IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Equipment => Ice Fishing With Electronics => Topic started by: pikeking on Sep 18, 2008, 11:00 PM
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I was just wondering if any of you have seen it or used it? I was thinking of getting one but I know if you guys aren't using it I don't want it.
Cabela's has it on sale for 249
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my stepson just got one this years model looks ok to me different he is here as jjwills123
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a few guys i fished with last winter bought one and seemed to workout well for them, i just pulled one out of the bargin cave at cabellas for 130, had to get a new charger for it but other than that it seems to work fine.
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a few guys i fished with last winter bought one and seemed to workout well for them, i just pulled one out of the bargin cave at cabellas for 130, had to get a new charger for it but other than that it seems to work fine.
I saw that one but had the vex anyway and if it causes interferance we know well who will be out somewher on a bucket and not with me in my warm shack! lol :laugh: :tipup: :tipup:
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The showdown has that problem fixed .... quit bringing up old news.... and stay on subject
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Play nice boys, It was just a question
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The showdown has that problem fixed .... quit bringing up old news.... and stay on subject
we are!
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;D you guys are funny! is this fishfinder a flasher type?
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;D you guys are funny! is this fishfinder a flasher type?
(http://www.naturevisioninc.com/ice_fishing/images/Shdwn-homepage.jpg)
http://www.naturevisioninc.com/ice_fishing/ShowDownSonar.shtml (http://www.naturevisioninc.com/ice_fishing/ShowDownSonar.shtml)
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i think ill be buying one this year.
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I am also going to buy one. Read the specs it has ans does all the same things as the Marcum and the Vexilar, and it's 100 bucks cheaper. I have never had one so I won't know the difference between them, as long as they mark fish. I used my portable fishfinder last winter and it drove me nuts with the scrolling screen, but it did work.
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I just bought one! Can't wait for it to get here!!!
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The showdown has that problem fixed .... quit bringing up old news.... and stay on subject
::) LOL, He asked about the unit and got an answer which was " on subject" , I wouldnt call it old news though since they still have interference problems, just not as bad as they were.
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i want one but i can't afford it. :P i think it's the bestof all cuz it isn't circular but that's just me.
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I bought one of these last year and it worked great for me. It is my first fish finder for ice applications and I guess I don't have any negative comments. My brother will probably be buried with his Vexilar and even he was impressed by how it worked. It is very easy to use after a little bit of time get the sensitivity dialed in, but it helped catch fish and that's what is important.
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I don't think that interference is an issue anymore...if you watch this video they have a vexilar FL-20 running not 5 feel away and they adjust the interference out no problem
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2272560849604659746&ei=BLnqSMnaPKfcqAOAhY3DAg&q=showdown+fish+finder&vt=lf&hl=en (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2272560849604659746&ei=BLnqSMnaPKfcqAOAhY3DAg&q=showdown+fish+finder&vt=lf&hl=en)
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I have fished with one in a shack with a marcum and a vex in it also... guess what? NO INTERFERENCE PROBLEMS AT ALL.
I will say that it did work well, but not as well as a flasher. It lacked the "feel" of a flasher and I felt totaly lost without my colors. When you get really good at reading a flasher, you look for flickers and color bleed to tell you about movement in the water colum. A flasher can paint you a very clear picture of what is going on down there.
I am not going to hack the showdown because it does what it says and it does it well, but I think a flasher adds a whole new dimension that a VPG misses.
This unit is in the same price range...Marcum VX-1 (http://marcumtech.com/products/product_detail.php?ProdSKU=10450&ProdCat1=1)
This is just my humble uneducated oppinion, I dont mean to offend any die hard showdowners. ;)
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Neptune, Thanks for the video link. I knew I was buying that for a reason.
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Ive never fished with one personally but i will chime in on what Skipper said. How are you able to tell fish mood and responsiveness to your presentation with the showdown? Fish size, proximity to your hole, etc are all things that i dont think the showdown would do a good job of showing you when comparing it to a flasher. Just my two cents...
