Lithium Battery, case and accessory options (canada) for Garmin Echomap UHD 95sv

[ggpr]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a Garmin Echomap UHD 95sv that I intend to use as both a portable summer fish finder and flasher for ice fishing season.  I intend to purchase the suction cup transducer mount to use with the included GT54UHD-TM summer transducer and pickup a ice fishing transducer for use as a flasher in the winter.  Also a few other items to make the unit a portable kit for both.

TLDR -  primary questions are for reccomendations for 12v 10+ amp hour lithium batteries available in canada, particularly if anyone has experience with marcum branded lithium batteries and could comment.  Other primary question is in regards to flasher bags and "shuttles", any suggestions on products that would accommodate my garmin echomap 9x series and either a couple 10-12 AH batteries or 1 larger 18+AH batteries.  Also any links to guides on how to make my own shuttle or carrying devices would be great!

Ice Fishing Transducer
I am currently thinking to get the GT8HW-IF ice transducer to use in the winter.  The garmin GT10HN-IF transducer is a bit tempting but reasonably more expensive, so i am leaning towards the GT8 model.  My understanding is the GT10 has a bit more power, and a tighter angle/cone, but i would likely only see the benefit from that when fishing deep (40-150 feet) for lake trout.  Not sure if the extra $100 CAD is worth it for the lakers, as the majority of my lake trout options are minimum 2.5 hr drive, and the better ones 4 hr drive.  I love fishing for lakers, but i wont be able to do it nearly as often as i will for walleye/pike.  Based on my research i think the GT8 is the way to go for me, but am open to anyones comment/suggestions in regards to the ice transducer.

Battery Options
My preference is to try going lithium for the battery on this unit.  I have used SLA batteries for my current portable fish finder/flasher (hummibird 345c) and they dont seem to last more than a couple seasons, plus are decently heavy.  I thought originally the reason my batteries never seemed to last that long was due to the exposure to the cold, as the unit has often been left outside overnight while winter tenting at the lake being exposed to temperatures as low as -30 to -35 C, but after discussions with a battery salesman (who actually wasn't really trying to upsell me to lithium or anything) it appears that the battery being exposed to freezing conditions likely wasnt as big of an impact on the lifespan as i thought. 

My understanding is that lithium batteries should get me more than double the life span out of the batteries, and possibly i will be able to get a bit more hours of use out of lithium battery even with similar amp hours rating to a comparable SLA battery.  It does not look like i have a ton of options when it comes to 12V lithium batteries with 10+ amp hours in a form factor that would be  suitable for a portable flasher/fish finder case.  I have read that amped outdoors are a great option for price and AH capacity, but unfortunately as a canadian i do not think i can benefit from these as much as my american fisher friends.  Shipping and the potential for duties make these likely not the ideal option for me. 

I can get dakota lithium 12v 10AH from cabelas in canada (currently on sale too), but i am a bit worried about the 10AH not being enough for my garmin echomap UHD 9x series to last a reasonable amount of time.  In a ideal scenario i would like to get about 16 hours of use, enough to cover say a 2 day trip where i wont be able to charge the battery overnight.  One option is i could perhaps get two of these 12V 10AH batteries, and from what i have read on here, other forums and amazon reviews some people have said they were able to fit 2 batteries of this size along with the same garmin unit in a case (in particular the clam flasher bag).  Does anyone have experience running this fish finder with similar (10-12 AH) lithium batteries?  Any idea what kind of run time i might be able to expect?  Ive mostly read about people using the same fish finder (echomap 9x series) but with the panoptix livescope transducers, which i assume would draw a reasonable amount more  power than my proposed ice tranducer.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/130371/dakota-lithium-12-volt-10-ah-battery

Another option appears to be marcum lithium batteries.  There king version at 12V 18 AH looks like it wouldn't be too big and i like the amount of amp hours it has, i feel that would give me a good chance of getting 2 days use off one battery.  Also i believe it should fit decently well in whatever case i go with.  The only thing is i cant find any reviews or discussion on these batteries.  Im not sure if they are equal or lesser quality than amped or dakota lithium.  Or is it safe to assume that most lithium batteries would be similar in performance and lifespan etc regardless of manufacturer?  Difference perhaps being customer service/warranties etc?  Does anyone have experience with marcum lithium batteries and able to comment on them? I am hoping they go on sale this month in relation to black friday.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/143130/marcum-12v-18ah-lifepo4-battery-and-6amp-charger

I am currently tempted to buy one of the dakota lithium and charger for it from cabelas while they are on sale, and just hold on to it and not use it, with the hope that if a larger AH battery goes on sale i could grab that and return the dakota lithium to cabelas.  Any other suggestions for lithium battery options available in canada would be very appreciated!

