AQUA-VU VERTICAL PIXEL GRAPH????

[BIGJim223]

Anybody know anything about these? Here is one on the 'bay for sale : http://www.ebay.com/itm/AQUA-VU-VERTICAL-PIXEL-GRAPH-NO643-0264-/280818773473?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41621a6de1

Must be a Showdown, pre Marcum, I guess. Never heard or saw one before.

BIGJim223

[Skipper]

If memory suits me, the Aqua-Vu VPG was the first Showdown. I seem to remember it being a bunch of trouble and tons of members being very disappointed in it. They worked out the glitches, and re released it the following winter as the Showdown to try and get away from the bad reviews.

I also seem to remember that there were software updates to fix the glitches. This unit may be totally fine. 

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Anybody know anything about these? Here is one on the 'bay for sale : http://www.ebay.com/itm/AQUA-VU-VERTICAL-PIXEL-GRAPH-NO643-0264-/280818773473?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41621a6de1

Must be a Showdown, pre Marcum, I guess. Never heard or saw one before.

BIGJim223

The Unit is the exact same has the Showdwn 5.6. If you bought this unit, all you would have to do is send in the head unit & for $15 they will put a showdown face plate on it and do the upgrade  the software for $49.  So if the Showdown 5.6 is worth $309 like it would cost you $165 for VPG, $30 shipping to/from marcum, $15 for a showdown face plate, $50 for the software upgrade, $20 for missing charger...........So you'd have $280 for a used showdown 5.6 or you could buy a new showdown 5.6 for around $309 (could be on sale for cheaper) or a new Showdown trollor for $160 at cabellas.

Overall if you don't get the upgrade the unit is worthless. That's why they changed the name, software was so bad it wouldn't work. Probably why the ex boy friend left it at her place. If any upgrades were done there would be a Showdown face plate on it.

[bigredonice]

Jim, back in the day, these Zercom Real Time Sonars were considered comparable to other flashers...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zercom-Marine-RTS-Boat-Depth-Fish-Finder-Gauge-Ice-Fishing-Flasher-USA-Nice-/170771560867?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c2c739a3

I've seen them used on in-fisherman, and they seem to work very well

[ice dawg]

OMC had a verticle LCG type sonar in the seventies also. I think it was called an OMC Tracker 2000.
http://www.blujay.com/item/1985-OMC-TRACKER-2000-FISH-LOCATER-LG-COLOR-AD-7170000-1497497

[au·ger]

Jim I bought one last year off of Craigslist, same case with the showdown face that was upgraded to the 5.6 already.  The buttons on the side of the mount say AV so not sure if it was pre marcum but it works great. I bought it as a loaner/backup. I sent it to marcum for a check up and disclosed it was used so let me know if anything needed repair to charge me but they fixed something and said no charge, great service! So I bought an lx5 right after that! I used it on Otsego last year my first time ever going there and it worked great in the 160' area, you're welcome to try it if you'd like, its always with me in the sled for anyone who doesn't have electronics .

[BIGJim223]

I wasn't looking to buy it, just interested what the story was on these. Strange I had never heard of them or saw anyone use one over the years.
  I have seen the Zercom though never used one. The OMC unit seems to ring a bell in my memory! I was outfitting a used boat I bought in '85-'86 and it seems I considered one of those. I bought an Eagle LCD instead, which was a very good buy for the money in those days. Worked very well also for those "newfangled" downriggers I was experimenting with on Otsego Lake.
Thanks for the info!

BIGJim223