What size fishfinder?

[NDT]

From the research I've done with the simard go series plotters, looks like you would need the nmea wiring starter kit, GPS/heading sensor, plotter screens with transducers, radar globe to accomplish what I'm after. With the possibility of adding autopilot down the road, which I'm unsure i need at this point. It may be more of a want haha

 

[bpsuls]

9 inch and above Lowrance units come with two enet ports in them (might be the same for Simrad), so you can hook up a radar and a second screen and you don't need a hub, which saves a lot of money and complexity. Just have to buy one ridiculously overpriced yellow Lowrance cable for the two screens (the broadband radar comes with one already). You will definitely want to do the point 1 antenna for radar overlay. Once you have radar overlay, you will wonder why the basic radar screen is still an option on the hds, as you have both maps and targets at the same time. It's amazing. You will need a nmea2k network for it though.

 

[BCI]

9 inch and above Lowrance units come with two enet ports in them (might be the same for Simrad), so you can hook up a radar and a second screen and you don't need a hub, which saves a lot of money and complexity. Just have to buy one ridiculously overpriced yellow Lowrance cable for the two screens (the broadband radar comes with one already). You will definitely want to do the point 1 antenna for radar overlay. Once you have radar overlay, you will wonder why the basic radar screen is still an option on the hds, as you have both maps and targets at the same time. It's amazing. You will need a nmea2k network for it though.

The radar-only screen is very very valuable. Offshore In thick fog where you can't see anything out the windows you will appreciate the 'radar only' screen. When you try radar overlay, radar returns of smaller ships at sea easily get lost or missed very due to the colors and clutter of the chart also occupying the screen. When you switch to a pure radar display you pick up smaller, intermittent returns with your eyes much easier.

 

[pescador]

The radar-only screen is very very valuable. Offshore In thick fog where you can't see anything out the windows you will appreciate the 'radar only' screen. When you try radar overlay, radar returns of smaller ships at sea easily get lost or missed very due to the colors and clutter of the chart also occupying the screen. When you switch to a pure radar display you pick up smaller, intermittent returns with your eyes much easier.

But I find that overlay provides me with reference to land and other fixed objects that give me a better feeling for distances. I find radar only hard to get a feel for.. I guess if you're a commercial guy on the water 200 days a year its different. But, for the 5 days I hit fog a year its hard to sense reference points on radar only. Just one mans view.

 

[BCI]

But I find that overlay provides me with reference to land and other fixed objects that give me a better feeling for distances. I find radar only hard to get a feel for.. I guess if you're a commercial guy on the water 200 days a year its different. But, for the 5 days I hit fog a year its hard to sense reference points on radar only. Just one mans view.

Understood and agreed. Whatever is easiest to use and interpret is the best to use. Two screens make it much easier also since you can leave one on chart overlay and the other one you can run regular radar or sounder or whatever you need without losing spatial awareness of your vessel and land.

 

[wildthing]

BCI and who can miss your big white tank

that sir is a beauty ...seen it moored in gibsons this past summer

 

[bpsuls]

Yes the radar only screen definitely works well too especially offshore when you don't need to worry about reefing up your boat and are only concerned with moving targets. I used the radar screen exclusively for the first couple of years because I didn't have the point 1 yet but the user experience of the overlay is much better. When I run on step I keep the screen clutter low by reducing detail, I turn it back on when i'm fishing and want the high definition. Sometimes i'll turn on tracer tails with 15 second wipe times which also help if it sweeps a target while you weren't looking at the screen, particularly helpful in big swell when targets appear and disappear regularly. I also have collision zones activated so if something comes into my danger zone a warning alarm and popup show up on the screen, so even if I don't see it, the computer always does, regardless of the screen mode you use and warns you of it. I highly recommend using that feature in sketchy conditions. Pretty sure every manufacturer has it.

Anyways, off topic a little from the original post!

 

[Waterwolf2230]

Looks like a 10" would fit nicely. The newer units are mostly all screen so you get more screen and less plastic surround.

What he said

 

[Fishplaygolf]

Definitely larger screen forward, and keep in mind reflection on the screen not that you can do much about it but if you have placement options something good to keep in mind while checking placement.

 

[Sharphooks]

What BCI said....i spent 3 weeks in thick fog last summer....went across QCS multiple times in pea-soup --'couldn't see the anchor on my bow it was so thick. Having a dedicated 14" screen for radar was HUGE....I have overlay capabilities with my heading sensor but I don't like all that information on the same screen....too easy to miss a potential collision-worthy target with all the extraneous clutter....the downside....those big screens gobble up real estate and can make it a bit tough to see out the wheelhouse depending on vantage point....next investment...doppler radar so one can judge whether targets are coming or going and at what speed...would have been handy to differentiate boats from reefs last summer

 

[bigbruce]

I have 2 7" garmins stacked on the dash of my striper. When fishing, one has full screen sounder the other full screen fishing chart. In fog, one has fs navigation chart the other fs radar. Minimal visual block. Very happy with set up

 

[BCI]

What BCI said....i spent 3 weeks in thick fog last summer....went across QCS multiple times in pea-soup --'couldn't see the anchor on my bow it was so thick. Having a dedicated 14" screen for radar was HUGE....I have overlay capabilities with my heading sensor but I don't like all that information on the same screen....too easy to miss a potential collision-worthy target with all the extraneous clutter....the downside....those big screens gobble up real estate and can make it a bit tough to see out the wheelhouse depending on vantage point....next investment...doppler radar so one can judge whether targets are coming or going and at what speed...would have been handy to differentiate boats from reefs last summerView attachment 42400

The doppler radar is phenomenal on the conditions you mention above. It helps you prioritize targets by speed and direction. It's very helpful to pick up the threats and non-threats instantly compared to reading conventional radar. Running 24" Garmin Doppler and it's a huge help. You won't regret doppler radar for one second, esp with the Furuno ones available for the gear you have.

