him run interference on it. I’m assuming you paid him a big chunk of change for that boat and all those electronics. Maybe you have, and I’m misreading the situation. If your Skeeter guy is a Humminbird “stocking” dealer, maybe he’d swap you a new one to get you back running, and he’ll work out the kinks with Humminbird and/or Skeeter?

Hi James,

I’ve had the Camso T4S for 4 or 5 years….working like a champ. Their newest version (X4S) would be what you now want. I don’t think you’ll find many people that don’t say that Camso is the one that has these things figured out.

https://camso.co/en/atv-utv/products/x4s-atv?pr=PS60&productType=11915&backpage=%2Fen%2Fatv-utv%2Fproducts%3FproductType%3D11915

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I also saw that $650 Fleet Farm sale…pretty good deal. If you already decided you’d be good with the bench, then I’d say you’ll be good with the non pro model. I think most people would say you’ll stay plenty warm, even with the 600d canvas. I think those are the real 2 differences….bench vs bucket seats and 600d vs. 1200d material.

I put Camso tracks on mine a few years ago and they added exactly 2 1/2″ front and rear.

Thanks Mike for the feedback.
I kind of was thinking the same thing…..try slowing down a little early as I approach my spot, and then maybe sit on the atv for 30 seconds, then bump it ahead a little. The hard part will be training myself to sit still and wait!!

Thanks Bass Thumb for the feedback….confirming you also see a heat friction thing happening is helpful. I may be changing out the plastic ski skins before next winter, as I need to raise the underside clearance of this shanty. It currently has only 3″, and gets pretty sketchy as the snow gets deeper. If I do it, now would be the time to go to a different ski skin material or thickness if it would make a difference in the heat buildup of the ski skins in general.

Fishthumper…..
Who would have a pic of “boating through a barn while the fan blows in the upstairs window”?
That would be neat to see.

Hey Joe…..
Now that Marcum threw us that 4 1/2 year old LX9 update (basically the leftover LX 6/7 update), would you take the lead on starting a new campaign to get one more final update from them…..before these units become so obsolete it won’t matter? It will take them about 1/2 a decade to offer up even some scraps……so we should probably get on it?

Got it…..
Thanks

These guys have been claiming to have the best glow out there??

http://www.venomfloats.com/product-page/inferno-spoon

Thanks everyone for the replies…..very helpful. I’m glad to hear that my install should work ok. I wasn’t ready to let King tell me in a single sentence that my choice wasn’t meant for metal roofs. Seemed ridiculous.

Joe….
Would you be able to give us a model #?
I was aware of this 12V input idea on some of the smaller TVs, but it seems hard to find them on the shelf. It seemed tough to find one in the 32” sizes, and I couldn’t image finding one in a 40” range. The one comment I’ve heard to be aware of with doing it that way is those TVs were designed for constant 12V, and I’m assuming when running off a deep cycle that the voltage will vary and slowly get less and less as the day goes on. People thought those TVs would maybe function kind of funny on the lowered voltages?

I think Soderblooms (mfg of the Aluma-Lite) will pretty much make any size you want to order….just call them.

They describe them as weatherproof..

This might be worth a couple $20 dollar bills……and cut to the chase quicker? This guy seems to have a pretty good following. He also gives sonar seminars in certain metro markets that seem to always fill up fast.

https://www.technologicalangler.com/humminbird-helix-g2n-reference-guide

Hey Skol,

What do you mean by the “save” feature on your LX-7?
How does that feature work?

Here’s is where I look occasionally. It gives a 10 day outlook on pressure, etc. It makes it visually easy to see rising and falling timelines. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the predictions, as I haven’t compared them to actual readings
over those 10 days.

https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/us/mn/eden-prairie/55344?cm_ven=localwx_10day

Ralph,
I want to come up with a way to get a decent amount of water out of a hole to fill coolers, etc., etc.
If the hole I was using was a 10″, I’d just use some type of hand scoop, and could probably make quick work of it, but maybe still get wet gloves. …but seeing I only do a 7″, I’m thinking some type of hand scoop is not going to cut it. I’m thinking of maybe going the biggest O.D. PVC pipe I can fit in the 7″ hole….make it as long as feasible, put a cap on one end, cut in a couple hand handles on the other end, and also on the same handles end, cut a couple slots deeper in than the handles to let the water fill it without my gloves having to get to the waterline.
Anyway…that’s what I’m tinkering with.