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Neptune, Thanks for the video link. I knew I was buying that for a reason.
the Video is what sold me also. And the fact that I've never used a Vexilar\Marcum\Lowrance\Humminbird circular flasher....well actually about 20 years ago the Lowrance Flasher was all my dad had on his fishing boat, it wasn't multi-color and we were always trolling so different application.
the reason I didn't go with a color flasher is number one, I have a video camera. I don't need the finder to tell me what is going to bite...I'll be watching 8). I really just want an acurate bottom reading and something that tells me where in the column the fish are! If I was going to by a color flasher, I would be hard pressed to buy anything but a marcum. On paper I don't think they can be beat...on paper mind you!
Anyways, my Showdown should arrive in a week or so and I'll give it a try. My buddy is thinking of getting a Lowrance Ice machine, if he does we will have them side by each and test them out. I'll try and remember to report back here.
Good Fishing :tipup:
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Ive never fished with one personally but i will chime in on what Skipper said. How are you able to tell fish mood and responsiveness to your presentation with the showdown? Fish size, proximity to your hole, etc are all things that i dont think the showdown would do a good job of showing you when comparing it to a flasher. Just my two cents...
Well the LCD isn't just Black/White, on/off. There are 4 levels of gray for every bar on the screen and the larger a target the more bars it uses to designate the target. So a fish that isn't directly below the hole is the lightest mark and one that is directly below the hole is black. Watch the video, you can see exactly what I'm talking about....
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::) LOL, He asked about the unit and got an answer which was " on subject" , I wouldnt call it old news though since they still have interference problems, just not as bad as they were.
And if I cant haunt my own kid esp here he WILL be sitting out on the bucket! LOL :roflmao: :roflmao:
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I bought one of these last year and it worked great for me. It is my first fish finder for ice applications and I guess I don't have any negative comments. My brother will probably be buried with his Vexilar and even he was impressed by how it worked. It is very easy to use after a little bit of time get the sensitivity dialed in, but it helped catch fish and that's what is important.
yes I will be buried with my vex and a couple extra sets of batteries too. I would hate to run out of juice when I get where I'm going! ;D
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I just bought one a couple of months ago, and it appears that it will work good! I have owned another unit in the past that was a vertical unit as well, it was a zercom. It worked quite well with no real issues. So when I heard of the showdown, I didn't hesitate on buying it. Cant wait to bring it to moosehead and use it and show it to other people. As soon as I get it out on the ice and fish with it a couple of times I will write a review on it and post it!! :icefish:
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Once mine gets here I'm going to try mine in open water first for some Crappie and see how it works out of the canoe!
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Defiantly the best unit out their for the price!!!!
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At 1000 watts of power the showdown should really shine for deep dwelling creatures like lake trout.It looks like it operates just like the a-scope feature on your high end open water fishfinders like furuno,raymarine,sitex etc.It's just too bad they didn't make it color,I bet it's not far away.
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At 1000 watts of power the showdown should really shine for deep dwelling creatures like lake trout.It looks like it operates just like the a-scope feature on your high end open water fishfinders like furuno,raymarine,sitex etc.It's just too bad they didn't make it color,I bet it's not far away.
I know I'm going to get my head bit off for this, but believe it or not the whole color thing is less definitive than one is lead to believe...I will explain...
this takes a basic understanding of geometry, so if you don't have that, you're on your own ;)
Transducers all produce a cone in which they "ping" for the bottom and targets within that cone. Have you ever wondered how a Fish Finder "sees" objects within that cone? Draw a triangle on a piece of paper and place three dots in a straight line across the interior, one being in the middle, one halfway between middle and the left leg of the triangle and one virtually on the right leg of the triangle. Using this as our example, would you guess that your fish finder would put all three of these at the same depth? I use to believe this, but if you measure from the top point of the triangle(the transducer) to each point you will get three different measurements. This school of fish would show up on your vexilar or on your showdown as 3 fish all at different depths, when in fact they are all at the same depth. Now you may be thinking, "I have a dual beam transducer on my Vex." This only gets you a transition from outer to inner cone(which is somewhat of a benefit, and will appear as a rising fish), but still nothing definitive. Without three transducer points you can't triangulate exact position, which only leaves "guestimation".
