IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Equipment => Ice Fishing With Electronics => Topic started by: RickOnt on Sep 21, 2014, 09:08 AM
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I have heard rumors HB is coming out with a new unit for the Ice,
Anyone confirm or?
Thanks
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Yes, humminbird ice 688ci HD, 5" screen. Just another open water unit thats been repackaged for ice fishing. You can find it on Cabelas website :tipup:
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This is a true statement, and the difference is a faster processor than the 597, and a better resolution screen. Guys I know who have used both prefer the 597 over the 55 for a few reasons. It has GPS, it can be used in multiple modes, and transferred between an ice unit and your boat. I have not used the 597, and plan to be using the 688 this Winter.
Here it is:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Ice-Fishing/Ice-Fishing-Electronics%7C/pc/104793480/c/104735880/sc/110951280/Humminbirdreg-Ice-688ci-HD-Sonar-Combo/1910699.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fice-fishing-electronics%2F_%2FN-1105957%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_110951280%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104793480%253Bcat104735880&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104793480%3Bcat104735880%3Bcat110951280
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Check the "Reeds" web site------------------way cheaper
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Checked Reeds and don't even see the ice model. So, not sure where it is way cheaper? Maybe the one that is not the ice model???
Check the "Reeds" web site------------------way cheaper
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I didn't see it either at Reeds. They are a great online store though!
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yep,your right it's not the "ice model"---------that being said I use my 788ci both winter and summer,all I had to do was purchase the ice ducer and made my own carrying case. Summer and winter useage. Figured I saved some "bucks" going that route instead of having two units,one for summer and one for winter
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I've been using my 788ci HD for ice fishing, for two years now. Absolutely love it on the ice! Use it all year long on the boat and ice. I've posted some videos and other information about it in the past. Check out my previous posts if you want to learn more about it.
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What's the difference between the 688 and the 788?
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I believe its the way the screens are oriented
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What's the difference between the 688 and the 788?
the big difference is the processer. the 688 is a faster processer. the other big difference is that when used on a boat the 788 can be networked to other units via etheret but the 688 can not as it is a stand alone unit. the 700 and 500 series have been discontinued and replaced with the 600. to get networking now you need to step up to the 7 inch 800 series or higher.
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Yep, that's why I liked the 788ci HD graphs. I have the 788 networked to my 998 and to the I-pilot link in the boat. In the winter, I just take off the 788 and use it ice fishing.
Almost no difference between the 788, 688, and 597 other than number of card slots, processor, and networking capability. They basically are the same units, with just a few additional features. Almost all of the menus and sonar graphs will be the same.
I went with the 700 series to get it networked on my boat.
Buy a used unit, and you can get it at a very fair price. Between $300-350.
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688hd ci di was on sale at Scheels this weekend for 349 - would be perfect for ice fishing! I'm getting one next spring to pull double duty on the boat and ice
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It is now live on their website - http://www.humminbird.com/Freshwater/Product-Category/ICE/
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Would like to see one up close to check it out.
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I like the model with the gps in it that would be a great additional tool, I have a showdown but I have been thinking about getting something like this to add as a second unit
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I've been using the Navionics on my phone for GPS, but if I wipe the phone or get a new one my waypoints go bye bye. The GPS is a great feature!
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It is now live on their website - http://www.humminbird.com/Freshwater/Product-Category/ICE/
It's really not anything new. Sure, there are a couple improvements in the 688, but many of us have been using the 597 & 788 on the ice for several years now.
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This is a true statement, and the difference is a faster processor than the 597, and a better resolution screen
I swear I just read that the resolution was better on the 597ci than the 688. But I can't remember if it was the DI model or the ED. I have been reading about this unit and the elite 5 chirp and can't decide which one I want for this year.
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I recently screwed up my HB 597hd ci. Tried upgrading to the 688 with down imaging. The unit couldn't get a good gps lock as complained about in some product reviews. Brought it back to Cabelas for an exchange. No problem. Second unit had vertical bars and shut down after 2 hours on the first trip. Humminbird sent me an overnight shipping label to send it back along with the 597 that was out of Warranty. A week later they were back. The 597 worked fine. The 688 would not retain the settings and did a cold start every time I repowered the unit. They had said they found no issues but did an update. In the end it to went back too. A fellow Yakker had posted that there were issues with early production units as told to him by a rep who exchanged his unit. Left me with a bad taste. I have 2 Navionics chips for Humminbird along with a portable unit setup, plus in that price range no one has a 5 inch screen with similar fetchers. Hopefully They got there stuff together.
