Flasher question

[jamison1]

Ive been looking for awhile at flashers. Seeming I've never used one b4 I'd like to know what would be easier to use... A showdown 5.6 or a lowrance elite 4?

[Anomaly]

Marcum LX6 or higher, 1st. Showdown is good. Don’t know the lawrance.

Check here. Great info: http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=319073.0

[3300]

here's a post of how to get it cheap right now for the lx6 or any flasher they sell.
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=319720.0

you can opt out of the membership trial period with-in the 30 days or pay 30$ to stay in and get 10% off extra on all sales and promo's or every day pricing.

better hurry if you want the double membership discount ends tonight, soon.

[Epkomd]

Some people for some reason like that style flasher. I on the other hand much prefer the dial type flasher( can't think of the term that's used, perhaps that is it... Correct me if I'm wrong) I have the lx-3 and a hummingbird ice 55 and are much better at detecting fish than the  showdown. Fished side by side with one last winter my buddy never marked a fish which were on bottom, and I jigged 3 cusk in a matter of minutes. The fish mark was clearly defined on my unit. People say they have a hard time reading the dial type flashers. It is very simple. Literally takes 5 minutes to learn. For an lx-1 or lx-3 its not much more than the showdown and makes all the difference. That's my .02

[Anomaly]

Some people for some reason like that style flasher. I on the other hand much prefer the dial type flasher( can't think of the term that's used, perhaps that is it... Correct me if I'm wrong) I have the lx-3 and a hummingbird ice 55 and are much better at detecting fish than the  showdown. Fished side by side with one last winter my buddy never marked a fish which were on bottom, and I jigged 3 cusk in a matter of minutes. The fish mark was clearly defined on my unit. People say they have a hard time reading the dial type flashers. It is very simple. Literally takes 5 minutes to learn. For an lx-1 or lx-3 its not much more than the showdown and makes all the difference. That's my .02

The LX6 and up have both options, are digital and the 7s and up also have the graph mode. On the 7s, at least, and up you can run 2 displays at once. You can also pick up an open water transducer for them. I use the graph mode with the showdown vertical on the screen. The graph give you a whole new perspective. 

[MAINETROUTWHISPERER]

Showdown is about as easy as it gets. Drop it down, turn it on and it shows a verticle presentation. Super easy and works. I have one.

[3300]

the lx6 and up offer dial type display and 2 other charts at he same time. that is the default display setting when you get one. you can over ride it and have four others and not use a dial type if you prefer the vertical and graph. in dial mode, there are one vertical normal on the left of the dial and a zoom vertical on the right of the dial.
it is not limited at all in display options unlike analog displays are "what you see is what you get" when buying one.

the lx 1 thru 5 are analog and are a fixed display, like all the other analog sonars are.

this is a colored showdown also, so showdown is all but done. they already phased out the dual beam a few years ago and leftovers, if any, are what are for sale.

i own a humminbird ice-55 and i wish i had my 670$ back i have invested into it to try to keep her going and is still a pile of junk.
the target separation is awful on it like most analogs are coming in at a whopping 2 1/2" while the lx7/9 is 1/2" (this makes analogs 5 times worse than these) and the lx6 is 3/4". this means a fish that hugging the bottom won't be seen until it's 2 1/2" off the bottom for analogs sonars. are you starting to see the difference yet?

another reason to use digital is the way they are fished. the transducer is just barley into the water, about an inch for showdown and lx6 and up or with any marcum that uses the arm to hold it up high. all the other brands use a swim noodle (some drop the transducer into the whole well bellow the ice plate with no float at all and risk freezing into the side of the ice) and tell you to have your transducer all the way to to the bottom of the ice plate or lower. this is a problem and cause lost fish, tangles, lost jigs, and lost time and most importantly cuts transducer cables. marcum isn't the case at all. just  pull the fish up, if you think you might get a tangle move the the arm a tad. the others you have to yank the whole swim noodle and cable and transducer out of the hole before you can land it or risk all the above.

if you do not know how to use your equipment, then it's like any thing else, it won't be a good thing for you, like a car or a computer or tools.

