DI vs. SI

[FishermanJohn]

This summer was my first experience with HB and SI.  Previously I had run a Lowrance 522C which I was very satisfied with, but I upgraded to a 798 SI/DI.  In terms of the SI, it is awesome and I have identified so many new spots on lakes I thought I was familiar with.  The standard sonar seems to work well, but I am still getting used to the HB format and I prefer the Lowrance at this moment.  I found the DI to be rather useless, however.

[REEL_MAN]

It's amazing how we have our loyalties. I'm lucky to have access to either the Lowrance or the HB and have ran both. Both manufactures make good units, so I look beyond the unit and look at support. It used to be the when Lowrance had Linda Colt there was none better but now that Lowrance drove Linda, out service has gone down. Prior to Linda's leaving Humminbird knew that she was the main competition so they stepped up to the challenge and made service a priority. no matter which brand you use there will be problems and it comes to service. When my first 998 went out I called HB and two days later I had a new unit with a prepaid return shipping label.
I'm now in the market for a new unit for the front of the boat and not even looking at Lowrance going to go with the 597 (not a lot of room).
Just my 2 cents worth for what.

Reelman

[Firefighter Jeff]

It's amazing how we have our loyalties. I'm lucky to have access to either the Lowrance or the HB and have ran both. Both manufactures make good units, so I look beyond the unit and look at support. It used to be the when Lowrance had Linda Colt there was none better but now that Lowrance drove Linda, out service has gone down. Prior to Linda's leaving Humminbird knew that she was the main competition so they stepped up to the challenge and made service a priority. no matter which brand you use there will be problems and it comes to service. When my first 998 went out I called HB and two days later I had a new unit with a prepaid return shipping label.
I'm now in the market for a new unit for the front of the boat and not even looking at Lowrance going to go with the 597 (not a lot of room).
Just my 2 cents worth for what.

Reelman

   I agree a 100% especially about Linda Colt.  My reasons for going with HB....  Customer service, heard from others that it was easier to navigate the different screens and features with HB and easier installation.  No Interlink system.  Ethernet cable. 

  I like the DI but I don't think it has really helped much.    I have the 898 and a 788

[1javelin]

I find myself rarely using my sonar on my HB, either leaving it as SI and GPS or DI and GPS.  I love how you can really distinguish detail with the DI where you almost guess with the sonar.  Maybe you guys all have a better understanding of what your sonar is showing, but I really enjoy the DI image.  My decision was solely based on price and knowing I had others with the same technology to help me if I had questions.  The only downside I have to my units, both 898's, is I find it hard to see the screen from certain angles when it's bright out, and it is not the easiest to see when I have on my polarized glasses either.  I find myself taking them down to look at the screen a lot.  This was one of the main reasons I heavily considered Lowrance, because the unit is useless if you can't see what you're looking at.  I really hope they come up with a fix for this over this off-season.

1jav

[Frank-o]

I have to agree with 1Jav - i love my DI as much as my SI. I have an HDS Lowrance and i find structure on the SI, i move over it and switch to DI to get an almost perfect picture of what's really there. When i first got it, i played with it like a kid on xmas morning. I went from DI to pre sonar just to see the differences, and there is no comparison. Sonar makes a tree in 80 FOW look like a huge upside down octopus with a few blob like tentacles...but on DI it's definitely a tree with a hundred branches and the fish arcs are unmistakeable. if you have DI on either HB or lowrance, don't sell yourself short - go figure it out! it's worth the time.

Frank-o

[Big dreams]

I was going to go with a HB unit for the dash due to price but I already had a HDS 5 at the bow.  I figured I could use the ethernet to link them together so the waypoints can be shared. 

I do not see a reason to use the SI on the bow at this time.  What do you guys think?  Is it worth linking even the SI to the front or just leave it in the back?

[Firefighter Jeff]

   I've heard both opinions on whether or not to put SI at the bow.  Some say that the picture is not very clear at the bow because you aren't moving very fast.  Then others say they love it up there.
    I don't have it at the front, mostly because I didn't think it would be worth the additional money.  I do know that a tip I got on getting a good read on the SI is to have the speed set as close as possible to the speed of the boat.  I usually idle at 4 to 5 mph using SI at the dash.  You'd have to set it pretty low for use on the TM.  Also realize that the best picture using SI is when moving in a straight line.  If you turn either direction much it will distort the picture.  Best of luck. 

[Big dreams]

   I've heard both opinions on whether or not to put SI at the bow.  Some say that the picture is not very clear at the bow because you aren't moving very fast.  Then others say they love it up there.
    I don't have it at the front, mostly because I didn't think it would be worth the additional money.  I do know that a tip I got on getting a good read on the SI is to have the speed set as close as possible to the speed of the boat.  I usually idle at 4 to 5 mph using SI at the dash.  You'd have to set it pretty low for use on the TM.  Also realize that the best picture using SI is when moving in a straight line.  If you turn either direction much it will distort the picture.  Best of luck. 

Thanks again.  I was not aware of the speed settings.  That seems like it would cause an issue for the front.  The unit is on the truck and out for delivery today.  Can't get here soon enough.  The bad thing is I will have to wait until next year to test out the SI    Should be worth it.

[bigjc]

once you find it with SI - regular graph mode will show you what you want. I thought about DI for the front of the boat, but a regular graph will show you more ( or at least similar info) in terms of fish and suspended bait under the boat. DI really just shows you a different angle of definition in compliment to what you see on the SI -  for instance you might see something that looks like a boulder on the SI - drive right over it and find out its actually a tire or a refrigerator or something.

What model do you have on the Avelanche?  Did you mount it in dash?  I am likely adding an HB to the Legend in a couple of months.  Thinking about a 998c SI at the console and just a color gps combo on bow.  Is it worth spending the extra for SI on the bow?  My only thought was the ability to connect the two units.