Just so you know the 597 has a wider screen, 640x640 as to 480x640 pixel count. With the charts I am able to pick out contours I want to target as well as waypoints and walk right to them and know I am on my spot. Drill a dozen holes and set my type.If the problems are fixed it is a great option for boat owners who can get more out of one unit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqry-rEKxdE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqry-rEKxdE)
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I swear I just read that the resolution was better on the 597ci than the 688. But I can't remember if it was the DI model or the ED. I have been reading about this unit and the elite 5 chirp and can't decide which one I want for this year.
Here are the links to both. The 688 has a higher resolution than the 597.
688 - http://www.humminbird.com/Products/ICE-688ci-HD-Combo/
597 - http://www.humminbird.com/Products/ICE-597ci-HD-Combo/
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Should have my ICE688 by the end of this week, but another feature I noticed over the 597 are the "favorites" buttons. You get the three quick save buttons for your favorite three views. I use mine all the time on the Humminbirds on my boat.
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Yankee Troller-How is the 688?
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Yankee Troller-How is the 688?
I've ran it for 2 days. Sun up to sun down, and didn't come close to killing the battery each day. Ice has been hard to find in NY, but I'll finally get more seat time with it the next few weekends. I was a traditional flasher guy, and was used to my ICE55. 2D sonar, or graph mode, was a lot of fun. With the Real Time Sonar (RTS) window on the right (basically a vertical flasher) I could see everything in real time, but i also had my history to the left. Not sure I'll ever go back to a flasher. That being said I ran 1/8oz spoons to tiny tungsten ice jigs, and it picked them all up well. I made a video of it in sonar mode:
Ugx0g
My gain is a little heavy, but you can see the jest of it. After the fish hits you can see it picks up the water turbulence.
The GPS is killer to have especially with Lakemaster chip in it. We finally have a map chip for my area of the country. Since Humminbird owns Lakemaster the two play REALLY nice with each other. I used it's flasher mode a little, but again I really enjoyed the sonar mode. Like all over Humminbird units ease of operation was simple. Menus are easy to navigate.
If you have any specific questions feel free to ask away, or PM me.
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^that 688 is working great!
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Anymore updates on this Humminbird ICE 688ci HD Combo?
Pro's or Con's
Thanks in advance! :)
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I've run it in 100' of water for Lake Trout, 10' of water for Gills, and 20-30' of water for Walleye. It performed flawlessly in all those situations. I've really only run it in sonar mode with the Real Time Sonar (RTS) screen on the right, which is basically a vertical flasher. I've also only run it in 200khz, which is the 20 degree cone (narrower of the two). I have nothing to compare it to other than Marcums LX9, which my buddy has. That has a couple extra little features, for example, telling you how wide your cone is at certain depths. It has hung evenly with this unit in all circumstances, and we fish together a lot. I wish the screen was a little larger, but lets be honest how big is too big for the ice.
I just put the new Lakemaster chip in it for the Northeast. WOW! Those two together give you great detail on the mapping of lakes.
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I've run it in 100' of water for Lake Trout, 10' of water for Gills, and 20-30' of water for Walleye. It performed flawlessly in all those situations. I've really only run it in sonar mode with the Real Time Sonar (RTS) screen on the right, which is basically a vertical flasher. I've also only run it in 200khz, which is the 20 degree cone (narrower of the two). I have nothing to compare it to other than Marcums LX9, which my buddy has. That has a couple extra little features, for example, telling you how wide your cone is at certain depths. It has hung evenly with this unit in all circumstances, and we fish together a lot. I wish the screen was a little larger, but lets be honest how big is too big for the ice.
I just put the new Lakemaster chip in it for the Northeast. WOW! Those two together give you great detail on the mapping of lakes.
Some of this is a bit unrelated, but I had a few questions. Are you using the 688 on that yacht you drive around ontario, or a 2nd smaller boat? Was wondering how deep you are able to track downrigger balls? Also, have you used the navionics hotspots premium maps? And how it compares to lakemaster? Trying to decide between the 2 for use in a helix.
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Some of this is a bit unrelated, but I had a few questions. Are you using the 688 on that yacht you drive around ontario, or a 2nd smaller boat? Was wondering how deep you are able to track downrigger balls? Also, have you used the navionics hotspots premium maps? And how it compares to lakemaster? Trying to decide between the 2 for use in a helix.
