Thanks for the recommendation 3300. Why do you recommend the digital sonar over the other flasher types? Mainly price?
it's not a quick answer to your question. being you are new to sonar, there is a lot to learn. it usually takes time, so instead i have plenty to tell you to help you better understand them.
the showdown is the least amount of money i would spend on a dedicated ice digital sonar. so that's why i suggested a showdown. on marcums web site you can get 10% off when you sign up for emails.
my friend has two showdowns and both are working fine and never had to send them in. i found the original version made by aqua-vu 10 years ago on sale for 225$ from d&r sports kalamazoo michigan and that's working and i found the marcum version he is using still also on sale from sportsmans guide on payments. if you become a member there, they let you make payments last i knew.
i see them on ice in my area often and i always ask the owners how they like them and it is always a positive response and not one negative response from any owner ever. one person just yesterday told us he won a tournament and won first place. guess what he was using? that's right, a showdown! i asked if he tried the color version of it and he said his buddy has one, but he prefers the gray scale better. i showed him the colored version allows you to change it to gray scale also. it's more for the color blind.
when you look at one, you will notice the display is a vertical one. this is how you fish the water column too. your not fishing in a dial/wheel pattern and this makes no sense to do so.
when showdown came out i liked them so much i said when they make it in color i would buy one and marcum bought the showdown and then started making it in color and with a graph chart option. those are called the lx-6 and lx-7 and lx-9. mean while i was stuck using an over priced mechanical flasher that i really didn't like at all. it cost 535$ for the hb ice-55 and the motor fried in it and it costs 180$ more for that fix and now they will want another 180$ to fix the on/off/depth knob i asked them to fix twice while they had it under warranty and they refused. so stay away from humminbird!!
i did get used to the 6 colors of the ice-55 tho and i wouldn't use any thing less. the 3 colors don't cut it for me. twice the color means twice as much detailed information.
i like new technology! some don't, it doesn't matter what others like to me at all. you have to like your choice because it will be an expensive one. if you out grow it like i did, then you will want some thing that updates with time like digital sonars do.
so when shopping you have to know there are two types to chose from old outdated mechanical flasher sonar (40 years old now) and new advanced digital sonar. mechanical flashers flash lights in your face to give you the information it has, while digital draws that information and because it draws (not flashes light) it can draw lines like a graph sonar does if you look into the lx6/7/9 units.
i prefer a lx-9. i knew buying the lx-7 that it could be converted into the lx-9 which is just the lx-7 with their added camera package so it shows the digital sonar screen and or the camera at the same time on one screen. it also allows you to chose from up to 6 charts at one time and have shown at one time or if you have the lx-9 up to 5 charts and camera. it has a dial/wheel chart option for those who got used to fishing in a circle.
the charts overlay on top of the camera. it is very nice and nothing else is like it except for marcums new rt-9 and that is a ruggedised tablet with gps and camera and sonar and way over your budget.
mechanical flasher can not be updated via software. you have to buy all new in order to update it. this becomes costly choosing this route. some never do because they got hit hard with their decision of type of sonar when they first bought it or think it's good enough for them or what ever the reason is for them, it doesn't matter to me.
these do not quit because of cold, they are designed for ice fishing and the lx6/7/9 has a high speed transducer available so you can use them all year long and not have to buy yet another sonar for the boat or kayak.
some one mentioned his new lx7 quit while using it and returned it. if it quit, it was under warranty. i would have had it worked on instead and it would not have cost any thing at all to do so. they come with a two year warranty.
take a look at the different brands and types on youtube to help get a better understanding of them. this way it will be more than words.
here is a picture of my lx9 and it will look the same if it were the lx6 or lx7. what your seeing here is crappie eating plankton. the long blue line is my jig holding steady. those blue dash lines are the plankton and the red swoosh is a big ol crappie i caught during this picture. they come up from under your bait to attack them. this shows that happening! flashers can not show you this at all. the yellow with broken red dashes is the bottom of the lake.
those lights on the top are from my led's on my overhead bar in flip over shanty.
take a look at the mechanical flashers and see which one looks better to you. you will see a wheel with flashing lights on it. they also have large lights to represent jigs and not thin lines.
here are some youtube links to get you started
showdown, the one i recommended for your budget.
vex fl8. notice all of the clutter shown at the top of the water. notice how large the lights are indicating jigs. in your budget.
lx-6/7
here is an on site poll from here to see what brands are the most bought. marcum is the winner. vex does not make digital sonar for ice fishing.
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=331371.0as said they will all show jigs and fish, just like all cars get you around. so any sonar working is better than none. buying some thing you won't out grow like i did (hb ice-55) or wish it had different features after you bought it gets expensive. so try to buy right by buying smart in the first place. if you have to go over budget to get what you think you want. it should save you money in the long run.
digital units have the most features hands down!
for what it's worth to you, vexilar is made in japan.
marcum is made in america and a sponsor here. look at the giant marcum logo at the top of these pages.
mechanical flashers are the cheapest option or open water sonars that offer the ice transducer are too.
what ever you buy, it will make fishing too easy! lol
