New vexilar FL X 28

[Mt.Bucket]

Going to be released July 10 and is going to be there version of a digital flasher. Supposedly not costing any more than the FL-22. I'm excited to say the least, and it's about time.

[Bullelk34]

Wow- about time! I can't wait to see it, might be just the excuse I needed to upgrade my wife's 20 year old FL-8.

[Ice Beard]

Very interesting...is there a press release out there yet?

Thanks,
Ice Beard

[J_Edwards]

The same date of the open to the public, new product showcase at ICAST, I'd like to see it happen.

[Kevin23]

Be interesting to see if they put a butt load of features on it like marcum or just do a basic normal flasher/graph like humminbird and lowrance have been doing for years.

[Junior88]

Digital sounds pretty cool. Funny thing is I bought an FL-20 when it was new and loved it. Then found a FL-8 Genz 2 years ago for one of my boys. Poor kid hasn't used it yet. For me the simplicity of it keeps me taking it out instead of the 20.

[ROY89]

I've never felt a bit handicapped with the plain old FL-8.

[augopher]

Just picked up an FL-12, having never used a flasher before.  Within 5 minutes of turning it on I had a nice largemouth and northern!  Very easy to use for a newbie.   I can't imagine that the FL-28 would draw in more fish, but hey, I'm a newb.   

[SpoonieLuv]

Sonar doesn't "draw in" any fish. Just an FYI, augopher.

[bearbgone]

I'm hoping for a unit that will sound an alarm when a fish is in range. Makes it much easier to nap while fishing..   

[Fishrmn]

I'm hoping for a unit that will sound an alarm when a fish is in range. Makes it much easier to nap while fishing..   

My Lowrance LFP250 did that 35 years ago.  My Lowrance X136 does it now.

[Pikehunter44]

I'm hoping for a unit that will sound an alarm when a fish is in range. Makes it much easier to nap while fishing..   

amen

[chuckieobrien1966]

I will be checking it out for sure..need to buy one for next season any way..wonder what that will cost me???

[jumbo chaser]

Ya I have a thirty year old fl8 it has a fish alarm wish my fl 20 had one hoping they add that

[ice dawg]

I'm hoping for a unit that will sound an alarm when a fish is in range. Makes it much easier to nap while fishing..   

My son's Micronar FL8 has that feature and it's probably about 30 years old. I think the first Vexilar FL8s had it also.

[pike4some]

My Fl8 don't have it on but that would be a nice feature to have.

[74redone]

 The only problem with a new model coming out is do you chance being one of the first ones to buy it before all the bugs are worked out. I have email Vexilar to see if they would give out any info on the unit and its been three days so I guess the answer is no. IMO they would have to really go along way to step up to where the LX 7 is. Me and a buddy were talking last night and he mentioned the GPS feature. If Vexilar had that feature I think there would be a lot of LX 7 guys consider it. I'm really surprised that Marcum has not offered that yet.
  Matt

[esox_magnum]

I dont want a gps on my ice sonar, most of us already have some sort of gps for ice use anyway.... I use my HDS units off my boat, plus have a handheld and navionics on my phone....Battery drain would be an issue as GPS uses alot of power, still prefer my current set up as it allows me to mark spots in the boat late season to fish once it ices up, theres also times I need the gps and flasher in 2 different spots....

[74redone]

I see what your saying but what about the guys that dont have a hand hled GPS or don't want to carry another device out on the ice. I would think it would be nice to have both in one unit. When I go Ice fishing on a lake I would then have all my spots marked on that GPS thats for ice fishing. Another plus would be as long as I have my flasher I have my GPS. As for battery drain your hand held runs on AA batteries for over 8 hrs right? Humminbird has the 385 unit and I have never seen anybody complaining about there battery life. They could also make it so you could have it on or off so that way you would not be using power to the GPS unless you needed it.

I dont want a gps on my ice sonar, most of us already have some sort of gps for ice use anyway.... I use my HDS units off my boat, plus have a handheld and navionics on my phone....Battery drain would be an issue as GPS uses alot of power, still prefer my current set up as it allows me to mark spots in the boat late season to fish once it ices up, theres also times I need the gps and flasher in 2 different spots....