LOL
No, we have different units on the charter boat. I'm using the ICE688 strictly for ice fishing. This unit has enough power to mark your cannonballs.
I used the Navioinics Platinum+ card in the unit initially, now that there is a Lakemaster NE chip I've gone to that, and the detail is amazing. If you have a Humminbird the Lakemaster chip is your best option! Recently, Humminbird/Lakemaster just came out with chart select. You can download just the lakes you want - https://chartselect.humminbird.com/
That list will continue to grow.
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Hey Yankee Troller,
thanks for the information and the heads up on the maps....sweet!
I'm picking up my HB 688CI ICE tomorrow, and needed to get up to speed on this for the weekend.
There really isn't a whole lot of feedback I could find on this model yet.
It's to new I guess! :)
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Hey Yankee Troller,
thanks for the information and the heads up on the maps....sweet!
I'm picking up my HB 688CI ICE tomorrow, and needed to get up to speed on this for the weekend.
There really isn't a whole lot of feedback I could find on this model yet.
It's to new I guess! :)
Few buddies have picked them up, or are picking them up soon. It's been solid. The Lakemaster map card is a little more advanced than the Navionics I have, and I have the Platinum+ Navionics. Lakemaster opens up a whole other set of options I didn't have with my Navionics.
If you search YouTube there is a little bit to get you going with the 688. The Technological Angler has a couple of nice videos. If you're used to Humminbird menus you'll have no issues. If you're not then check out those videos.
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We picked up our 688CI ice a couple weeks ago and have used it three times. We absolutely love it.
Putting it all together was a bit tedious so don't do it in a hurry the morning before you are heading out. And make sure you fully charge the battery the first time, though mine was fully charged as the charger changed from yellow to green in less than a minute. Battery time has been great, though I've only used it a few hours at a time; the battery has barely gone down each time.
Plugging in and unplugging the battery leads each time is a pain as is clipping on the chargers alligator clips. There is just no room for hands in there. I'm going to make two 5" jumper leads that hang down where they are easier to get at. It's tight in that battery compartment. Note for first time assembly; they say to put it in the case and then put in the battery. No room to do that. Definitely insert your battery and strap it in first, and then put the whole works into the carrying case.
I've used it in Sonar and Flasher mode and much prefer the Sonar mode so I can see the "history" rather than it only showing live data like in flasher mode. I changed the background to black rather than white, which is much easier on the eyes. Saved three modes in the three favorite buttons (flasher, sonar, and sonar magnify). It's easy to change sensitivity and set up and lower bounds if you want to magnify your target area. My wife, you had never used a flasher before, also prefers the Sonar screen rather than flasher.
My Lakemaster chip arrives today so that will add even more functionality allowing us to walk or ATV to the contours I want. Also saving waypoints directly into the bird rather than my handheld GPS. One thing to note is there is only one chip slot and when you save waypoints, they save to your head unit and not the chip. You do NOT want to export waypoints to your lakemaster chip. You'll want to put in a separate chip and export to that if you want to move waypoints or back them up on your computer, etc. For my handheld GPS, I name waypoints what the water depth is in that spot. For example "28.7". That way, when I look at the waypoint on a map, even if there are no contours, I know the depth in that spot. Won't be as big of a deal now that the waypoints will be on a contour map, but it was great for saving on a gps that didn't have contours.
Anxious to try the lakemaster chip this Sunday. Going to a lake I've not been on and willl help me narrow down spots. When you first get on the lake and are using gps and topo map, turn off your sonar in the menu. Then turn it back on once you plug in your transducer and it's in the water.
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Few buddies have picked them up, or are picking them up soon. It's been solid. I'd say the only drawback is the reported target separation of the Humminbird compared to what Marcum and Vexilar are reporting. Humminbird seems to have a larger target separation, but 1" or 2" if the fish is that close you're watching to rod tip or feeling for the bite. The Lakemaster map card is a little more advanced than the Navionics I have, and I have the Platinum+ Navionics. Lakemaster opens up a whole other set of options I didn't have with my Navionics.
If you search YouTube there is a little bit to get you going with the 688. The Technological Angler has a couple of nice videos. If you're used to Humminbird menus you'll have no issues. If you're not then check out those videos.
