digital flasher advantages??

[varmonter]

Looking to buy a flasher.I hear that
Digital is better than regular.
What exactly is it everyone likes
About a digital flasher.?? As opposed
To a regular like an lx5..
Thx

[Pizza man]

All I can say is I Really like my vex fl-20. I don't know how much better life can get. Lol.  . I have seen Mark Martin uses a lowrance. So there is some advantage too digital. 

[varmonter]

Thx I am to as sum your vex is analog and you like it?

[bigredonice]

honestly, you need to try both.

i like my fl-18 because there is no software to update, no way it can "lock" up, and I can see it easily in the sun...but it can have mechanical issues (one in 15 years)

the digital flashers are nice because you can really dial in your settings, and there arent any moving parts

[maddogg]

The things I like are no noise I'm usually always in side, and the ability to set your screen up different ways. I like the vert. zoom with a zoom graph. To each his own.

[3300]

i have both. the analog stays home. they both are similar in that they show the same things you expect to see being the bottom and your jig and the fish.
the big differences are the display mainly. how many ways it can show those things. analog have a wheel that spins colored lights on it and is limited by that colored wheel, just like old tv's that had a color wheel in them to draw colors. being there is not much to it, it can be harder to hurt them. so if you want than, then go analog.

some digital sonars have the ability to chose from 6 charts and four at one time is amazing! being able to have a camera and it becomes a back ground image or living wall paper is amazing. being able to record, being able to dim or brighten the digital display monitor is key for me for night fishing. the analog was killer on the eye balls.

what i know is buy a sonar designed for ice first and not one designed for open water with an ice ducer added later if you want to go digital.

the digital sonar is harder to out grow. if your new at them, then any thing is nice, for a while and then you ask is there more and there is. the lx9 is the top sonar in digital sonars.
i out grew my humminbird ice-55 and got tiered of being treated poorly by humminbird. it cost me over 750$ to be dissed by them.  it was time to leave them in my dust. looking like you are now, i wanted all of the info i could muster. the lx7 was in the middle of the digital sonar road and so i went that way knowing i could always take the leap and turn it into the lx9. they are the same thing other than no cam on the lx7. i made that upgrade last fall. there is no more looking for better for now. i hope other companies get on board with digital ice sonars. no more hb for me tho. they had their chance. i hear bad things about high end lowrance needing repairs and they tell them tough luck. so they are out of the equation too. that leaves only 2 companies, garmin and vexialr to get their units ramped up or not.

[varmonter]

I have a camera.looking for a flasher.
So other than the noise and the digital being
More of a computer.are there any advantages
To an analog over the digital.??

Thx again.I havn't bought a sonar since
The early 90's
Trying to educate myself.

[blueroof]

.are there any advantages To an analog over the digital.??

The setup options for the  digital graph type units are impressive.  I currently have an lx7, lx6s and helix7di that I love messing with.  The graph allows you to visualize the data and interpret fish's behavior in ways that will make you a better angler.

When it gets down to it, analog flashers are lighter, faster to setup, have lower power consumption and can certainly be considered more durable.  I've got all my electronics running of clean republic bamboo lithiums, so the difference in weight between a graph and analog is really fairly substantial.  I'd never hike into the BWCA with a graph.

   

[Flint]

Analog is instant on with large knobs that you can usually operate with gloves. If you change jigs the gain knob is right there for tweaking. I dont really get the complaints about noise on the flashers. I dont really get the you can see the history thing on a graph either because you are fishing a fixed spot. I use Lowrance hds units in my boats with DSI/SI and find no need to rig my LX5 in the boat.
Ok I completly miss read the question. I would think one main advantage would be adjustable screen backlight for night fishing. Backlit kaypad would be nice for fiddling with it in the dark. I dont consider built in GPS on a ice unit good, rather a constant battery sucker.

[motorfixer1]

I started with the old school Vex analog unit and it works quite well. Last season I bought the Lowrance Elite 5 and haven't looked back since. The Lowrance is a little intimidating at first because of the amount of settings it has, but if you read the manual and take some time to work with it you will be very happy. My favorite feature is the vertical sonar screen that shows history. You can clearly see a fish come up or down to your bait. Adjusting the sensitivity between jig changes is a breeze. I upgraded the battery to a larger unit for all day use. Lowrance put a lot of thought into this unit and it shows.

[varmonter]

The setup options for the  digital graph type units are impressive.  I currently have an lx7, lx6s and helix7di that I love messing with.  The graph allows you to visualize the data and interpret fish's behavior in ways that will make you a better angler.

When it gets down to it, analog flashers are lighter, faster to setup, have lower power consumption and can certainly be considered more durable.  I've got all my electronics running of clean republic bamboo lithiums, so the difference in weight between a graph and analog is really fairly substantial.  I'd never hike into the BWCA with a graph.

 

so is the difference in weight from this Bamboo lithium battery in the digital graph unit? as apposed to what in the analog??..i ran my old analog hummingbird off two 6v lantern batteries.

[varmonter]

ok thanks for the replies...I went ahead and ordered an lx7 from marcum..should be here this week...can't wait.