Vexilar FL-22, what do you guys think?

[David Barber]

sorry... coming in a bit late in the discussion here.  I am not a vex pro.  I did, however, have the pleasure of using the FL22 out on the ice for a very short while late last season.  I am an LX5 owner.  Have been a LX5 fan for years.  Simply put... my LX5 is now on craigslist.  the FL22, for shallow water, blows everything else off the ice.  Side by side with my LX5, the FL22 had better seperation, and clearer shot through weeds.  The low wattage gets rid of the clutter and can see fish clearly.

For you FL20 owners... I also watched the FL22 side by side with the the FL20.  Again.. the FL22 was extremely clear, especially with the 10 foot levels.

So... my personal, non vex pro-staff, opinion... this is a huge improvement over the existing models. 

[Ryderr]

Reeds has it on their website already, priced at $589.

http://www.reedssports.com/Product/product.taf?_function=detail&_ID=22812&pc=1558

Its a brand new model, so its gonna be clearer, its gonna be "better", and its gonna have some little extras to make you want to go buy it. Be it vexilar, marcum, hb, or anything else fishing or non fishing related. Thing is its always best to wait a few years to go and pick up a new model of anything from xbox to flashers. Usually they hit a few bumps in the road, and work them out over a few years. THough vex has been around for a long time, so maybe it wont be the case. But if they did do something different (target sep) it could change for better or worse.

Its neat for sure, and if you were going to get the fl20, it would be something to look at I think.

[dkfry]

Its good to see just the head unit is available, not as much money as I thought it would be.

[ice dawg]

Reeds has it on their website already, priced at $589.

http://www.reedssports.com/Product/product.taf?_function=detail&_ID=22812&pc=1558

Its a brand new model, so its gonna be clearer, its gonna be "better", and its gonna have some little extras to make you want to go buy it. Be it vexilar, marcum, hb, or anything else fishing or non fishing related. Thing is its always best to wait a few years to go and pick up a new model of anything from xbox to flashers. Usually they hit a few bumps in the road, and work them out over a few years. THough vex has been around for a long time, so maybe it wont be the case. But if they did do something different (target sep) it could change for better or worse.

Its neat for sure, and if you were going to get the fl20, it would be something to look at I think.

I also like to wait a couple years before buying new electronics. I have read that the FL22 has been on the ice and tested for about four years because Vex didn't want to put it on the market until they "got it right".

[ice dawg]

sorry... coming in a bit late in the discussion here.  I am not a vex pro.  I did, however, have the pleasure of using the FL22 out on the ice for a very short while late last season.  I am an LX5 owner.  Have been a LX5 fan for years.  Simply put... my LX5 is now on craigslist.  the FL22, for shallow water, blows everything else off the ice.  Side by side with my LX5, the FL22 had better seperation, and clearer shot through weeds.  The low wattage gets rid of the clutter and can see fish clearly.

For you FL20 owners... I also watched the FL22 side by side with the the FL20.  Again.. the FL22 was extremely clear, especially with the 10 foot levels.

So... my personal, non vex pro-staff, opinion... this is a huge improvement over the existing models. 

I have a couplle of questions.

1. Do you know what frequency Vex is using in the FL22?

2. How does the interference rejection work when compared to an FL18 or FL20? I understand that there are still ten settings.

[David Barber]

I THINK there are 10 IR settings.  Not 100% sure. We were fishing around LX5s, LX3s, FL18, FL20, etc. There were about 15 of us in a pretty close area and had 0 problems. And I don't know the frequency.  Only got to use it for about a half hour.

[ice dawg]

Some people seem to think that the new triple transducer can be used with the older Vex units, so it must be a 200khz sonar.

[dkfry]

Some people seem to think that the new triple transducer can be used with the older Vex units, so it must be a 200khz sonar.

Looking at Reeds site the 12, 18 and 20 are available packaged with the new tri ducer. But I see the Fl-22 is only packaged with the tri ducer. Guess we'll have to see. I was kinda surprised to see the tri ducer priced at $100.

"Vexilar Tri-Beam Ice-Ducer The all new Tri-Beam Ice-Ducer offers anglers an 8 degree, 12 degree and a 20 degree transducer cone angle in one housing. The Tri-Beam will fit all models of Vexilar FL flashers going back over 20 years! A simple switch box allows you to quickly change from one cone angle to another, allowing you to get the most out of your Vexilar. The new Tri-Beam will be an option for this season on all Vexilar Pro Pack and Ultra Pack systems and will come standard on all FL-22HD sonar packs."