After your reply, I found a place I buy from frequently that has the Lakemaster card on backorder. It was LESS than all versions of navionics, to my surprise. For a superior product, it was a nice surprise. I'll have that as soon as they come in. Can't wait to plug it in to this Helix unit.
I have noticed that I need to have an sd card inserted into a Helix unit to save screenshots or gps locations. There is only one micro sd slot available. Is there additional storage area available on the Lakemaster cards to store waypoints, screenshots, etc..?
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Just got a shipping notification on the micro sd w/adapter Lakemaster card for the Northeast! That was fast. Can't wait to use it!
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I have the Lakemaster card in my Humminbird; it can't be written to. I also have the Navionics card in my hand held GPS. Also cannot be written to.
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Got my new 688 ci yesterday, put all together last night, I wasn't really expecting all that work, but got through it fine.
And yes it was a bit tedious.....lol Also found a little trick to get the battery and foam pad in correctly.
Going to use it this weekend, I'm confident that it will perform great, hope to get back with good new on it.
As far as maps, all I have right now is the phone app for Navionics. So need to get up to speed on the different lake maps.
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We picked up our 688CI ice a couple weeks ago and have used it three times. We absolutely love it.
Putting it all together was a bit tedious so don't do it in a hurry the morning before you are heading out. And make sure you fully charge the battery the first time, though mine was fully charged as the charger changed from yellow to green in less than a minute. Battery time has been great, though I've only used it a few hours at a time; the battery has barely gone down each time.
Plugging in and unplugging the battery leads each time is a pain as is clipping on the chargers alligator clips. There is just no room for hands in there. I'm going to make two 5" jumper leads that hang down where they are easier to get at. It's tight in that battery compartment. Note for first time assembly; they say to put it in the case and then put in the battery. No room to do that. Definitely insert your battery and strap it in first, and then put the whole works into the carrying case.
I've used it in Sonar and Flasher mode and much prefer the Sonar mode so I can see the "history" rather than it only showing live data like in flasher mode. I changed the background to black rather than white, which is much easier on the eyes. Saved three modes in the three favorite buttons (flasher, sonar, and sonar magnify). It's easy to change sensitivity and set up and lower bounds if you want to magnify your target area. My wife, you had never used a flasher before, also prefers the Sonar screen rather than flasher.
My Lakemaster chip arrives today so that will add even more functionality allowing us to walk or ATV to the contours I want. Also saving waypoints directly into the bird rather than my handheld GPS. One thing to note is there is only one chip slot and when you save waypoints, they save to your head unit and not the chip. You do NOT want to export waypoints to your lakemaster chip. You'll want to put in a separate chip and export to that if you want to move waypoints or back them up on your computer, etc. For my handheld GPS, I name waypoints what the water depth is in that spot. For example "28.7". That way, when I look at the waypoint on a map, even if there are no contours, I know the depth in that spot. Won't be as big of a deal now that the waypoints will be on a contour map, but it was great for saving on a gps that didn't have contours.
Anxious to try the lakemaster chip this Sunday. Going to a lake I've not been on and willl help me narrow down spots. When you first get on the lake and are using gps and topo map, turn off your sonar in the menu. Then turn it back on once you plug in your transducer and it's in the water.
I will concur that the time putting it together was a bit longer than I expected, but with a new toy it's kinda exciting. Don't think you will pull it out of the box and go fishing.
I have talked with my guy at Humminbird about reaching the battery to put it on charge. They are aware of that issue. I think the short leads are a great idea. I might go that route. Currently, I'm pulling the cover back and going in from the top when I put it on charge. My ICE55 case is much easier to hook the battery up when charging.
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If you guys are using sonar mode make sure you activate, if it isn't already, the Real Time Sonar (RTS) screen. It's basically a vertical flasher on the right side of the screen.
Speed up your scroll speed to the fastest setting.
You can also take the backlight down to 2-3, and this should make battery life even better!
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...Also found a little trick to get the battery and foam pad in correctly.
Care to share? As I mentioned earlier, the instructions say to put the cradle into the case and then install the battery. Bad order in my opinion. I took the cradle back out of the case and installed the battery. Fast and easy then by first tucking the foam into the hole and then easing in the battery (rather than holding the foam onto the bottom of the battery and trying to slide both in at once).
Share your trick! I'm curious...Thanks.
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I have talked with my guy at Humminbird about reaching the battery to put it on charge. They are aware of that issue. I think the short leads are a great idea. I might go that route.