Portable Case

Right now it looks like my best option for a case would likely be the clam flasher bag.  Available in canada at cabelas.  From reviews and forum posts i have read, it appears this bag is just big enough to house the echomap 9x series.  Also one review i read suggested the person was able to keep 2 batteries (12V, 7 to 12 AH sized) in the case.  So i suspect i should be able to fit 2 of those, or a 12v 18ah.  Am i correct in thinking this bag would include a plastic base and handle?  I should be able to find a way to mount my garmin unit to it and also the batteries?  Or is this simply just a bag and i would need to create my own "shuttle" (just learning about the term shuttle now... forgive my ignorance!)  Any tips/suggestions/guides on how to use this bag making my own portable flasher kit would be very appreciated!

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/129428

My other potential option is the summit shuttle bag.  But it is not clear if this is just a bag, and the plastic base/handle would not be included as it would come from their other product the summit shuttle...  either way the shipping on this bag is almost the same as the cost of the bag, ~$40-50 to get it shipped, so for that alone i do not think it will work for me...

https://summitfishingequipment.com/collections/bags/products/summit-shuttle-bag

If none of the bag options include a base to mount the sonar and batteries on, it appears i may need to buy or make a "shuttle" and recommendations on products that would play well with my garmin echomap uhd 95sv and the clam flasher bag?  Any good guides on making shuttles?  I can start searching for this too now that i am aware the bags may not include these components.  I probably will lean towards making my own to save some money... All this crap is so expensive and it adds up!!

Other things

Posting a few other things here that i am aware i need to get for my own setup, but that may be beneficial to others trying to emulate what i am going for with my setup...

If i go with the GT8 ice transducer i will require a garmin 4 pin to 12 pin cable to connect the transducer to my sonar.  Garmin product # 010-12718-00.

I will also need to get the suction cup transducer mount, compatible with my GT54UHD summer transducer.  Garmin product # 010-11849-17


Thanks so much for taking the time to read my essay, or even just the sparks not TLDR version.  Extra thanks in advance for anyone willing to help with comments, reviews or suggestions related to my mission to build my portable fish finder / flasher combo out of my new garmin echomap uhd 95sv.  Cheers and tight lines to everyone this hard water season!

[Monticatgeek]

as for the Clam flasher bag there is no shuttle in it. it is just a case and was designed around using the Vexilar genz box in it. It may fit the vexilar pro pack.

[Monticatgeek]

This is the Garmin case that your unit would mount into. It should be the base unit and the bag for the whole thing and th GT10 transducer includes a lead battery too and charger.  just add your head unit and you should be good to go.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/599587/pn/010-12676-00#devices

[mcflyfisher]

I built a livescope system last year.  I crammed it all in clam bag.   I built my shuttle out of plastic cutting boards and all thread.   I built my lithium batteries out of salvaged 18650 cells from old laptop batteries.  I found that livescope draws about 4xs the current of the head unit.  14ah 16.8v battery lasts about 8 hours.   I'm pretty sure you could go 16 on just the head unit.   If I was to do it again,  I'd use 18v tool batteries.   I already have them for my drill auger and it would be trivial to bring along a couple for the flasher.  Those are also available just about everywhere.  I wouldn't even consider lead acid.  The weight difference is silly.

[ggpr]

Thanks for the replies so far everyone!

Yea i had seen that official garmin ice fishing kit, unfortunately that kit is $560 in canada.... Also it has a SLA battery.  I am trying to save some money where i can, but am quickly finding out that there is not tons of money to be saved... Unless i go homemade with more of the items (shuttle likely).  Its too bad garmin doesnt appear to sell that size of kit without the GT10 transducer and battery.

Thanks in advance again for any future replies!

[RStock521]

I don't have a comment on the 9" series of the SV, but I recently purchased a 73SV that I will be using on the boat and ice, and went with the GT8 ice transducer.  Money wasn't an issue as the price difference was nominal, but I preferred the wider cone angle for the shallower water that I typically fish.  I read some posts that the GT8 can get down to 100ft, but the GT10 would obviously give better target separation and a narrower cone for those depths.  Prevoiusly I was using the Lowrance PTI-WBL ice ducer with a 22 degree cone, and I've fished over 100ft, so I figure if I can get down to 16 degrees with the GT8, I'll be just fine.  It may not be the best tool for the job, but for the seldom times I fish that deep, I'm sure I can make it work.