Where does this leave us in relation to Color, well the Vex uses color to delineate several different situations, signal strength, movement from outer transducer "cone" to inner transducer "cone", and fish size. In the scenario above a Vex would have 3 different color marks, leaving you to wonder which of the three situations above you are dealing with. The Showdown is showing equal signal returns at different depths, that's it.
Often when you see a fish appear that it is moving up to your bait on any fish finder, it is actually just moving across the same plane toward your bait. This whole situations impact is greatly dependent on just how deep you are fishing and what scale you have your finder set to. Have you ever wondered why the bottom reflection on a Vex/Marcum/Lowrance/Humminbird is some mass of Red then the scale of colors below that? That is the degree at which your device is sensitive to the conical effects I described above and of course the bottom density, ie. mud or rock.
So until three zone transducers are common place, color is just another marketing tool...oh and it looks pretty ;D
<-----Begin Ripping into Neptune HERE----->
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once you said geometry I got lost great info but I like all them pretty colors! about the only thing that may get me in the Christmas spirit!
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"Transducers all produce a cone in which they "ping" for the bottom and targets within that cone. Have you ever wondered how a Fish Finder "sees" objects within that cone? Draw a triangle on a piece of paper and place three dots in a straight line across the interior, one being in the middle, one halfway between middle and the left leg of the triangle and one virtually on the right leg of the triangle. Using this as our example, would you guess that your fish finder would put all three of these at the same depth? I use to believe this, but if you measure from the top point of the triangle(the transducer) to each point you will get three different measurements. This school of fish would show up on your vexilar or on your showdown as 3 fish all at different depths, when in fact they are all at the same depth. Now you may be thinking, "I have a dual beam transducer on my Vex." This only gets you a transition from outer to inner cone(which is somewhat of a benefit, and will appear as a rising fish), but still nothing definitive. Without three transducer points you can't triangulate exact position, which only leaves "guestimation"...................... ...................... ...............
This is why fish show up as "arches" on a traditional fishfinder if you don't have the dumb fish symbol option on.I don't know a whole lot about flashers,but I am familiar with a-scope on traditional sonar and this is what the showdown appears to be using.I understand what you are saying,but on an a-scope the colors definately help you distinguish between a school of small fish and one single large fish(the color is different because of density)it is also helpfull when distinguishing between fish and the bottom when fish are laying right on the bottom,the fish will be a slightly lighter color(orange,sometimes blueish green)than the bottom itself(deep red if your on ledge).It would depend on the scenario that you fish how helpfull the color would be.It's definitely not the end of the world if it's not in color,but once you get used to the color and you know what species show up as what color it's hard to go back.It might not make a difference with flashers,but it does with a-scope.Here's a picture of a color machine with the real-time a-scope mode on the right half of the screen,looks a lot like how the showdown operates,you can see the densist part of the bait ball from the darker color,if there were bigger fish after the school of bait you'd see even darker lines showing up sporadically through the yellow/orange mass.Also notice how easy it is to distinguish between the ball of bait and the bottom.Either way I think the unit will work great.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f164/2naboot/fishfinder1.jpg)
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Just a little feather in Showdowns Cap: the Showdown Fish Finder is the official Fish Finder of the In-Fisherman Ice Fishing TV show.
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I know I'm going to get my head bit off for this, but believe it or not the whole color thing is less definitive than one is lead to believe...I will explain...
this takes a basic understanding of geometry, so if you don't have that, you're on your own ;)
Transducers all produce a cone in which they "ping" for the bottom and targets within that cone. Have you ever wondered how a Fish Finder "sees" objects within that cone? Draw a triangle on a piece of paper and place three dots in a straight line across the interior, one being in the middle, one halfway between middle and the left leg of the triangle and one virtually on the right leg of the triangle. Using this as our example, would you guess that your fish finder would put all three of these at the same depth? I use to believe this, but if you measure from the top point of the triangle(the transducer) to each point you will get three different measurements. This school of fish would show up on your vexilar or on your showdown as 3 fish all at different depths, when in fact they are all at the same depth. Now you may be thinking, "I have a dual beam transducer on my Vex." This only gets you a transition from outer to inner cone(which is somewhat of a benefit, and will appear as a rising fish), but still nothing definitive. Without three transducer points you can't triangulate exact position, which only leaves "guestimation".