Glad they are aware. I'm going to make the leads. I have a box of the male and femal connectors in the same size as provided (with the shrinkwrap already on them) so should only take 5 minutes to solder some wire between. Will be well worth it.
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If you guys are using sonar mode make sure you activate, if it isn't already, the Real Time Sonar (RTS) screen. It's basically a vertical flasher on the right side of the screen.
Speed up your scroll speed to the fastest setting.
You can also take the backlight down to 2-3, and this should make battery life even better!
All great tips. I hadn't considered turning down the backlight since my half day trips barely showed a battery discharge. Great tip for those longer day or multi-day trips!
I did change my background to black rather than the default white. I did it because it's easier on the eyes. It does not, however, save any battery power since these are LCD screens and charge the pixel even when blocked to show "black" unlike an AMOLED screens which black uses no power because the pixel isn't turned on (hence why my smartphone background is a "true black" image. But I digress).
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Would changing the background to black inherently improve battery life as the screen is less lit? My 9ah battery lasts a day and a half on my 385ci with the white background and GPS active .
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Care to share? As I mentioned earlier, the instructions say to put the cradle into the case and then install the battery. Bad order in my opinion. I took the cradle back out of the case and installed the battery. Fast and easy then by first tucking the foam into the hole and then easing in the battery (rather than holding the foam onto the bottom of the battery and trying to slide both in at once).
Share your trick! I'm curious...Thanks.
Absolutely I will, I posted that on my way to work, ran out of time......sorry about that!......lol
What I did was the easy way out, place the battery on top of the foam pad as the instructions say, than all I did was fold the sides up and taped them down the side of the battery, and slid the battery right in. As far as the power leds I'm doing the same thing making up a set to stay on permanently.
Using the same male and female plug as on a Battery Tender Charger.
BTW.... I was all over HB's web site just now, way did they not give us or make the swing out transducer cable holder that you can hang over the hole in the ice?
I guess I'll fab up my own, I'll come up with something soon and share it, or if you have some ideas maybe post them up.
Thanks!
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Would changing the background to black inherently improve battery life as the screen is less lit? My 9ah battery lasts a day and a half on my 385ci with the white background and GPS active .
It would not. See my post right before yours. On a backlit lcd, the power is on for a pixel even if black. Zero difference in power consumption. Only for AMOLED screens like on smartphones and tablets, does black make a difference. On those types of screens, the pixel is not powered when true black. Will likely be a long time before we see expensive screens like that for these low resolution devices. Not really a need for them and not worth up upcharge for the return.
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Thanks Chadx, I prefer the white background , but would sacrifice if it meant battery life .
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CAMO: The answer to your question why humminbird didnt make a swing out transducer holder is- It was already patented by some other company so they couldnt..
But if you go to YOU TUBE and type in: Humminbird 345, 385 & 570 PT Ice Fishing Modification
It will show you how to build your own..
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Tuned up Customs makes an aluminum arm, and so does a guy named Shane Christiansen in Iowa. I put Shane's on mine.
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Yes, saw the video last night, and thanks for that information!
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Has anyone used this for open water? Do you need to purchase a different transducer for it for open water or can you use any compatible transducer? Does it work with the auto chart software? I'm thinking about buying one, looks like it does everything you need for hard water fishing, I just need to make sure it has everything I need for open water fishing.
Thanks!
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I have the 385ci and use it in my kayak and canoe and my friends' boats with the optional suction cup portable transducer. BUT I have used it with the ice-ducer in all of those situations with no problem . The optional suction cup one has a temperature probe .
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Has anyone used this for open water? Do you need to purchase a different transducer for it for open water or can you use any compatible transducer? Does it work with the auto chart software? I'm thinking about buying one, looks like it does everything you need for hard water fishing, I just need to make sure it has everything I need for open water fishing.
Thanks!
You'd probably need a different ducer if you were putting it on a boat. If you're using a Kayak then you might be good with the ice ducer. I'm not sure if the 688 will work with autochart, but that's a great feature if it is! There has to be a compatibility chart on Huminbirds website. If not, call Humminbird technical service.
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688 is compatible with AutoChart
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I'm seriously thinking about purchasing this unit, but wondering how bad the interference is with other units. How does it do i the same shack with a LX7?
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Same shack, it's not going to do very well. They'll be quite a bit of interference on both units. I've fished a 788ci HD for a few years now. No problems fishing pretty close with friends, but in the same shack isn't going to work.