[kayl]

I have a clam bag that I mounted my 93sv in, but have since upgraded to the summit with Livescope. I wish you were close; I'd let the clam bag go cheap. :-/

If all you are running is the echo map and not Livescope or a ps22, you will be fine with a 10 amp hour battery for the day. I would definitely recommend spending the money on lithium; they're much much better than SLA. again, if you were in the US, I would recommend amped, but if you don't have access to them, I would go with Dakota.

I have both live scope and the GT-10 transducer and use both, although I tend to just fish with Livescope in the down view unless the fish are fussy and I need/want the flasher view.

Garmin did just release a new dual beam ice ducer with 15° and 45° cone angles.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/735513

[ggpr]

Thanks for the replies guys,

Too bad about the distance in regards to the clam bag kayl!  Also thanks for the heads up on the new garmin ice transducer... Looks like it is more affordable than even the GT8.  The  15° cone angle option puts it in alignment with the lowest angle setting on the GT8 and its higher power might make it better suited for those times fishing deep for lakers...  I'm unsure about the implications of the 45° angle vs the 24°, it essentially gives me a larger area of coverage?  if viewing its coverage on the lake bottom for example i could expect a much larger zone that i can see fish to the side of my hole?  Is 45 maybe too wide?  Will i observe fish to the side that are possibly represented at a different depth than they actually are?  Could i end up getting tricked into thinking i am targetting the fish depth, when in reality the fish is at a very different depth but just far off to the side?

Also one thing i notice on their transducer selection guide, the dualbeam-IF model is listed as "15/45", whereas the GT8 and GT10 are listed as "24-16" and "7-16", respectively.  My understanding is that with the GT8 and GT10 i can select any angle within that range going up/down by 1° increments.  The dualbeam-IF listing makes me think its 15 or 45, and not anything inbetween.  I'm not sure if that has any implications i would want to consider before purchasing.  Obviously being able to select from a larger selection of beams in the range is a nice perk, but i don't know how beneficial it is to be able to fine tune like that.

https://www8.garmin.com/marine/PDF/transducer_selection_guide.pdf

Another thing you guys could maybe help clarify for me, is that the clam bag does not include a "shuttle" and i would need to make or source my own.  I am pretty sure that is the case..

Thanks again for the help everyone.

[ggpr]

So i picked up the dakota lithium 12v 10AH battery and charger from cabelas and confirmed that if it goes on sale for less on black friday i could return or get the price difference back.  Also confirmed that if the marcum lithium battery and charger kit goes on sale i can return the dakota lithium and get that.  Happy with cabelas policies on returns and price protection.

Still curious if anyone had any comments in regards to the marcum lithium batteries... any first hand experience or if someone had used them, or perhaps if someone knowledgeable in lithium battery tech could confirm that any/most(?) lithium batteries of similar specs should pretty much function the same?  I understand different companies might have better/worse warranties etc.  Also i suspect its possible particular companies might have better build qualities etc.  I would hope that marcum would be no worse than dakota lithium or amped outdoors.. But very curious if anyone could offer an opinion..

Here is the marcum battery i am particularly interested in..  Even its regular price seems pretty fair as compared to the dakota lithium and amped outdoor.  Amped has a 12V 18AH with charger for the same price (in USD, but as a canadian the marcum is cheaper for me, works out to same price as the amped, less the shipping and duties)

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/143130/marcum-12v-18ah-lifepo4-battery-and-6amp-charger
https://marcumtech.com/product/king_kit/

Thanks

[Drift Dodger]

I have two Garmin models (echoMAP CHIRP 53dv & echoMAP Plus 95sv) setup for multiple applications. As my keyboard capabilities are currently significantly diminished due to a fractured wrist, it was much easier and quicker for me to just insert the following links to previous related posts. Hope this helps:

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=346045.msg3682775#msg3682775

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=360840.msg3883631#msg3883631

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=366140.msg3953131#msg3953131

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=367633.msg3953919#msg3953919

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=372914.msg4026547#msg4026547

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=376225.msg4062466#msg4062466

[chilly-willy]

This was in a post from target walleye staff on fb. Could build it very easy to suit your needs?

[aquarium234]

Milwakkee power adapter on their drill batteries make a great way to use a battery multi season. 18v converted to 12v gains you extra amps, my 9amp 18v.....like 12amp 12v. battery is buddied onto the back of my camera so I can just leave it running all day and into the night :-), plus tossing a few of them into a back pack is easy and light for transport. I still use a lithium battery as the man source but wired in a jumper plug in that just plugs into the milakee powersource coat adaptor. There are old threads on here about using them. Probably easy to get those batteries in canada and may find deals on them with black friday comming up.

