Hummingbird Helix 5

[Doz601]

Looking for some opinions on this unit. I’ve been borrowing flashers from friends and it’s about time to pull the trigger. Love the horizontal graph option/overlays and gps functions....

[appleye]

I think all the manufactures are pretty good. Since I started running a graph with GPS I'll never not have it on the ice. I save stuff all year then have a milk run of structure to check when on the water. After watching everyone graph of different makes and models is like the Chevy, Ford, Dodge argument. Pick one that fits your style of fish, read the manual front and back and watch all the Youtube you can find then use it on the water.

[Doz601]

Do you run a helix Appleye? I’m curious how well they play with other flashers. Monday at the keyhole the vex I was using was having majors issues with my buddies marcum@ 40’ separation we were still having issues or I was the marcum didn’t hardly flinch. Battery life is my other concern....

[rbmchief]

i've been run the ice helix 5 for 2 years now and I love it. As long as you remember to turn your backlight down when you turn it on(i like it at 5 or 6) the battery life will neve be an issue. I can run it for 2 solid days and nights without a charge and still have battery left. The GPS is awesome, I really like having my choice of graphs and sonar's to watch. It does fine around most other machines and it has noise settings that help but Marcum's are just horrible to fish with, they overpower everything around them from my experience. I can still use mine around them but they can't be right on top of me or they wash my signal out.
I love mine, not sure i'd trade it away for anything else right now

[holehopper]

I use a Helix 7 and a Vex FL-28.  The 28 is my primary but I used the 7 for a while this past weekend.  The 28 definitely has a more "crisp" and real-time display  vs. the 7 in flasher mode.  I run the 7 with a Chirp ice ducer (the multi-beam version).  The 7 did just fine picking up my jig and showing me what I needed to know.  I did like running the 2d on half the screen with the flasher on the other side.  The other thing i liked was having the contour map pulled up on half the screen while I fished the flasher on the other half.  I had some guys come out on ATVs about 200 yards from me.  I was curious what they were fishing and pulled up the map while i was jigging.  I could see exactly what they were on and how far away it was.  It was easy to set a waypoint on that spot as a possible future option.  I still prefer to fish with the 28 given the crisp/clear look but the Helix definitely gives a lot more information on the screen.  I also put the two units within 5 or 6 feet of each other and both did a good job of ignoring (interference) each other. 

[SkWalter]

I did a couple videos on the Helix 5 which are posted in the “General Chit Chat” forum. I had my Marcum VX-1i flasher running about 8-10 feet away on the one video and had no interference issues.

[Doz601]

Thanks for all the input friends.

[appleye]

I run a Lowrance. I play with the noise setting to get the graphs to play in an area.

[waterlike]

i got a humminbird 688ci ice two seasons ago off cabelas a few days before christmas for 50% off. after a while, i really got he hang of it. graph mode which shows history is awesome. i definitely recommend a finder with different modes that include the sliding graph.

[ND_Outdoorsman]

Looking for some opinions on this unit. I’ve been borrowing flashers from friends and it’s about time to pull the trigger. Love the horizontal graph option/overlays and gps functions....

If I were you I would buy the summer version of the Helix 5 G2 GPS so you can use it in the summer or the winter. I picked up the Helix 5 G2 GPS (not DI or SI) for $249 this summer from Reeds Sporting Goods with a $30 visa card rebate. I picked up the ice transducer for it for $76 off ebay and mounted it on a $30 Genz Box. Im using 2 4.5 amp batteries out of my Lucky Duck goose decoy. Like someone said before make sure to turn the back light down so the battery lasts longer. One battery lasts almost all day so a 7 or 8 amp vexilar battery should work fine with this unit.

If you do end up buying the summer unit make sure to buy this specific ice transducer: Humminbird 710273-1 Xi 9 1521 Ice transducer. This transducer is made specifically for the CHIRP sonar units and will give you better performance than the non-CHIRP model.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[Doz601]

Thanks ND I will just get the ice version I don’t own a boat nor will I anytime soon.

[Elkhnter]

Doz601: You will be happy with the Helix 5 they are great fish finders..

[glenwyo]

I used a Helix 5 (not with CHIRP) all of last season and it worked very good. I have never owned a shanty and had fished in below zero temps last season and never drained the battery, even without  dimming the screen. I have a 9ah lithium battery. Clarity is good, though I have run into problems a couple  of times while fishing near other flashers/graphs even after trying various  settings on the "noise" reduction. I got rid of the float for the transducer and installed a Marcum transducer "arm", which I prefer for hole-hopping.

[Dorado]

The interference is the only reason I use my Marcum.  I have found that really any fishfinder works for ice fishing, you can adjust the sensitivity and see your jig at 110', since you are not moving at all!  But dealing with other anglers using fishfinders is where the interference rejection really shines.  I have a Lowrance HDS that I have set up for ice fishing, it really works great, unless someone else is using sonar nearby.  Never have been able to figure out if there is a way to block out other sonar units.....