OP: If you can fit two screens it would be best.

 

[Sharphooks]

Roger that on the value of the new Doppler technologies available in radar for the rec fleet, BCI

Don't want to de-rail OP's thread but my magic "wish I had Doppler radar" moment came last summer: pea-soup in the middle of Queen Charlotte Strait: A boat (target) comes up alongside me, approx. 30 meters off my port beam, then for some reason backs down to match my speed...there's sea room but I have to maintain course and speed because there are several reefs and rock spikes up ahead I've been watching on the screen and my charts.....then all of a sudden instead of two targets ahead (reef and rock spike which I'm threading between) there are now three targets. I immediately start calculating tides: is that another rock that an ebb tide exposed??? My hands are starting to sweat. NO, tide is high so it has to be a boat that just threaded through the same passage I'm heading for from the opposite direction (it's a well-travelled nav route between PT. Hardy and Cape Caution)

But which target is rock, which is reef, and which is boat? And meanwhile I have a big red blob off my port beam who's gotten closer: he's obviously trying to thread the same narrow passage as I am.....now my heart is pounding ---I see a distinct potential for 4 targets all converging in a very tight spot in the middle of pea soup fog, as dense as any fog I've ever see...it was definitely high-stress---I boat alone so you're sitting there making all these split-second calculations, completely at the mercy of your electronics and charts, not to mention dodging branches and logs mixed up in the waves that you absolutely have to side-step as they would take out a propeller fluke lickety split if you hit one...

My one logical thought at that point: how valuable Doppler radar would have been in that instance. Instant situational awareness of your boat in relation to radar targets: green going away from you (with a directional trail), red coming towards you (with a directional trail) and constant color with no trail if it's a rock or an island....

Pardon the mention of the word "idiot" in the Doppler diagram....that would be me for not stepping up earlier for the technology....

 

[Tyler Brinks]

I’m planning to upgrade my fishfinder to the largest screen size that I can possibly fit on my dash. My Campion 542 came with a HDS 5 Gen 1 that’s doing an Ok job for marking fish but I’m finding the screen size too small for my liking. It sucks to get old, I know!

While I could live with a HDS 7, it’d be nice to have a 9” screen that I can use for combo pages.
What’s the largest screen that I can fit on my dash without making custom changes to the panel?

I think with a RAM you could fit up to a 12". Although my deck is open, yours may work.

I like the 12" so I can split the screen and still see everything clearly. I usually run half sonar and half Navionics mapping like this.

 

[BCI]

Roger that on the value of the new Doppler technologies available in radar for the rec fleet, BCI

Don't want to de-rail OP's thread but my magic "wish I had Doppler radar" moment came last summer: pea-soup in the middle of Queen Charlotte Strait: A boat (target) comes up alongside me, approx. 30 meters off my port beam, then for some reason backs down to match my speed...there's sea room but I have to maintain course and speed because there are several reefs and rock spikes up ahead I've been watching on the screen and my charts.....then all of a sudden instead of two targets ahead (reef and rock spike which I'm threading between) there are now three targets. I immediately start calculating tides: is that another rock that an ebb tide exposed??? My hands are starting to sweat. NO, tide is high so it has to be a boat that just threaded through the same passage I'm heading for from the opposite direction (it's a well-travelled nav route between PT. Hardy and Cape Caution)

But which target is rock, which is reef, and which is boat? And meanwhile I have a big red blob off my port beam who's gotten closer: he's obviously trying to thread the same narrow passage as I am.....now my heart is pounding ---I see a distinct potential for 4 targets all converging in a very tight spot in the middle of pea soup fog, as dense as any fog I've ever see...it was definitely high-stress---I boat alone so you're sitting there making all these split-second calculations, completely at the mercy of your electronics and charts, not to mention dodging branches and logs mixed up in the waves that you absolutely have to side-step as they would take out a propeller fluke lickety split if you hit one...

My one logical thought at that point: how valuable Doppler radar would have been in that instance. Instant situational awareness of your boat in relation to radar targets: green going away from you (with a directional trail), red coming towards you (with a directional trail) and constant color with no trail if it's a rock or an island....

Pardon the mention of the word "idiot" in the Doppler diagram....that would be me for not stepping up earlier for the technology....

View attachment 42403

Here's a screen of a popular spot on the WCVI. Fog was so thick you coudn't see two feet in front of the boat at times.. If you notice the doppler showing the direction of the other boats trolling the area, you can see how easy it is to see which boats are going the same direction as you and are a non-issue. Useful, if you ever find yourself having to fish in thick fog in the fleet.