[ggpr]

Thanks for the replies, i dug through those threads and appreciate the links.  I like the ideas of using battery booster packs and tool batteries as alternative power options.  I already own a GOOLOO 1000A Peak 20800mAh 12v jump starter. / booster.  I think i will hope for the marcum 12v 18AH battery to go on a sale, if not maybe i will keep my 12V 10AH dakota lithium battery and see if i can supplement it with the GOOLOO.  I am suspect about the GOOLOO actually being ~20AH at 12v.  I read one review on amazon stating the person got about 3 hrs using 12V at about 1 amp draw.

Drift dodger if you are well enough to type, how are you liking your boostmi pro as a power source these days?  Any estimate on what type of realistic AH rating you would give it as compared to standard 12V lithium batteries?  If it was actually 18AH in real world use then it is a pretty killer price for that capacity, as compared to straight batteries being sold in canada. Thanks!

[Drift Dodger]

Drift dodger ... how are you liking your boostmi pro as a power source these days?  Any estimate on what type of realistic AH rating you would give it as compared to standard 12V lithium batteries?  If it was actually 18AH in real world use then it is a pretty killer price for that capacity, as compared to straight batteries being sold in canada. Thanks!

I haven't used any standard 12V lithium battery so can't compare the AH performance. But the Boostmi Pro does easily power my echoMAP Plus 95sv for at least a full day of ice fishing without recharging. Had it out on the ice for a couple hours this afternoon ... started with 11.0V and ended up with 10.9V.

I'm quite delighted with it, having also boost started my boat and several other vehicles at various times through the year, of course topping up the charge in between each just to be sure. Takes very little space in a glove compartment or whatever.

[greenbackhunter]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a Garmin Echomap UHD 95sv that I intend to use as both a portable summer fish finder and flasher for ice fishing season.  I intend to purchase the suction cup transducer mount to use with the included GT54UHD-TM summer transducer and pickup a ice fishing transducer for use as a flasher in the winter.  Also a few other items to make the unit a portable kit for both.

TLDR -  primary questions are for reccomendations for 12v 10+ amp hour lithium batteries available in canada, particularly if anyone has experience with marcum branded lithium batteries and could comment.  Other primary question is in regards to flasher bags and "shuttles", any suggestions on products that would accommodate my garmin echomap 9x series and either a couple 10-12 AH batteries or 1 larger 18+AH batteries.  Also any links to guides on how to make my own shuttle or carrying devices would be great!

Ice Fishing Transducer
I am currently thinking to get the GT8HW-IF ice transducer to use in the winter.  The garmin GT10HN-IF transducer is a bit tempting but reasonably more expensive, so i am leaning towards the GT8 model.  My understanding is the GT10 has a bit more power, and a tighter angle/cone, but i would likely only see the benefit from that when fishing deep (40-150 feet) for lake trout.  Not sure if the extra $100 CAD is worth it for the lakers, as the majority of my lake trout options are minimum 2.5 hr drive, and the better ones 4 hr drive.  I love fishing for lakers, but i wont be able to do it nearly as often as i will for walleye/pike.  Based on my research i think the GT8 is the way to go for me, but am open to anyones comment/suggestions in regards to the ice transducer.

Battery Options
My preference is to try going lithium for the battery on this unit.  I have used SLA batteries for my current portable fish finder/flasher (hummibird 345c) and they dont seem to last more than a couple seasons, plus are decently heavy.  I thought originally the reason my batteries never seemed to last that long was due to the exposure to the cold, as the unit has often been left outside overnight while winter tenting at the lake being exposed to temperatures as low as -30 to -35 C, but after discussions with a battery salesman (who actually wasn't really trying to upsell me to lithium or anything) it appears that the battery being exposed to freezing conditions likely wasnt as big of an impact on the lifespan as i thought. 

My understanding is that lithium batteries should get me more than double the life span out of the batteries, and possibly i will be able to get a bit more hours of use out of lithium battery even with similar amp hours rating to a comparable SLA battery.  It does not look like i have a ton of options when it comes to 12V lithium batteries with 10+ amp hours in a form factor that would be  suitable for a portable flasher/fish finder case.  I have read that amped outdoors are a great option for price and AH capacity, but unfortunately as a canadian i do not think i can benefit from these as much as my american fisher friends.  Shipping and the potential for duties make these likely not the ideal option for me. 