Where does this leave us in relation to Color, well the Vex uses color to delineate several different situations, signal strength, movement from outer transducer "cone" to inner transducer "cone", and fish size. In the scenario above a Vex would have 3 different color marks, leaving you to wonder which of the three situations above you are dealing with. The Showdown is showing equal signal returns at different depths, that's it.
Often when you see a fish appear that it is moving up to your bait on any fish finder, it is actually just moving across the same plane toward your bait. This whole situations impact is greatly dependent on just how deep you are fishing and what scale you have your finder set to. Have you ever wondered why the bottom reflection on a Vex/Marcum/Lowrance/Humminbird is some mass of Red then the scale of colors below that? That is the degree at which your device is sensitive to the conical effects I described above and of course the bottom density, ie. mud or rock.
So until three zone transducers are common place, color is just another marketing tool...oh and it looks pretty ;D
<-----Begin Ripping into Neptune HERE----->
So your saying I am seeing things when I watch the fish ON camera rise to the bait ,just like it does on the color flasher? ::)
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So your saying I am seeing things when I watch the fish ON camera rise to the bait ,just like it does on the color flasher? ::)
Nope, I'm saying because of the nature of how fish finders work, you can't be guaranteed that is what is happening, color or not. Unless you can see the fish with your camera. :o
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I guess out of the 40 days or so I used the camera last year ,not once did I see that happen. What I do see is the "mark" get fatter and color changes as the fish approaches the jig.
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I think the reason it is the official locator of the show is because they are only located about 4miles apart. Also for the money I love this machine, the only thing i dont like about it is it is really hard to read fish that stay close to bottom(like cats) but since i updated mine I have had no problems at all. Oh and they did try color last year but they were having problems getting it to work right so maybe this year. If I hear anything I will let you know (i live right where they are made). The customer service is great all I do if I break something is go into the shop and within minutes i have what i need to fix it or they have fixed it for me.
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If I hear anything I will let you know (i live right where they are made). The customer service is great all I do if I break something is go into the shop and within minutes i have what i need to fix it or they have fixed it for me.
Unknowingly and maybe unwillingly you just became the official IS Showdown Customer Service rep!!! ;)
Wouldn't hurt to let them know about this community of hard core Ice Fishers!!!
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Just a little feather in Showdowns Cap: the Showdown Fish Finder is the official Fish Finder of the In-Fisherman Ice Fishing TV show.
OH OH better get one fast, before the price goes up ........ glad I found this thread, now this goes to the top of the CHRISTMAS list ;D
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I got one when they first came out. It was called a VPG then. The next year they upgraded the software. I sent it in for $20 and had it updated. It works great for me. I've caught Bass, Crappie, Perch, Bluegill and Catfish so far. I had an old Lowrance LFP-150 LO-K-TOR before the VPG. The 2 lantern batteries didn't last in winter.
What does it matter if the fish is coming up from the bottom or from the side? Either way it is coming closer to your bait. The finders don't tell you when to set the hook. I still rely on spring bobber to detect the bite.
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I searched but didn't see any answer to 2 questions I have.
1) Physically, what size ice hole would the Showdown actually fall through if it unfortunately fell straight down?
2) Will it shoot and read through the ice? I use a very old LCD and use it to read depth before drilling. Would not want to lose this ability.
Thanks,
Andy
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1) Physically, what size ice hole would the Showdown actually fall through if it unfortunately fell straight down?
2) Will it shoot and read through the ice? I use a very old LCD and use it to read depth before drilling. Would not want to lose this ability.
(1) approximately an 8 inch hole is what it could fall down.
(2) Yes it will read through ice if the ice is wet and the clearer the ice the better, just like any Vex, Marcum, Humminbird, Lowrance will do.
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(1) approximately an 8 inch hole is what it could fall down.
(2) Yes it will read through ice if the ice is wet and the clearer the ice the better, just like any Vex, Marcum, Humminbird, Lowrance will do.
Thanks Neptune.
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Thanks Neptune.
If you had the LCD laying almost flat(Horizontal) it would take a 10+ inch hole to make it through. The LCD is on a Gimble mount so you can adjust the screen to face you, even if you are standing.