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Well guys, I have to tell a little tale here, need to give credit where credit is do.
My new one week old HB 688 ci came with a bad transducer, right out of the box.
Could not get it out of demo mode, and a error message said transducer not connected. Talked personalty with a forum member here (Yankee Troller)
We went though the whole nine yards, and concluded the transducer was bad.
Now the good news!
I have it back already. I shipped it out this week, Monday at 12:30 PM and got it back today at 10:30 AM.
Can't believe how fast they reacted on this. All shipping was with Fed-X Overnight Air which Humminbird emailed me the shipping label.
Very happy with Hummingbirds Customer Service A-1 Fast Repair, the transducer was defective, which is what we thought.
They checked over the whole unit and sent a new transducer............ ...Sweet!
Again special thanks to, Yankee Troller and of course Humminbird :thumbsup:
PS.
RickOnt, hope you don't mine me sharing this on your thread. Thanks!
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I'm seriously thinking about purchasing this unit, but wondering how bad the interference is with other units. How does it do i the same shack with a LX7?
It depends on how close you like to fish to others. In deep water 90+ I was getting some interference from my buddies LX9, and we were 60 yards apart. In shallow water we can sit 30-40 yards apart and not get any. I used my noise filter, as did he, and we had no issues. That's what these noise filters are for, so it's great that we all have these on our units no matter what we are running.
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It depends on how close you like to fish to others. In deep water 90+ I was getting some interference from my buddies LX9, and we were 60 yards apart. In shallow water we can sit 30-40 yards apart and not get any. I used my noise filter, as did he, and we had no issues. That's what these noise filters are for, so it's great that we all have these on our units no matter what we are running.
No problem bud!
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So.....just to clarify, seems to be differences of opinions. If I had this unit in the same house as a LX7, we would both get interference but can get rid of it with our rejection options on the units? I normally fish with a buddy who has a LX7 and it would suck if neither worked well. Thanks guys.
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So.....just to clarify, seems to be differences of opinions. If I had this unit in the same house as a LX7, we would both get interference but can get rid of it with our rejection options on the units? I normally fish with a buddy who has a LX7 and it would suck if neither worked well. Thanks guys.
I tell ya what. I'll test that this weekend. We'll see what happens, and I'll report back.
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Thanks Troller.....much appreciated!
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Guess it depends how large of shack we're talking about. Both fishing in a flipover shack, probably too much interference. Both fishing inside a large wheelhouse, probably not an issue. I've fished with a friend in an ice castle, he had an LX-9, I had a 788ci HD, probably fishing 10ft apart in 25ft of water, and we didn't have any issues.
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So.....just to clarify, seems to be differences of opinions. If I had this unit in the same house as a LX7, we would both get interference but can get rid of it with our rejection options on the units? I normally fish with a buddy who has a LX7 and it would suck if neither worked well. Thanks guys.
Depends on what frequency you run your humminbird sonar. 688 ice can run at 83 or 200 kHz. Marcum lx7 transmits at 200 kHz. If you get interference, maybe just set your sonar to only 83 kHz? 200 does give more detail and is nicer, i think, but if its the only way, it's an option.
The humminbird ice flashers are 240 and 455 kHz so that is why some like to run those; no interference with the marcum or vexilars or the humminbird sonars which all run at 200 kHz.
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83khz is usually just way too wide of sonar cone to be of much use. Usually too much dead zone, and slower return.
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Took the New HB 688 ci out today and it work great, the transducer was defective but HB took real good care of that problem, and fast too.
Loving it so far. and caught lots of perch today :icefish:
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So.....just to clarify, seems to be differences of opinions. If I had this unit in the same house as a LX7, we would both get interference but can get rid of it with our rejection options on the units? I normally fish with a buddy who has a LX7 and it would suck if neither worked well. Thanks guys.
Fished 20' of water this weekend next to my buddy with his LX9. We were 20 yards apart. I was able to use the noise filter to get most of the interference to go away, but it wasn't completely gone. Because of this I never even wanted to try to get in the same shack as him. It's all good though. My 'Bird caught me more fish than his LX9 LOL
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Good news to hear Yankee Troller! :thumbsup:
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I really want to buy this unit, but am concerned about the interference issues. I wonder if Bird is aware of this issue? If they could find a way to improve on this I think they would be huge sellers!