I can get dakota lithium 12v 10AH from cabelas in canada (currently on sale too), but i am a bit worried about the 10AH not being enough for my garmin echomap UHD 9x series to last a reasonable amount of time.  In a ideal scenario i would like to get about 16 hours of use, enough to cover say a 2 day trip where i wont be able to charge the battery overnight.  One option is i could perhaps get two of these 12V 10AH batteries, and from what i have read on here, other forums and amazon reviews some people have said they were able to fit 2 batteries of this size along with the same garmin unit in a case (in particular the clam flasher bag).  Does anyone have experience running this fish finder with similar (10-12 AH) lithium batteries?  Any idea what kind of run time i might be able to expect?  Ive mostly read about people using the same fish finder (echomap 9x series) but with the panoptix livescope transducers, which i assume would draw a reasonable amount more  power than my proposed ice tranducer.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/130371/dakota-lithium-12-volt-10-ah-battery

Another option appears to be marcum lithium batteries.  There king version at 12V 18 AH looks like it wouldn't be too big and i like the amount of amp hours it has, i feel that would give me a good chance of getting 2 days use off one battery.  Also i believe it should fit decently well in whatever case i go with.  The only thing is i cant find any reviews or discussion on these batteries.  Im not sure if they are equal or lesser quality than amped or dakota lithium.  Or is it safe to assume that most lithium batteries would be similar in performance and lifespan etc regardless of manufacturer?  Difference perhaps being customer service/warranties etc?  Does anyone have experience with marcum lithium batteries and able to comment on them? I am hoping they go on sale this month in relation to black friday.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/143130/marcum-12v-18ah-lifepo4-battery-and-6amp-charger

I am currently tempted to buy one of the dakota lithium and charger for it from cabelas while they are on sale, and just hold on to it and not use it, with the hope that if a larger AH battery goes on sale i could grab that and return the dakota lithium to cabelas.  Any other suggestions for lithium battery options available in canada would be very appreciated!

Portable Case

Right now it looks like my best option for a case would likely be the clam flasher bag.  Available in canada at cabelas.  From reviews and forum posts i have read, it appears this bag is just big enough to house the echomap 9x series.  Also one review i read suggested the person was able to keep 2 batteries (12V, 7 to 12 AH sized) in the case.  So i suspect i should be able to fit 2 of those, or a 12v 18ah.  Am i correct in thinking this bag would include a plastic base and handle?  I should be able to find a way to mount my garmin unit to it and also the batteries?  Or is this simply just a bag and i would need to create my own "shuttle" (just learning about the term shuttle now... forgive my ignorance!)  Any tips/suggestions/guides on how to use this bag making my own portable flasher kit would be very appreciated!

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/129428

My other potential option is the summit shuttle bag.  But it is not clear if this is just a bag, and the plastic base/handle would not be included as it would come from their other product the summit shuttle...  either way the shipping on this bag is almost the same as the cost of the bag, ~$40-50 to get it shipped, so for that alone i do not think it will work for me...

https://summitfishingequipment.com/collections/bags/products/summit-shuttle-bag

If none of the bag options include a base to mount the sonar and batteries on, it appears i may need to buy or make a "shuttle" and recommendations on products that would play well with my garmin echomap uhd 95sv and the clam flasher bag?  Any good guides on making shuttles?  I can start searching for this too now that i am aware the bags may not include these components.  I probably will lean towards making my own to save some money... All this crap is so expensive and it adds up!!

Other things

Posting a few other things here that i am aware i need to get for my own setup, but that may be beneficial to others trying to emulate what i am going for with my setup...

If i go with the GT8 ice transducer i will require a garmin 4 pin to 12 pin cable to connect the transducer to my sonar.  Garmin product # 010-12718-00.

I will also need to get the suction cup transducer mount, compatible with my GT54UHD summer transducer.  Garmin product # 010-11849-17


Thanks so much for taking the time to read my essay, or even just the sparks not TLDR version.  Extra thanks in advance for anyone willing to help with comments, reviews or suggestions related to my mission to build my portable fish finder / flasher combo out of my new garmin echomap uhd 95sv.  Cheers and tight lines to everyone this hard water season!

Pm me. I distribute amped outdoors, summit ice products and ice hole powers products all across Canada.

[ggpr]

So thanks again everyone for the help to date, appreciate you all taking you time to try and help me out.

So an update on my planned build.

I managed to get a deal on 2 marcum 12V 10AH lithium batteries with 2 chargers for $200 CAD.  Still watching the marcum 12V 18AH to see if it will maybe go on a sale below $190CAD before i need to use the unit.

My plan is to pick up the clam flasher bag, currently i was waiting to see if it might go on sale, but i dunno if im holding out hope any more on that happening before i want to fish.

Still deciding on my ice transducer, between dual-beam IF and GT8HW-IF. 