the zoom, it helps you see the lines better so you can try to see the target separation better instead of just one fat line. if you use a showdown that's a single beam and say it out performs a dual beam set to narrow, then what do you expect? the single beams are 20 degree angle cones while dual beam on narrow is 8 degree's. this helps big time on target separation and then if you don't use or don't now how to use the zoom on the showdown then obviously it won't detect as easily the bottom hugger. the display only has so much room to displayed that information and that's why they stretched the showdown upwards and that's why some like the dial type display for giving more space to try to draw those differences it can draw but might be too compacted to do.
the major problem with analogs are that zoom feature, if you pick it you loose the normal view, so you have to have one or the other but never both at one time, unlike digital marcums.

my buddy owns the showdown (2 of them, one being the first ever) dual beam and i , like i said, own the ice-55 and the showdown can draw a much finer line because of the target separation and it has a much smaller target separation than my ice-55 so it does see better and display better by far. that's the situation with sonars is the space to represent the separation, also the pixel count or how much space on the display a line requires to represent a fish/target/jig/weed/ect.
the line ice-55 and many others that are analog use a lot of display space to represent a target is the problem. i know my ice-55 a jig will take about 3 inches of water column of the display to draw it. that is in part, what they mean by target separation, but it also means how far apart the targets are from one another like the bottom and a fish coming up or staying on it.

we have to try to enjoy our decisions we make on sonars, because they are expensive ones. i know you are happy with what ever it is you bought or will buy, but you buy with knowledge or try to like the rest of us.

[BlackDogAlpha]

Had a dial type, a graph type, and now my LX6. The dials are ok but not nearly as precise as the others, maybe your buddy with the Showdown didnt have the sensitivity up.  You can see minnows and 1" smelt on the Marcums.
Your best review would be to youtube some of the videos showing each brand. Pay close attention to how much farting around is done with removing the transducers from the holes as a fish comes up on the hummingbirds and vex's. Thats equivalent to grabbing a net in a boat while one handing the rod, when you could be handling the fish instead of wrestling with your transducer pod.

[Anomaly]

Pay close attention to how much farting around is done with removing the transducers from the holes as a fish comes up on the hummingbirds and vex's. Thats equivalent to grabbing a net in a boat while one handing the rod, when you could be handling the fish instead of wrestling with your transducer pod.

I often drill a separate hole for my machines anyway, if I think I’m staying put. If i’m just hole hopping, not. Just setting the machine in a hole a foot away works great. 

OH YEAH! I often jig two rods. With the machine between them, you can read both jigs and see what fig reactions to each are and at different depths for each jig as preferred.

[jamison1]

I was just thinking that bc i haven't ever used one the showdown would be easy for me to use. Instead of the round display.. I dont get out as much as id like to so i dont think getting something that expensive would be a move that i want to make just yet. I do like the vertical display alot aswell

[MAINETROUTWHISPERER]

I was just thinking that bc i haven't ever used one the showdown would be easy for me to use. Instead of the round display.. I dont get out as much as id like to so i dont think getting something that expensive would be a move that i want to make just yet. I do like the vertical display alot aswell

I have the showdown and trust me it works just as well as anyother. You will love it and it's not as hard on the wallet. It's so simple to use and it takes about 5 min total to learn everythig. I just keep a few of the button combos written down in the bag so I rememeber each year how to change the bottom lock, and other thigs that you may need.

[joefishmore]

Do they still make the Showdown ?

[jamison1]

thanks guy... I think ill get the 5.6 and see how it does and if I like it then I might just run with it or just save up for an lx7 or something that still has that vertical graph on it.

[Anomaly]

thanks guy... I think ill get the 5.6 and see how it does and if I like it then I might just run with it or just save up for an lx7 or something that still has that vertical graph on it.

I have the 5.6, my first machine, now as my backup. Great machine. Got the LX7,now my primary. I like it! 

[MAINETROUTWHISPERER]

Do they still make the Showdown ?

Yes they do. They don't make the dual beam anymore unless U can find one left over somewhere.