[filetandrelease]

I would really like to see one in action

[Ryderr]

I also like to wait a couple years before buying new electronics. I have read that the FL22 has been on the ice and tested for about four years because Vex didn't want to put it on the market until they "got it right".

I figured they had been using it for a while, its a pretty safe bet. But like others said, I wouldnt run out and buy one just because.

[David Barber]

Here is some more info:

Display: 525 segments
Target separation of 1 inch
Target ID of less than 1/4 inch
6' and 12' auto zoom
6' bottom lock (for use in boats)
Low Power mode (for use in shallow weedy areas)
Night Viewing mode
10 step Interference Rejection
6 depth ranges (10' to 60' in 10' increments)
Low Battery indicator
Operating Voltage 10.5-15 (12 volts nominal)
Current draw: 200 mA @ 12 volts
400 plus watts (variable puls width, peak to peak)
Frequency: 200 kHz
Tri-Bean iceducer: 8, 12, and 20 degree

[Junior58]

$589.00!!!  No fully adjustable zoom still and target id is NOT target separartion. $399.00 ... maybe.......otherwise I don't think so .. I'll stick with my LX3-tc and use the other $250.00 I'd save and buy a whole lot of other ice fishing stuff.

[jpicks]

hahaha...and the LX-5 STILL has better separation!

[David Barber]

I agree... the LX5 is awesome.  Been using one for years.... but for weedy/shallow water... well, the FL22 does a much better job.  The low-power, especially, helps seeing through the weed clutter.  I got no dogs in the fight here.  I know there is a huge ford-chevy debate when it comes to electronics.  Personally, I prefer the best unit that fits my style of fishing... regardless of name.

[stumper]

David do you actually have problems seeing through weeds with your LX5? I can watch the jig drop through and pick out fish with no problems.

[dkfry]

Here is some more info:

Display: 525 segments
Target separation of 1 inch
Target ID of less than 1/4 inch
6' and 12' auto zoom
6' bottom lock (for use in boats)
Low Power mode (for use in shallow weedy areas)
Night Viewing mode
10 step Interference Rejection
6 depth ranges (10' to 60' in 10' increments)
Low Battery indicator
Operating Voltage 10.5-15 (12 volts nominal)
Current draw: 200 mA @ 12 volts
400 plus watts (variable puls width, peak to peak)
Frequency: 200 kHz
Tri-Bean iceducer: 8, 12, and 20 degree

Where did you get that info from?

The manual says "Target ID (FL-22HD): 1/8” Minimum" and doesn't mention target seperation.

http://vexilar.com/pages/support/pdf/vexilar_flasher_family_manual.pdf

[Junior58]

"Low Power Mode, or LP Mode, reduces the output power of your flasher. It is useful for
situations where the gain cannot be turned down enough in Normal Mode. Use the Low
Power Mode only when you need to. Usually, you’ll use it in only very shallow or very
weedy conditions." - Vexilar manual


Why can't Vexilars gain be turned down enough or zeroed out in normal mode like other flashers? Why does the FL8 need an S cable. The low power mode is a gimmick, work around, and bandaid. Why can't the head unit and the transducer sync better on them? When you turn the gain down in this low powermode you'll lose the ability to see fish amongst the weeds. Low power mode doesn't just make weeds disappear leaving fish only on the screen..... and no, the above poster is correct where as stated that Vexilar does NOT list the target separation of the FL-22, only target ID. I'm sure the FL-22 is a fine unit still but that price can't be justified in the least IMHO.

[David Barber]

I got a peek at a pamphlet that comes with the units... has all the specs for the entire line of flashers side by side.  The above are the specs listed for the FL22.

Again... not knocking the LX5.  Used it for years up until this year.  Just one of those things that you really do have to see to believe.  I couldn't adjust my LX5 down enough and still see the fish while the FL22 sitting next to it clearly did (picking fish off bottom).  This was in about 4 FOW in heavy weeds.  I just think the amount of power that the LX5 puts out is too much for really shallow/weedy applications.

[stumper]

Interesting, thats where its always shined for me. Time will tell.

[David Barber]

All,

I got in touch with someone in the know and asked about the difference between Target ID and Separation.  As we all pretty much know what Separation is... here is the Target ID explanation.  Makes perfect sense to me.