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I really want to buy this unit, but am concerned about the interference issues. I wonder if Bird is aware of this issue? If they could find a way to improve on this I think they would be huge sellers!
It's something you're gonna have to deal with when manufacturers start using similar frequencies on their ducers. I see it on my charter boat when another boat gets too close trolling on Lake Ontario. The shallower the water the closer you can be without interference.
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How do you guys think these 688's are going to compare to the helix 5 sonar/gps. I have will probably be in the market this year for an upgrade from my current bird.
Can you turn the GPS off n these units after your done using it?
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Helix units are at a slightly different price point....have a wide screen. Other than that they're very comparable. I remember seeing 688ci di's on sale last year for $350, however. A 688 can use a quad beam skimmer but that's about the only major difference feature wise
You cannot turn off the gps on my helix - if you're looking to save power use just turn the backlight down to 1-3. This will save more power than any other setting on the unit. They don't draw much from a battery
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You also lose the 3 favorite view buttons when going with the Helix.
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Forgot about that...not a big deal for ice fishing (I use a single view) but would come in very handy on open water
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Forgot about that...not a big deal for ice fishing (I use a single view) but would come in very handy on open water
It's nice to switch from sonar to chart plotter, but you're right it'd be used much more on the open water.
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Just picked one up from the bargain cave. 440 bones 400 after my cabelas points. only thing is that it didn't have a case but they said I can just call hummingbird and they will send one for free. Going to test it out tomorrow
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Just picked one up from the bargain cave. 440 bones 400 after my cabelas points. only thing is that it didn't have a case but they said I can just call hummingbird and they will send one for free. Going to test it out tomorrow
I'm sure you will love it, very nice unit, works great!
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I hope so was going to try it out tonight but the wind is a lil but I'll try it out tomorrow on big bass lake
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anybody know what size thread fits into that threaded brass insert on the base of the 688? i want to make a transducer arm but can find a bolt to fit into it so i can mount it.
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anybody know what size thread fits into that threaded brass insert on the base of the 688? i want to make a transducer arm but can find a bolt to fit into it so i can mount it.
It's a weird size. I forgot what it was. I took mine to the hardware store and figure it out there.
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thanks, thats what i was thinking about doing. i work at a screw machine shop and none of the std. setscrews we have here fit.
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ive been able to try it out a few times and i love it. it makes a world of difference being able to see whats going on even if i cant get the window shopper to bite. They also seem to have great customer service. when i bought mine it didn't have the bag like it should have gave them a call and in 3 days i had a package at my door. There was some miscommunication they sent be a battery instead of a case, sent them an email and now the soft case should be here tomorrow. They haven't asked me to pay a dime and there was no hassle just a little miscommunication.
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This guy does a great job explaining the power of the 688. Follow him on Youtube. He comes out with videos pretty regularly.
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Jason has some great videos online for using a lot of features that carry over between all of the series of HB's. I use mine the same way to find and fish some steeper drops in small ponds
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just subscribed, thanks
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FYI guys......new software version was released about 10 days ago.
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FYI guys......new software version was released about 10 days ago.
Hold off on this. I noticed when I DL'd the file it was named 7.1 like the version we already have loaded. I have an e-mil into them.
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I was going to do the same thing and call them, 7.1 is in the unit now, 7.5 download file is not working yet.
Any news why, I didn't make the call.
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I will try to get an answer this week.
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I had 7.110 software on my 678 c HD when I bought it new. Was setting up the configuration to be similar to my 385 ci DI. Had a problem with the initial configuration screen that came up when was started new, Water Type and Maximum Depth. Every time I tried to set Maximum Depth from Auto to 50 which is the max depth I fish the unit would freeze up and required to be disconnected from the battery. Decided to bypass that screen then went in and set lower range to the max of 1500, user mode to advanced, Ice fishing Mode On then was able to set Maximum Depth to 50 and no freeze up. Did a power cycle and it seemed to work OK. Decided to do a Factory Reset to see what the settings would be after it was reset. Following power cycle after Factory Reset the unit was bricked. Would freeze up in about 5 seconds after pressing any button to get it to work. When I called Tech support to discuss the problem the support person pulled out the same model and tried to duplicate the problem but her unit and an older version of software, 6.8? so could not recreate the problem. I sent it back to the mother ship for them to straighten it out. Service notice shows General Technician Diagnosis as software, DUH, and Specific Technician Diagnosis as 25- Features Incorrect. The unit is on its way back here along with the repaired defective Iceducer that I bought for the 678, scheduled delivery Tuesday. Looking forward to seeing what software version is on it now. BTW, I can lock up my 385ci DI by going into demonstration mode and try to change Maximum Depth from Auto. Make the change and it will freeze. I included that info with unit return so hopefully the next software release will solve the lockup problem. I can say that Humminbird Tech Support was excellent. When I complained about having to spend $60 to buy cables to upgrade the software on the 678, a few days later a box showed up on my doorstep with the cables, turnaround time not too bad on the repair but I remember someone writing on a Marcum topic that the best technical support is the one you never have to use because their products have no defects.