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I will also put a good word in for their customer service. I had 2 transducer cable arms break last year and they sent me a new one each time. Both times it was my fault and I told them that. Didn't matter, a new arm was sent.
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Well, I think the showdown/marcum/vex sonar all show what a fisherman needs to catch fish. The reason I like the Showdown/VPG more is the vertical colum. Makes it really easy to know where your at in the column. Also, if a person is worried about the Showdown fitting down an ice hole, take and bolt on a piece of plywood to the bottom so that it can't fit down the hole.
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I'm gonna try a showdown this year. Hopefully it will work for me, never used a flasher before. Kinda new to ice fishing and this thing looks pretty easy to use so i'm gonna give it a shot.
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I'm actually gonna order one too, and sell my FL-8. I remember having a brain fart thinking "how could I figure this out? All this is going to tell me is what is directly under me." Duhhh what do ya think the vex does.lol Just kind of funny how the brain gets used to the dial, and cant comprehend an up and down display, when up in down should be more natural to us.
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Kinda bent right now. Was all set to order the Showdown from RedRock. Had to wait for my direct deposit to hit. So found it there for $229.00, with free shipping, and no tax, since they are in MN. Went back today now that I have my check... Find the item not in my cart and now its $269.00 >:(
Not that big of a deal since BPS is selling them for $229.00 and they are 5 minutes from my door, just not I have to pay "the man" sales tax. Hey the $20 could buy me some more Fiskas jigs :laugh:
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I bought one last year and fished with it. I'm very happy with it. Besides using it when I'm jigging I'll carry it with me and drop into holes while I'm setting up my tipups. I can follow the bait all the way down to where I want it to be. Then pull it up and go on to the next hole. You won't see fancy colors like the Marcums or Vex flashers, but it's really easy to read, has a backlight and it's easy to understand. The top is up and the bottom is down. Anything in between has a number for the depth. The closer the fish the darker the bar.
It beats $500 for a Marcum!
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Thank you for contacting Nature Vision, Inc.
The software update to the Showdown is the 3.2 software version. We currently have a 5.6 version, however, we do not have a set upgrade charge yet. If you want to send your unit in, I can charge you the standard Showdown upgrade cost ($20.00 and shipping) and issue you a return authorization number.
In order to issue a return authorization number, we need the following information (ALL INFORMATION IS REQUIRED):
• Your first and last name
• Your mailing address
• Your phone number
• The exact name of the product you are returning
• The reason for the return
• How long you have owned your product for
Thank you again for contacting Nature Vision, Inc.
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What will the upate give you?
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not sure, i am going to go get mine updated today and will let you know when I get home.
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Please do let us know, I have version 3.2 also and would be interested in hearing what they have changed....
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How do you tell what version you have? I just had Nature Vision send me a transducer arm no questions asked after mine broke...I think I left it all the way out and dropped something on it while it was in my flipover :-\ but I had the new one a couple of days after I asked for it.
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If you look on the back of the unit it should have a little sticker with the firmware version number.
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Looks like the upgrade this time around is kinda minor but I will find out tomorrow night. They haven't official released the update so I am the first one that has got it done other than the field test team. It changes the sensitivity to act more like the gain on the marcum or vexilars and it changed the settings on the noise so it goes to 15 now instead of 10, also you shouldn't have to use noise at all unless around other machines. Plus they tweaked with the auto zoom and range a little bit. I will let you guys know more about it after I have used it over the weekend. One thing I did learn today was that you should always run in ice mode unless in shallow water around weeds and stuff then take it off and it acts like low power mode on the vexilars.
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thanks Neptune. I heard about the "Ice mode" thing about a week or so ago and it has really changed my outlook on the unit....I was getting a little annoyed with how it worked especially in water deaper than 15' I would lose my jig at the drop of a hat and the unit itself seemed to do some wierd stuff but since I've kept it on ice mode it has been working like advertised. I'll wait to hear the verdict on the update as I MAY be intereseted in getting mine done.
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I was under the impression that ICE mode was just the LCD heater...at least that's what it says in the instruction manual....
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That's what I thought too and thought that there was no way turning it on would improve anything other than keeping the display warm but whatever it does seemed to help my unit out.
