Will dail locaters be obsolete soon?

[Mrpike1973]

To be more specific will FL 18 and Marcum LX1 style locaters be obsolete soon with the new technology down scope etc. I'm happy with my FL18 and Fl20 right now but hoping the others come down more in price. Will these locators become the old 8 track tapes of the decade. Just wondering your thoughts.

[slipperybob]

If it works, it works that's what really matters to me.  There's nothing to replace the actual feel of fighting a fish on a rod, reel, and line.  Cuz one can basically use technology such as remote control robotics etc.,...to that point.  You don't need to actually catch fish, you just electric shock them and pick them up.

[DR.SPECKLER]

I think they will still be around.vexilars or marcum flashers do a great job and are simplified and really all thats needed to pull a fish thru a hole in the ice.i do spend lots of money on gear but im never buying a fishfinder that cost more than the truck im driving just to catch a fish..jmo

[esox_xtm]

They'll persist, heck, flip phones are making a comeback. 

Flashers will remain the lightest, most portable option for at least the near future. The Panoptix/Livescope bundle is a package and a half to power, transport, setup and use. There will always be a call for small, light and simple.

Until they figure out how to cram all that tech into something the size of six-pack or smaller, simplify setup and use your flasher and support for it is likely safe.

[chilly-willy]

No will never go out of style.. there faster then my lowrance.   cause of simplicity of design.  The more computing and crap to calculate slows down the finder it's like trying tl constantly go threw a milion lines of code and the battery dies faster cause of this and the system grinds to a halt .. but do I like lowrance's tech yes but in other words there are trade offs.. between the two like like a paper trail of what the fish did on one and speed on the other.. if you get a fl8 for around 120 aprox.. I wold jump on it cause its what I paid for my lowrance I got aprox.. by the way I got two at same price..

[matzilla]

they already are obsolete....but like POTS line phones, you can still get one and use it, and it stills serves a purpose.

[chilly-willy]

they already are obsolete....but like POTS line phones, you can still get one and use it, and it stills serves a purpose.

Yup so you can tell the robo call guy from India to jump off a over pass in to on coming trafic..

[HWeber]

Obsolete in 5-10 years. No reason to own one now except cost, weight, and simplicity

[Spider1]

I don't think the "flasher" is going anywhere. I have both a flasher and an LCD fish finder and prefer the flasher when I'm on the ice. The thing that will be obsolete sooner or later is the mechanical flasher. I can set my LCD FF to ice flasher when on the ice and have a flasher that wont hum, knock or fail due to worn out or damaged parts. I can even set it up with a flasher and down scan at the same time and view both. I think that's where the tech is headed.

[SLAYERFISH]

I'll only give up my LX-5 when they pry it from my cold dead hands-

[skifisher]

^^^same goes for my VXR and my M5!!

[Baetis62]

If my 5 is obsolete then I am too.  Its OK.  What's ironic is how I've ended up pairing things.  I use my LX5 for of my Pan/Trout fishing when I'm on foot and dragging a sled. Typically I'm spinning my 6" Nils with a Fuel or a Rigid.  The 5 is so intuitive with little adjustment needed when I finally get onto fish.  Conversely, when I'm fishing for Mac's with the Ski Doo it kinda flips.  I'll be taking the LX6 (love the graph function) but "reverting" to a gas powerhead (8" Tanaka)...I'll never part with it.  That baby rips!

[Spider1]

You guys are mixing up "obsolete" with "not serviceable". Yep, my old hummingbird is going to keep on spinning until it catches fire on the ice. No doubt. All the brands are now offering LCD flashers. The writing is on the wall, sooner or later the manufacturers are going to move to newer tech and the old mechanical flashers will only be available from the used market.