[3300]

i just posted this in the michigan board but thought it should be here too for those still looking for a good sonar.

the lx6 is still on sale at sportsmansguide sort of, you get 10% sale with a code they give you and free ship, then if you join for 30 day trial, you get another 10% off. you can cancel the trial any time or stay on it for 30$ to get 10% every thing on top of and other sales or full priced items. it's the "sams" of online shopping.
so 20% off of 600$ is 120$ so you can get it for 480$.
UPDATE: they have a 10$ egift card going on right now instead. will have to wait a day or so for the 10% off sale.

this works on every thing there. even showdowns, if you really want one in gray scale and a bad beam choice of 20 degree's wide angle only and not good for deeper water. it's a shallow water unit only now that they quit making it dual beam. was an okay unit then for 400$. 80$ more gets you color vertical like the showdown and then much more.

[jamison1]

Holy this is !making it hard now lol so maybe I should just save a little more and get the lx6?...

[Anomaly]

Holy this is !making it hard now lol so maybe I should just save a little more and get the lx6?...

BEANO!

[APJ]

i just posted this in the michigan board but thought it should be here too for those still looking for a good sonar.

the lx6 is still on sale at sportsmansguide sort of, you get 10% sale with a code they give you and free ship, then if you join for 30 day trial, you get another 10% off. you can cancel the trial any time or stay on it for 30$ to get 10% every thing on top of and other sales or full priced items. it's the "sams" of online shopping.
so 20% off of 600$ is 120$ so you can get it for 480$.
UPDATE: they have a 10$ egift card going on right now instead. will have to wait a day or so for the 10% off sale.

this works on every thing there. even showdowns, if you really want one in gray scale and a bad beam choice of 20 degree's wide angle only and not good for deeper water. it's a shallow water unit only now that they quit making it dual beam. was an okay unit then for 400$. 80$ more gets you color vertical like the showdown and then much more.

Correction there is a limit of max 100.00 off this item LX6. I just purchased one..  LOL  500. is the price after the discount.

[3300]

that bites!
always some fine print some how some where.
the upfront deal looked good to me, but i just got my lx7 to lx9 upgrade back. guess what, they gave me a brand new lx9 complete and their 50$ cam paner. the HUD cam view is making me jones for ice or even the kayak to mess with it, but i should be at work.

[APJ]

Still a good deal at 500..  Your upgrade was awesome now that is good service..

[3300]

congrats on your lx6! i forgot to mention it. was too excited i guess about the upgrade i got.

here's how i set mine up. it was asked on another part of this site, but i know some of you will want to know this info sooner or later.

SETTINGS:
mode-open water mode.
depth-manual or dynamic manual (for depth).
ir-0 ir. turn it up if some one is glitching your sonar.
ping rate-1 on ping rate. this is speed of the graph.
display-graph, then vertical then dash board, then vertical zoom.
background color-i use black background color for night time and leave it there. now with their camera, there is no color, just what the camera see's.
color palate-6 color palate. best target separation choice.
target-0 target. increase this if you want to use the normal water column/display with bigger lines.
gain-start low on sensitivity and work it up until you get a bottom and your jig.
puck-keep only an inch of the bottom of the puck in the water.
beam-narrow beam, (has best target separation and helps you know how close fish are to your jig and the dash board shows how many feet it is seeing of bottom).
zoom-auto zoom, (but has infinite if you want to extend it up the water column).

enjoy!

PS:
watch for a new firmware/upgrade software to be released this early/middle january for shallow water missing water on the top to be resolved. it will be on marcumtech.com upgrades for free.

[woodchip]

I have a Vexilar and an Hummingbird 35  I use them both between my jigs. Place in equal distances I can watch both rods. The batteries last a few trips before needing a charge. they pack well in a plastic pail for carrying. I have as much fun watching the flasher as I do reeling them in.

[GasBlaster]

Cabelas sale 449.00 elite-7
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1793990&type=product

[3300]

if you want open water sonars, reeds, lowrance elite 5 with bonus sun cover and maps and 4 cone angle transducers. 200$ off the 500$ for the sonar and 217$ free bonus's.

they also have 3 eskimo versa ice fishing chairs that retail for 70$ for 85$ and 9.61 to ship. they have free shipping, but the chairs are 10 pound shipping weight each, but weigh 9.2 pounds and support 350 pounds. that's 125$ off.

if you want to get the little lady some xmas gifts, lands end has 50% off  out door and 40% off every thing else and free ship. i saved over 100$ on gifts today there.