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Great info about the update!! The Showdown should only get better and better with the capability of being updated.... I love this unit!!!
Cheers
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OK, I am looking to get a new FL20. Why should I look into the VPG first. What are the pros/cons. What about battery life especially when in ice mode using a resistance heater? It does seem to be smaller and lighter than a vex which is always good. I am on the fence.
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Well So far I charged up my Showdown the day after new years and it is still going strong. I have gone fishing 5 times since then (with the ice mode on). As far a performance I think it does what a fish locater is supposed to do and thats mark fish and show you where your lure/jig is at and also show an accurate depth. That said the FL20 has a dual transducer cone (i think) which would be a nice plus. I fish with a guy that has an fl20 and mine does everything his does as far as seeing the fish, what depth their hanging out at/bottom depth/jig showing up, etc however his has colors and mine doesn't. I was thinking of getting an ICE 55 this year but I think I'm going to see how this update turns out and stick with the Showdown as it's been catching me just as much if not more fish than the "other guys". just my $.02.
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OK, I am looking to get a new FL20. Why should I look into the VPG first. What are the pros/cons. What about battery life especially when in ice mode using a resistance heater? It does seem to be smaller and lighter than a vex which is always good. I am on the fence.
- The first iteration of this unit was called the VPG but then it was overhauled and made into what's now called the Showdown.
- The Showdown has a vertical display and makes use of LCD technology very well with 1/2 target separation.
- The LCD display also has a built in heater so it won't slow down in cold temperatures.
- This unit also has noise interference rejection and the ability to zoom into any level of the water column.
- The battery last days as compared to hours with other competing units and that's even with the heater and back light display on.
I'm no expert, I just really like this unit and the best feature of all is that it's infinitely upgradeable... I bought my unit a year ago for $229 and I don't think anything can touch it at that price point!! All competing units are great too, it just depends on how much you want to spend and what your personal preference is...
Aaron
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thanks Neptune. I heard about the "Ice mode" thing about a week or so ago and it has really changed my outlook on the unit....I was getting a little annoyed with how it worked especially in water deaper than 15' I would lose my jig at the drop of a hat and the unit itself seemed to do some wierd stuff but since I've kept it on ice mode it has been working like advertised. I'll wait to hear the verdict on the update as I MAY be intereseted in getting mine done.
Was it cold enough that "Ice Mode" was needed to keep the display warm & operating properly? Or do you think it was due to something else?
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It was about 0-10 degrees depending on the day but it doesn't go outside it sits in my portable...I guess this could all be in my head but I always have had a problem with the unit "jumping" around showing different depths (in the same spot), losing my jig & having interference problems (even though there was noone anywhere near me). I never had a problem with the LCD screen slowing down or or anything like that but I read on another forum someone said to try and keep it in ice mode, I had my misgivings because as I understood it the ice mode was just to warm the LCD screen but maybe it also warmed up something else in the unit because when I tried it all the other stuff has gone away the last few times I've used it. Once again this could very well be all coincedence but since Ive left it in ice mode it's worked well for me. I even though about bailing on the unit at one time and buying either an LX5 or an ICE 55 this year but I think I'll keep it for another year and maybe see what this upgrade entails.
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nature visions design team told me that when you turn on ice mode it puts out more power which helps with reading your lure. I have had some of the same problems with it bouncing depths which kinda sucks when you are on auto zoom otherwise it doesn't hurt much. As for the pros and cons of the unit I think that was covered pretty good by a couple people already, not much else I could say. I love this unit for the price but if I was looking at a big ticket item I would choose the LX5 hands down after seeing how well it handles around other units. If you have ever heard of the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing extravaganza you will know it draws between 10,000 and 14,000 people and the only unit I have seen with little to no inerference is the LX5. The showdown does alright when there are a few other units but with that many it gets bad but so do the vexilars and the lower end marcums. Now if they come out with a color showdown I will buy it right away.