I think i am going to see if i can get my buddy to 3d print me some parts for my build.  Possibly this mount and a transducer arm like this.  I was also thinking a little cup to hold the ice transducer when not in the water might be nice too, i will probably draw that up in fusion 360 and see if he can print one.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4255043
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2069732

Currently for a base i am thinking of using either a thicker plastic (cutting board?) or perhaps a piece of plywood.  I am thinking of possibly putting some little blocks to make forms at the base of where the battery site and possibly affixing some velcro straps to hold the batteries in place. 

Im not sure if i should try to craft a plastic handle for the shuttle, or if i can trust the bag strap handle.  Does not look like the clam flasher bag has spots for reaching a hand into to grab a plastic shuttle handle like on some of the official ice packages.

Ill try to remember post my results when the project is done!

[sacman11]

GGRP...

I have been following this post and am curious to find out what you landed on in your setup. I was thinking about buying the GARMIN 95sv UHD with the 54 transducer and building a package for ice fishing just like you did.

My big Q's

1. I primarily fish walleye on Lake Winnipeg and Lake of the woods in nothing deeper than 25-30ft of water. Because of this I am wondering if the GT8 would be a better option than the GT10 + the cost savings. Or is the new dual beam Gt6 the best option for shallow water fishing.

2. What battery and Shuttle/Bag did you end up with? I am looking at the Summit Outdoors Bag/Shuttle its $130 CDN + maybe some shipping.

Like you I am in Canada and although there are deals to be had on the Garmin 95sv itself it seems like all the accessories add up quickly making the ice fishing option about $1500 cdn all in. I am buying this unit because I do intend to use it in my boat, so it will serve two purposes and am willing to spend extra to make it ice fishing ready, but the GARMIN Ice Bundle kit for $550 + CDN seems crazy (and doesnt come with a lithium battery). You laid out all the scenarios very well in your original post, but I would like to hear some follow up if you have had a chance to use the unit ice fishing yet.

Any detail you could provide would be welcomed.

[Drift Dodger]

My 'custom' Garmin EchoMAP Plus 95sv ice kit ... Boostmi Pro jump starter, Trophy Angler bag (my son picked up in the US) to which I added a plywood base to mount the head unit and hold the ice transducer, EchoMAP Plus 95sv, GT10HN-IF transducer. The fit is tight, but it works! The screen was set to 30% brightness for this shot.



Below with battery tucked away inside the bag. Screen brightness at 20%.



Below ... all packed away for transport, as viewed from the 'rear'.

[ggpr]

I had got a PM from sacman asking me some of the questions he asked in this thread, and decided i will post some excerpts from my response to him, for the public benefit of anyone else reading this thread looking for info.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Given the depths you fish i imagine any of those transducers would be ok, however the consideration for the GT8 and GT10 were they have "chirp" and it may give you a better reading than non chirp transducers.  If the GT6 as you call it is the "garmin dual beam IF" then my understanding is that unit does not have chirp.  Also that transducer can only switch between 2 beam width options, whereas both of the other transducers you can select your beam within their ranges.  Not sure how much that would matter, but i could see it being useful in certain scenarios based on the depths fished.

Im sorry i either dont fully recall what the garmin rep i spoke to on the phone said to me about the difference/benefits of having chirp vs not, but i seem to recall it made it pretty clear to me that since my unit had chirp that i might as well spend a little more to get the transducer with it.

If you wanted to have the chirp feature i would imagine the GT8 is probably better suited to your fishing depths as it has a wider top end beam??

I ended up purchasing the clam flasher bag from cabelas, i was waiting hoping it would go on sale but i eventually caved and bought it full price cause i wanted to ensure i have my setup ready for the new year (originally was hoping to use it over xmas break, but the delay on the backorder of my transducer adapter cable is holding me up anyways).  I plan to make my own "shuttle" for it.  I am thinking either a plastic (thick cutting board maybe?) or plywood base to mount the fish finder and batteries on.

I am going to get my buddy to 3d print a transducer arm, but if not you can buy the marcum ones.
https://www.cabelas.ca/product/116534/marcum-replacement-transducer-arm

For batteries i originally purchased a 12v 10AH dakota lithium and charger from cabelas when they were on sale before black friday.  I was hoping the marcum 12v18AH lithium battery at cabelas would go on sale, but it did not.  But on black friday the fishing hole had a sale on the marcum 12v10AH batteries (including charger) for $100.  I ended up snagging 2 of those as it was a really good deal.  My dakota and charger even on sale was $136 pre tax for the single battery and charger.  For a extra $64 i am getting double the battery capacity and get 2 chargers.  (all prices CAD)

Make sure you get a 32gb max sized microsd card for the unit, and you need to download the blank quickdraw map to load on the unit for your own map making.  I was hoping i would be able to load my pirated garmin maps i use on my garmin handheld GPS, and the free ibycus canadian topo map, but unfortunately so far i have not been able to figure out how to get them loaded and working.  I think garmin stepped up its anti piracy game, at least on their fish finders, my brand new handheld still plays nice with my pirated and "homeade custom" maps.  I might have to suck it up and pay their crazy prices for the canadian topo map to supplement my maps.  The included maps for the lakevu that comes with the device are pretty nice, but unfortunately they do not cover all the lakes in saskatchewan.