HuntinDave……Thanks for the reply. Some good reminders of some of the variables in play.

Ralph….no hurry, and I’m assuming you’ll be doing it on an actual trip to fish. Certainly no special trip needed for this item. Thanks for the efforts.

OK guys…..I’m bumping this to sense Nov 2017 interest level.
Who among you are going to the upcoming MN ice show this weekend and can once again try to corner any and all official representatives (actual Marcum employees or official pro staffers) on where this infamous update is??

Plus aren’t LEDs alot lighter than older LCD TVs?
Makes a difference when hanging from walls, or lifting it on and off.

sktrwx2100
What made you have to replace it? Damage? Or was it getting old? I have a DV215 about 3 years old. Does the combustion chamber wear out over time?

This was the thing that I remember seeing a couple years ago…………

http://www.beambender.com/

I have had a 2004 Sportsman 600 I bought new. If you read around on the Web, these 600 and 700 twins were pretty famous for being VERY cold blooded. Polaris actually issued a service bulletin on the topic (not a recall) that was a carb update to help a person being able to drive off without having to wait so long for the 600/700 machines to warm up. Look around and you will find the bulletin, as well as numerous threads talking about it. Problem is, it’s been long enough Polaris will not cover the update cost, and I’m also told that some of the small carb parts listed in the bulletin are hard to find…but I wouldn’t trust that fully without checking for yourself.

http://www.circlepines-motel.com

Me and my brother stayed here a few years ago while pheasant hunting. It seemed OK if you weren’t very demanding. You could back up right to your door.

Biggill………
Straight off their website…this is the 1st example I quickly found, but there have been many many more over the last few years. This topic has been blended into their sales/marketing pitch about all the Digital LX series. They’ve leveraged it as a huge reason to purchase their LX digital units.

“Unlike most ice-fishing flashers – which just get older with time – MarCum’s LX-6, LX-6s and LX-7 digital sonar units get better over time, thanks to free firmware upgrades. “We’re always working on upgrades, whether it’s a performance tweak or new features,” Holmes explains. “You’re always going to be able to upgrade them to make your digital MarCum sonar even better at finding fish than on the day you bought it.” MarCum is the only ice-fishing-centric electronics manufacturer that makes digital units that can be upgraded to add features and improve performance. LX-6, LX-6s and LX-7 owners can install the free firmware updates in a matter of minutes from the comfort of their own homes. “Like on our smartphones and laptops, software updates include performance tweaks that improve upon MarCum’s proven products and level of performance,” Holmes says. “And it couldn’t be easier – just follow the instructions on the website and your digital unit will be better than ever in no time.” MarCum’s firmware upgrades often follow customer feedback. “We get a lot of great suggestions from anglers who spend a lot of time on the ice, and a lot of those ideas are incorporated into our updates,” Holmes says.”

Let’s face it folks…with the RT-9 now out, they will probably have no desire to try and make the LX-9 the best it can be anymore…no that they were trying that hard anyway. That ship has sailed. That would only take away from what they are going to market the RT-9 as the best now available.

Is it just me or does anyone else feel that they don’t have the same passion for these products as all us users/fans of their Marcum products. Otherwise, those people inside the building would be sitting around a table with their legal pads and accumulating all the great ideas that all of you have already thought of….most of which seemed real practical to be ale to roll into an updated LX-9…..they just don’t want to take the time and do it. This isn’t even like they’re trying to figure out how and when to roll it into a product segment that is potentially used 12 months a year. They have a very long off season to get this all done…and they still fumble it horribly coming into (and through) each short winter season. They should be ashamed and disappointed on how they’ve handled that LX 7/9 (and now the newer LX-6). Hell…..I’d take an apology at this point. In a little more than a month, it will hit a 3 year anniversary on the last LX-9 update.

Randy….this isn’t about what needs doing to it, because stuff hasn’t worked correctly. Those fixes are expected as product support. After taking care of getting it launched into the market, they’ve done almost nothing to quickly make that LX 7/9 series the superstar it could have been.

I’ll stop now…..although it makes feel a little better to vent once in awhile on this topic.

Toxic…
What Marcum view is that in the LH side? I don’t recognize it.