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UPDATE! Just received my repaired 678c HD and the software version installed is 7.520. Went through the procedure I used to brick it with 7.110 and it did not lock up when powered up and made change to Max Depth and did not brick after making other changes noted in prior post doing factory reset, that worked as it should. So all seems good now ;D. Looking forward to see how it compares to my 385ci DI for icefishing which was totally transformed into an awesome icefishing FF after adding the iceducer to it. I expect no difference in performance between the two. I will be playing with max depth as that seems to control ping rate. When you power the unit up into normal mode, set chart speed to Ultra and listen to the pinging from the transducer as you change max depth from Auto, you will see the display really zip when at minimal depth and taper off as depth is increased, with a noticeable audible step change at 50'. That's as far as I went. I want to see how that affects display noise and resolution along with changes to surface clutter.
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I was going to do the same thing and call them, 7.1 is in the unit now, 7.5 download file is not working yet.
Any news why, I didn't make the call.
Looks to be fixed. Will DL it tonight.
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Looks to be fixed. Will DL it tonight.
Thanks,.....All set, just did the DL to the ICE 688, now got to find the time to get back out there..........lol
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I have a 688 CI HD down imaging. I use it in my boat but would like to know if I'm able to rig it up to use for ice fishing. Can I buy a mount, and new transducer? and where? Thanks
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Yes just loop the supplied di transducer or purchase a skimmer - they don't make a 200/455khz ice transducer
You can put the 688 in either of the softcases from HB
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Humminbird down imaging models can use the same XI 9 20 ice transducer from Humminbird that their non-DI units use, which is what I'd recommend. Just have to choose dual beam transducer in the settings. Run & gun ice fishing is much easier with an ice transducer.
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you lose the narrow beam, however
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you lose the narrow beam, however
I see both beams on my 899ci with the XI 9 20 ice transducer. I can view both side by side.
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I see both beams on my 899ci with the XI 9 20 ice transducer. I can view both side by side.
because it works with both frequencies of the xi 9 20 (200/83khz) while the di (and pmax dual beam) units can only use the 200 since they're 200/455khz
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I see.
Thanks,
Mike
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because it works with both frequencies of the xi 9 20 (200/83khz) while the di (and pmax dual beam) units can only use the 200 since they're 200/455khz
I don't know that that is entirely accurate. I thought they came out with a software update, that allowed you to select 'Dual Beam Transducer', and allowed it to use both beams on the ice transducer. I could be wrong though. And I don't have a DI depthfinder to test with.
It's sort of a mute point though. 83khz is a very wide cone angle anyways, and RARELY used when ice fishing.
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The di and pmax units only work with 455/200khz....they can't drive an 83khz transducer like the xi 9/20
You can use a dual beam with any hummingbird di/si unit so long as it matches the frequency of the head unit. An example is using the xnt 9 20 t with a di model
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An example is using the xnt 9 20 t with a di model
Don't think you meant to say XNT 9 20 T there, since the XNT 9 20 T is in fact a 200/83khz dual beam transducer.
Think you meant to say XNT 9 DI T, which is a 455/200khz transducer, and comes standard for all DI models.
DI model depthfinders are set to use 455/200khz transducers, correct. However, Humminbird does say that you can hook up the XI 9 20 Ice Transducer (even though it's 200/83khz) to DI units for ice fishing.
83/200khz transducers will work with DI depthfinders, if you select Dual Beam transducer in the menu. You likely can only use the 200khz beam though, as mentioned. Also, as mentioned, rarely would you ever use the 83khz beam when ice fishing anyways, it is just too wide of an angle to be very useful in ice fishing applications.
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my typo xnt 9 28 t - 200/455khz 2d skimmer