Im not so concerned about not having depth contours for all the lakes, but big problem is their built in base map is absolute garbage.  For the lakes not included in the lakevu, in some instances it only shows the lakes (roughly at that) at a very far zoomed out view, but they completely disappear when zooming in.  My free ibycus map fixed this for my handheld, i honestly think that map is as good or better than garmins paid topo map options...  I believe a fair bit of garmin maps are based off free govt provided data, at least in canada... the lake view depth maps appear to be only for the lakes that i can get the maps for free from the SK government.  I will admit though that they did touch the maps up and added extra contours where the publicly available maps in many cases where string line points.  I think i might actually call garmin and b***h about the lack of detail for lakes not included in lakevu... maybe i can get them to give me a discount on the topo map haha.

I will update this thread when i finish putting my build together.

Also super curious if anyone maybe has any experience loading pirated garmin maps, or homemade custom ones like ibycus, on their garmin marine chartplotters??

Thanks

[sacman11]

My 'custom' Garmin EchoMAP Plus 95sv ice kit ... Boostmi Pro jump starter, Trophy Angler bag (my son picked up in the US) to which I added a plywood base to mount the head unit and hold the ice transducer, EchoMAP Plus 95sv, GT10HN-IF transducer. The fit is tight, but it works! The screen was set to 30% brightness for this shot.



Below with battery tucked away inside the bag. Screen brightness at 20%.



Below ... all packed away for transport, as viewed from the 'rear'.

Drift Dodger....

What type of connector do you use from the Boostmi to the Garmin? Does the Boostmi last you all day long on the ice or do you have another battery option. I have a Jackery Booster Pack that I think is 14500mah r 14.5ah but I didnt think these would be comparable to a LIFEPo4 12v 10ah especially in cold weather use. Maybe in the warm shack no problem but out on the ice in -20 Celsius does the Boostmi hold up?

Any info is appreciated...

 

[Drift Dodger]

Drift Dodger....

What type of connector do you use from the Boostmi to the Garmin? Does the Boostmi last you all day long on the ice or do you have another battery option. I have a Jackery Booster Pack that I think is 14500mah r 14.5ah but I didnt think these would be comparable to a LIFEPo4 12v 10ah especially in cold weather use. Maybe in the warm shack no problem but out on the ice in -20 Celsius does the Boostmi hold up?

Any info is appreciated...

I rarely spend more than a few hours ice fishing in the open at -20C or colder, so can't say how the jump starter would hold up. Certainly no problem in a warm shack.

Power connections: Have standardized on 2-way trailer harness connectors. Between each head unit (EchoMAP CHIRP 53dv, EchoMAP Plus 95sv) and power supply; deep-cycle battery in each skid shack also powers LED lighting. From the jump starter is an adapter cord re-purposed from some former AC/DC transformer/power supply. Can also power from any vehicles with cigarette lighter socket.

[Drift Dodger]

... you need to download the blank quickdraw map to load on the unit for your own map making. ...

gppr ... I have mapped with Quickdraw Contours and generic blank microSD card(s) for 4 years and don't know anything about a 'blank quickdraw map'. Can you clarify what this is? Thanks.

[s0berlin]

I’ve been following this thread. Did you figure out the ice flasher chirp situation. I thought for chirp to be effective you needed to be moving?

[kayl]

I’ve been following this thread. Did you figure out the ice flasher chirp situation. I thought for chirp to be effective you needed to be moving?

You're thinking of side Vu and down Vu. Chirp just means that your sonar essentially transmits in a sweeping range of beam frequencies, rather than just one frequency. It gives better detail and eliminates some "bounce back" as it were.

[s0berlin]

So for shallower >80’ lakes the GT-8 seems to be the way to go?

[sacman11]

Update to my build:

Bought the Garmin 95sv off GPScity along with the GT8 Transducer and the extra power cable and 4-12 pin cable for the transducer.

Bought the Marcum 12v 10AH (with charger) from Cabelas this morning on Boxing Day sale - $99 CDN x 2

Bought the GARMIN EXTRA LARGE CARRY BAG AND BASE - PART NUMBER 010-12676-05 - from Newegg.ca for $59.99 CDN Taxes and Shipping included - I am hoping this is going to be a good bag. I think it is the same one that comes with the Panoptix Package. Though this was a good deal.