[esox_magnum]

I'm sure many would like it, I'm just not one of them, plus I have 2 HDS units sitting around in the winter so utilize them, the thing would be what would it add to the cost of the flasher to add GPS??? Guessing another 300-400? I guess to me adding a 5th GPS dont make sence lol

[74redone]

Yeah if you already have one you don't really need another. I don't think it would add $300-400 to the price. The price difference between the Humminbird 345 to the 385 isnt that much. Oh well it prob isn't going to happen any way. I guess it would just be a nice option for me any way

I'm sure many would like it, I'm just not one of them, plus I have 2 HDS units sitting around in the winter so utilize them, the thing would be what would it add to the cost of the flasher to add GPS??? Guessing another 300-400? I guess to me adding a 5th GPS dont make sence lol

[esox_magnum]

Another good question is would a GPS on a dedicated ice unit be feasable/profitable? Most the units that currently offer both are more geared to open water with the abitity to convert to ice mode...I use my electronics differently from ice to open water so hard for me to find a 1 unit fits all.... I demand a better unit on the boat than what the smaller open water/ ice units offer unless I convert my HDS again but just to much to adjust for me and about impossible for the wife to figure out so we use the digital ice units in the winter and run high end units on the boat....Alot boils down to how you fish and what you want out of your units, personaly I spend 130-140 days a year on water or ice so I can justify having the units I do, a guy who goes 20 times a year will find he dont need the same.... But I am one who belives buy the best once and not what gets me by 2 or 3 times...

[74redone]

I agree. I  buy the best that I can afford. I run a Hummingbird 998c on my boat and am planning on either a lx7 or maybe flx28? Ether way I try to have the best units for each type of fishing I do.
Matt

[esox_magnum]

I can say after 2 seasons on the LX-7 it is an amazing unit, not a fan of HB due to 2 bad experiences in the past so pretty much stick to Lowrance on the boat, they have never had an issue so no reason to switch and since we run HB on another boat I don't think switching would be an upgrade...

[Fishin_Chip]

Not sure about the GPS in an ice unit, it wouldn't suit my style of fishing.  For an open water unit, though, a GPS is critical.  I've owned a handheld GPS for many years, I bought it for use on flyouts (day trips to small lakes, smaller boats than the main lake, no built in electronics).  For the most part, it stayed in my pack.  When I upgraded to an Lowrance portable LMS unit, I found that I used the GPS all of the time.  For me, the main difference is this:  In the summer, I fish while I move, and my electronics are on all of the time both fishing and running.  In the winter, I have to pack everything up to move, so my finder/flasher is not where I can see it while I am moving.  My handheld GPS is mounted on my sled, it gets more use there than it ever did in the boat.  Having a built in GPS in my flasher would be useless for me, it only gets turned on after the hole is drilled.

[jumbo chaser]

Does any one have a website that show or tells anything about this new flasher

[esox_magnum]

All rumor so far....

[pike4some]

I don't understand why you would want a gps on a flasher for ice fishing. I use a hand held for locating my past spots so if it was on my flasher I would be hauling around a anchor trying to find my spot. Only thing I could see better with a flasher with gps would be using a larger battery for the gps to last longer but that would be it.

[J_Edwards]

The features found in the FLX-28 read like the wish list of avid Ice Anglers starting with digital depth, Auto Range, Two zoom zones, FIVE color palettes to select from for maximum visibility, five foot depth range adjustments starting at 10 feet, Maximum range of 300, Day and Night display brightness settings, Low power options for fishing in super shallow water, a unique Weed Mode for better performance while fishing in weeds. And to top it all off, the unit even has its own Demo mode so you can show non-Vexilar fans how the system works with a lifelike fish catching simulation to watch.

“What most people will not see with the FLX-28 is the advanced technology that has gone into the making of this system,” stated Corey Studer, Vexilar Pro Staff Manager. “Vexilar has been working for years to perfect a brushless data transfer system which is the heart of what customers will be seeing in many future Vexilar sonar systems in the years to come. The new data transfer system opens flasher technology to do so much more than just show depth. For sure this will continue Vexilar’s dominance as the world’s first and best ice fishing sonar systems.

[J_Edwards]

650$


I can't imagine anyone wanting GPS on a flasher.... Must have better hunches and finding techniques than me...I like to drill a lot and move a lot.  GPS is for the fishing vehicle, the flasher/finder is for the down and dirty honing in.