Lowrance Elite 5hdi battery life

[bucktownboy]

 I've switched to the the Lowrance Elite this year from the Ice 55 . Nothing against the bird but like having the gps and contours availability among others options . However , the Lowrance battery life is less than desirable. I'm only getting  7-8 hours out of it . Thus I'm bringing two batteries .  Both batteries are fully charged before going to the lake .   I was looking online at 12 volt 12 amps batteries .  But I'm not a electrical guru and am concerned of frying my Lowrance. Can any of you  shed some light on this .

Thanks Bucktownboy

[RapShack]

Nothing to worry about, it's the same output just greater capacity.   The GPS sucks some juice and I don't think there is any way to shut it down when you're not on the move.

[flyfish413]

Going to the larger screen 5hdi and GPS will definitely draw more power, but you could certainly upgrade the battery to a 12 amp for longer life but it will likely be a larger, heavier battery than what you have now. Two batteries may be the better choice anyway. Voltage spikes blow fuses and fry electronics, not amps. Understanding amps, or amp-hours, is simple. A device that draws 1 Amp will last 9 hours on a 9 amp battery or 12 hours on a 12 amp battery. Adjust based on your devices' power draw. My Lowrance Ice Kit that I use with my no-GPS elite 5x came with a 7 amp battery, and I'll get 12 - 14 hours out of it. That means it's drawing about 0.5 amps, or 500 milliamps. The Ice kit is designed to hold two 7A batteries...I don't know that a 12A will fit.

Regardless, you could look at a 12A battery but two 7A batteries might be better anyway.

[Fisherman 1]

12V 7 Amp is 4 inches high, 2 1/2 inches wide and 6 inches long.  The 12V 12Amp is 4 inches high, 6 inches long and
3 7/8 inches wide.   Now you can go and check for room.

[Maizen]

12 volt 12 amp will fits fine in my elite 5 case as it the same height as a 7 amp or a 9 amp .  The case is designed to lay 2  7 or 9 amps on stacked on their sides or you can lay one 12 amp  and end up with about the same weight

[chumster]

I'm on my second year with my elite 5 ice machine. I can turn my Gps off by going to the menu and pressing cancel navigation. Also turn your backlight down to seven if you're fishing in a shelter. Both of these will add battery life. Was doing some research and found they make a new this year, lithium ion 12 volt 9ah. Really pricey but I found one for a little less than $100. They are 1/3 the weight and last twice as long plus they are rated to last 5 to ten years. Google it and do some research on them. Don't think i'll find a better battery for my Elite five unit. You do know these units were made originally for open water use and were meant to be constantly charged by the motor's altenator, don't you.

[UPFishbucket]

Flyfish is dead on, you could technically hook up to a car battery and run for days off of it, as long as it's 12 volts your are good, as far as a 7amphour lithium battery lasting longer, that's not the case electricity's source does not matter if comparing to the same voltage/amps.  The 12 amphour battery seems like a good choice, I usually just bring 2 7amphours with me then I know I'm good

[bucktownboy]

Thanks guys

[Douger]

Follow chumster's recommendation on the backlight, run it as low as you can an still see the screen easily.  If you have the battery voltage overlay display on you can actually watch the voltage drop as you turn the backlight intensity up.  When I first got mine Elite 5 HDI I ran it with the backlight at 10 to see how long it would last, I think I got about 7 hours.  But I normally run as low as I can and still see the action.  If you move a lot use the sleep function to help save the battery.

[chumster]

Flyfish is dead on, you could technically hook up to a car battery and run for days off of it, as long as it's 12 volts your are good, as far as a 7amphour lithium battery lasting longer, that's not the case electricity's source does not matter if comparing to the same voltage/amps.  The 12 amphour battery seems like a good choice, I usually just bring 2 7amphours with me then I know I'm good

Have to dispute your statement about my lithium battery. It's a 9amp and i've run my elite 5 2 trips back to back over 7 and 8 hr days and still have over 11 volts .  Just brought it in the house to charge as i'm not fishing today. Full charge in less than 2 1/2 hrs. Did i say it's also 1/3 the weight of the regular ones. As i said, pricey, but compared to what i went thru last season with my unit, this is night and days better on time on the ice.

[Fisherman 1]

LiIon is a different bird when it comes to charging, uploads much faster, however you pay the crazy price for that.  I'm just a happy charging after every use with my 20+year old Gell cell.  Unfortunately the brand I have isn't available anymore(Sonnenshine).

[hamms]

I run Lowrance hds5 and I use a 10ah battery I got online for 22 bucks free shipping. Battery will last all day have yet to kill it. same foot print as the 7-9 but 1" taller.

[Scout 24]

I've been running a Rapala/Marcum Ice Force Lithium Ion 12V/10amp hr battery for the last month in an Elite 5 Chirp and it'll run forever. Most of my trips last 6 hrs but my voltage will drop from 13.3 to 13.0 during that time, so I have no clue how many hours it would be good for. Rapala had them on sale for $127 with charger, free shipping and some free goodies so couldn't resist. They are a little heavier (2 pds,14 ounces) than the 7AH LI's (2.0-2.2pds) but still nearly 3 pds lighter than the Vex 12V, 9AH battery it replaced. Fished it 4 days a week for the last month and very satisfied with it so far. The older we got the more we gravitated towards lighter ice fishing gear, especially as we're pulling it all in our sleds.