So I think I have everything I need to make this work. May need to build some kind of mounting base for the Garmin Mount so it all fits in the base but that should be simple enough - anyone have any pics or suggestions for this.

Merry Xmas

[cl8tnb]

Here is my UHD95SV setup. Originally i bought the Garmin XL bag but returned it as it is huge and takes up a lot of room. I ended up purchasing the Clam bag from Cabela's and found that my plano ammo case for my kayak fit in this bag perfectly so i used it for my base. I bought the GT10 transducer, seems ok but i am not happy with a smaller cone angle.

[sacman11]

----UPDATE--- to my build.

The Garmin XL Bag and Base that ordered from NEWEGG.CA showed up at my door and to my surprise it wasnt a bag at all but rather a part for the Panoptix Pole Mount. I contacted the seller from NewEgg and they admitted they made a mistake and have refund my money but they are not able to send me a new bag. I have a feeling they messed up the item #'s or something cause the deal was too good to be true...

So I am back to deciding what bag to buy

1. Cabelas Clam Bag - $80 CDN
2. Summit Large Bag- $72USD + Summit Shuttle $130USD
3. A combo of the Cabelas Clam Bag and some kind of shuttle or mount.

What to do what to do?

Update to my build:

Bought the Garmin 95sv off GPScity along with the GT8 Transducer and the extra power cable and 4-12 pin cable for the transducer.

Bought the Marcum 12v 10AH (with charger) from Cabelas this morning on Boxing Day sale - $99 CDN x 2

Bought the GARMIN EXTRA LARGE CARRY BAG AND BASE - PART NUMBER 010-12676-05 - from Newegg.ca for $59.99 CDN Taxes and Shipping included - I am hoping this is going to be a good bag. I think it is the same one that comes with the Panoptix Package. Though this was a good deal.

So I think I have everything I need to make this work. May need to build some kind of mounting base for the Garmin Mount so it all fits in the base but that should be simple enough - anyone have any pics or suggestions for this.

Merry Xmas

[sacman11]

Here is some photos and an update on the Garmin 95sv with the GT8 Transducer build.

I went with the Garmin XL Bag and Base and the Marcum Brute Lithium Lifepo4 12v 10ah batteries (x2) which I wired in parallel to obtain a 20ah system and I also wired in two USB 3.0 ports 3amp fast charge ports, and a System On/Off switch to kill power to between the Head Unit and the Batteries when not being used. I also wired in an SAE charging port with a 5amp fuse protection to make it very easy to plug and play the the charging.

Here is a link to a short YOUTUBE video that I thought might be helpful to those who are wondering how the 95sv and two batteries fit in the XL Bag and Base. I can say I am very very happy with the end result. The Garmin XL bag and base are very well built with quality material and zippers, and the base itself is very well built and there is a ton of room for expandability when I am ready to add in the LiveScope Black box and LS32 transducer and wiring.

Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69wtUdnnUd4

Pictures
 

[jugfish920]

Jumping into an old post here as I've also recently picked up a echomap 95sv and looking at a few outfit options. Wondering with time between the last post if anyone has any additional comments on the following...


Ice Transducer

I have the dual beam if ducer already that I had been using with my striker 4 rig, but I would like to explore the advanced functionality chirp provides... as the gt8 and gt10 are both relatively expensive, do you think I could use the dual beam in conjunction with one of the above to cover off both shallow and deep applications?

First thought is to add the gt10 to cover the deep water applications where I felt the dual beam severely lacked, but as I fish in those situations ~25% , would I be using my dual beam more than the more expensive gt10?

Has anyone been using the dual beam with the newer/larger units? I'm assuming it would produce the exact same results as with my striker 4 as its the ducer not the unit, but don't want to assume.

Ultimately would you go gt8 or gt10 in conjunction with the dual beam, or forget about the dual beam (and maybe sell it along with my striker 4 to someone as a packaged unit to offset some of the costs of my sonar upgrade) all together???


Case

Has anyone come across any new /lightweight ideas for a mount? I liked the ammo box hack that most people used (including i) with striker 4s, so I've been looking into much larger ammo boxes. I like this option as its easy to use when initial hole hopping, breaking the unit down for transport and is very functional for both ice and open water tiller applications.

I have a cabelas magnum .50 cal box ,but I'll have to wait to see if the head unit plus bracket will fit with at least 1x 10ah (2 would be better, but I don't see it fitting) , ducer, wires etc inside the box. While I wait for the echomap to arrive, I'd be interested in any other ideas.

Thanks in advance