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Got to use it for the first time yesterday with the new upgrade and from what I saw it is great. The 2 things I noticed and played around with were the sensitivity and zoom. The sensitivity is way better now than it was, you turn it up less than half of what you would normally to get a better view of your jig. Now the zoom change rules, you still zoom into a 5ft area but u can move it up in 1ft increment instead of 5ft, which is really nice. It got rid of the problem of when your in 16ft and it zooms into 20ft, also I think by doing this they got rid of the problem with the bottom bouncing between different depths. So far so good with the new upgrade, I will keep everyone updated.
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Wow....if thats the case I will be sending mine in this week.
How did you hear about the upgrade btw?
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I sent them an email asking if there would be a new upgrade this year and they replied. I live in Brainerd so for me to get stuff done all I have to do is stop in to the shop and have them do it really quick. It took a couple minutes for them to do and I got it back right away. They told me that they were at 99% on getting ready for an official release. Just call them or send an email to find out more. When I went in no one in customer service knew anything about the new upgrade yet so they had me talk to the owner and that was fun being able to B.S. with him about stuff they are trying and giving him input on what I like and don't like about the machine. I will try to make a small video showing some of the new features and post it on here in the near future.
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Question: I bought a new Showdown from Cabelas about 4 weeks ago. Any idea how I can tell if it already has the "new" upgrade or not?
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Have any of you guys ever used the Showdown in deeper water? I fish for Lake Trout quite a bit and they are usually found in 80 to 100 feet of water and was wondering if it works as well as in their video down that deep. Quite often you can pick up a Laker on the way up from the bottom so their must be some suspended and it would be great to know where they are.
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The max I've ever used it in is 40 fow so far
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How's the new 5.6 software upgrade working? I too called a couple of weeks ago and they said it's still in the field testing stage but as soon as it becomes available they will let me know.... Any other new features that your aware of? How's it been performing?
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So far so good, I have been using it at alot of tournies and it has performed perfect so far. Also it actually messes with the FL-18s a little bit now when it wouldn't before. The biggest things that I like about it is that the sensitivity is so easy to control now and i don't ever see a reason to have it anywhere near the 25 mark. I have been running it around 7 to 12 depending on conditions(this takes a little getting use to and getting the settings right around alot of machines). The only time you ever have to mess with the noise setting is when there are other machines around and I have found that 5 seems to be the best setting in most situations. The one feature that I abosutly love is being able to move zoom 1ft at a time. They also got rid of the problem with it bouncing depths when it hasn't been moved from the hole. I would have put a video up but my camera went to hell and I don't have the money for a new one at this time. I will try to answer any questions that anyone has about the 5.6 upgrade... so ask away
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i hate mine this year in shallow water it gets to much feedback and in deep water works fine so if you are fishing shallow forget it, deep water it works ok but i never fish the deep
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When in shallow water try turning off the "ICE MODE", it works like low power mode on the vexilars. I was having that problem too, don't know if that was a fix in 5.6 or if it works on 3.2 also. I would try that and let me know if it works.
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When will the update be available for the public? Two of my buddies and I would all like to have the update done to our units. We are planning to send all three of them in at one time.
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It sounded like it was going to be towards the end of the month but I am not sure. You can always look at their website, as soon as it is released it will be in the news on there. They haven't told me when they plan to release ...sorry.
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I think I'm going to wait until the end of the season to do mine I don't want to take the risk of them having it for 3 weeks because their backed up and I'm missing out on prime fishing without it. I think I would just as soon not go fishing or just tipup fish if I didn't have it.
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Thanks Maddowg.
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any of you have a fuse problem? my kid has one and I thought it was great till one day on the ice it just wouldnt come on he looked so depressed and I thought he was gonna trhrow it on the lake! come to find out it was the fuse that blew and cant see how or why
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any of you have a fuse problem? my kid has one and I thought it was great till one day on the ice it just wouldnt come on he looked so depressed and I thought he was gonna trhrow it on the lake! come to find out it was the fuse that blew and cant see how or why
Never had a fuse problem. But I will be sure to add a spare fuse to my fishing supplies now though.
The only problems we have had with ours is a bad charger and broken transducer arms.
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I keep hearing everyone say the plastic arm that hangs the transducer is fragile and prone to breakage. What would happen if you DIDN'T use it? Would the transducer hang crooked and not work or something? I see guys with other brands of flashers not using them all the time. Is the Showdown different in that respect?