"We use Target ID as a way to tell what the resolution is. We measure that by how many lines are around the dial of our flasher. Given that we have 525 lines of resolution, the FL-22HD has a little less than a 1/4" on the 10' foot scale. It's very simple, just take 10' or 120" and divide it by 525 and you get .228". So each line represents Target ID if you will. "


Soo... basically, on the 10' scale, 1 line on the flasher is equal to a little bit less than 1/4" of the water column.  About 4 lines is equal to 1 inch of viewing in the water column, and so on.

[GotEmHooked]

All,

I got in touch with someone in the know and asked about the difference between Target ID and Separation.  As we all pretty much know what Separation is... here is the Target ID explanation.  Makes perfect sense to me.

"We use Target ID as a way to tell what the resolution is. We measure that by how many lines are around the dial of our flasher. Given that we have 525 lines of resolution, the FL-22HD has a little less than a 1/4" on the 10' foot scale. It's very simple, just take 10' or 120" and divide it by 525 and you get .228". So each line represents Target ID if you will. "


Soo... basically, on the 10' scale, 1 line on the flasher is equal to a little bit less than 1/4" of the water column.  About 4 lines is equal to 1 inch of viewing in the water column, and so on.

  OK....you guys are throwing some nice info and it sounds to me since I fish mainly 8 to 15 ft of water 70% of the time the FL-22 is for me....not to mention very weedy areas....the deepest i ever fish is also 30ft.....still not to sure....but ive got 600 bucks burning a hole in my pocket

[oyler]

After playing with one at thorne bros this weekend, I'm sold!

[stumper]

How clear were the lines on it? Have they improved or are they still fuzzy?

[fin-n-feather]

Bit the bullet and got one of the new FL-22's with the tri-ducer in the ultra pack.  I've never ice fished in water over 22'.  Have an FL-8se for deeper water if needed.  I don't fish for lakers, only target gills in shallow water with plenty of weeds.  This unit seemed like a no brainer!  Turned it on in the house. Very bright and clear.  Seems like Vexilar is gonna have a very big winner here for the 0-60 foot fisherman.  Gonna take it out in the boat this week and play around with it to see how it works and get familiarized with it.  Keep you all posted. Fin

[dkfry]

All,

I got in touch with someone in the know and asked about the difference between Target ID and Separation.  As we all pretty much know what Separation is... here is the Target ID explanation.  Makes perfect sense to me.

"We use Target ID as a way to tell what the resolution is. We measure that by how many lines are around the dial of our flasher. Given that we have 525 lines of resolution, the FL-22HD has a little less than a 1/4" on the 10' foot scale. It's very simple, just take 10' or 120" and divide it by 525 and you get .228". So each line represents Target ID if you will. "


Soo... basically, on the 10' scale, 1 line on the flasher is equal to a little bit less than 1/4" of the water column.  About 4 lines is equal to 1 inch of viewing in the water column, and so on.

I appreciate the info. That is basically what was posted by one of the reps on another forum however not all in one post. That is why I questioned some of the specs in previous posts, sources and specs were not adding up info wise.

I resisted buying the 20 because I knew something was in the works a couple years down the road however it went longer than I expected. I think around christmas time there is a good chance I'll have an Fl-22HD head unit to use. Honestly the Fl-22HD is pretty much exactly what I was looking for for the fishing I do. Hopefully I can see one first hand and get some unbiased reviews soon. It kinda sucks living so far away from the shows and more popular areas.

Bit the bullet and got one of the new FL-22's with the tri-ducer in the ultra pack.  Gonna take it out in the boat this week and play around with it to see how it works and get familiarized with it.  Keep you all posted. Fin

I'll be looking for it.

[oyler]

Stump, as far as the lines being fuzzy, I sure didn't notice anything looking fuzzy.  But then again, I don't think my fl-20 is fuzzy either.

[dkfry]

Has anyone heard anything if Vexilar plans to offer a Genz pack with the Fl-22HD or even Fl-20? As of now only Pro Pack II and Ultra Pack available. I'm a Genz Pack fan and I think it would make sense to offer a version similar to what Vexilar's top sponsored "Pro" uses. (Dave Genz)

[oyler]

They have been doing the 20, im sure its just a matter of time before they do the 22 also

http://vexilar.com/pages/products/products_fl-20_gp.php

[dkfry]

First time I saw them offering the 20 Genz combo. Any guess on how long they have offered it? I don't know how it slipped past me, have to go through some old catalogs.

[oyler]

I could be wrong, but I'm sure I saw it a couple years ago.   Of course if I am wrong, it would be the first time this year