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I keep hearing everyone say the plastic arm that hangs the transducer is fragile and prone to breakage. What would happen if you DIDN'T use it? Would the transducer hang crooked and not work or something? I see guys with other brands of flashers not using them all the time. Is the Showdown different in that respect?
Two guys I fish with have busted there transducer arms and they just wrapped foam (pipe insulation) around the transducer wire similiar to the Vex's and it works perfect.
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is there any issues with using a showdown in the same hut with someone that is using a marcum or vex? ??? i'm looking at getting a showdown and my buddy is looking at a marcum. :tipup: thanks for any info
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So far I've fished (in the same hut) with a Vexilar FL-20 and a Vexilar Fl-8 and have been able to adjust the Showdown to fish just fine next to them...Never fished next to a Marcum before at least not right next to anyway.
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Never fished in a hut with another showdown. But I have fished with 3 within 10' + or - from each other with no issues.
Edit: Sorry, Misread your question, but I will leave my post incase that question comes up.
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I should also point out that the Vexilar guys from my previous post didn't have any serious issues from the Showdown either.
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I should also point out that the Vexilar guys from my previous post didn't have any serious issues from the Showdown either.
son has one and have had no interferance with his and my fl12
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Went out for a 3 day fishing excursion and fished beside a buddy who was using a VEX FL-18... Had some interference until I turned up the noise rejection to about 4 and then it was non existent!!
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i hate mine this year in shallow water it gets to much feedback and in deep water works fine so if you are fishing shallow forget it, deep water it works ok but i never fish the deep
I was having the same trouble for the first time this week. I wasn't aware of turning off the ice mode. I'll give it a try. I had to kee adjusting the noise rejection mode. That worked but was frustrating. I understand now why the ice mode will fix the shallow water problem.
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The more I test it I can fish in about 5 fow at the shallowest...at least and still see my jig and fish. The problem is there are artifacts from about under the ice to about 3-3.5' down then you can start seeing your jig and fish without the clutter getting in the way. I just fished a 5' deep lake this last weekend and I could really only see the bottom 2' on the Showdown with any clarity (thats with ice mode off of course). I was able to see fish and jig and caught a bunch of small Perch (about all anyone caught that day). But like I said any shallower and you might as well look down the hole.
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thanks all! looking like next ice season i'll be getting 1 :clap: :thumbsup: ;D :tipup:
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Just got off the phone with Nature Vision. The 5.6 upgrade is $50 (includes shipping costs). There is a 1-year warranty included.
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Do you have to phone them to get a request for the upgrade?
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Go to Nature Vision's website. Call their customer service number.
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If it does as advertised I think it will be money well spent. I think I'll send mine in after season so I don't miss any fishing time.
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The new 5.6 software update is available now, however it makes more sense to wait and upgrade the unit just before the next ice fishing season. The new update will cost $50 and that will include a new full one year warranty. If you do not currently have a Showdown, you also should wait as they are going to start selling the updated units this coming fall...
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where would be the cheapest place to find one of these (during the offseason?) cause im interested into gettin one for next year thanks
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where would be the cheapest place to find one of these (during the offseason?) cause im interested into gettin one for next year thanks
I found mine last off season on EBay, brand new in the box shipped for 199.00.....
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Had one, just didn't care for it, sold it.
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I received mine 2 days ago off ebay, I got it for 189.00 OTD... But it came with a faulty power switch! would turn on and then wouldn't turn off or go into simulation mode now I have to pack up the head unit and send it back ... ??? I'm glad I goofed around with it and didn't just wait until next season!! I put a note in asking that for my inconvenience if they would update to the new software no charge! We will see how that works out?
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I received mine 2 days ago off ebay, I got it for 189.00 OTD... But it came with a faulty power switch! would turn on and then wouldn't turn off or go into simulation mode now I have to pack up the head unit and send it back ... ??? I'm glad I goofed around with it and didn't just wait until next season!! I put a note in asking that for my inconvenience if they would update to the new software no charge! We will see how that works out?
Received my Showdown from repair.. It works in simulation mode now and turns on and off no issues! Can't wait to use it! Only about 8 months to go? :-\ ..And to my surprise they updated the software to 5.6 (no charge)