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Well guysI was tired of debating between Vex and Marcum. I ordered the LX5 last night. If I don't like it, I'll put it on Ebay and order a Vex.
trapperdirk,Thanks for the info. I guess what still isn't clear to me is whether these units have some moving parts inside,(do they whirr like the original Lowrance Fish-Locator, Hummingbird flashers, etc) or arethe display LEDs turned on/off via electronic switching? No big deal, I was just wonderinghow the technology is progressing.
still not impressed with the vex units,,,,,they only tell the depth
You can get a lemon in a Ferrari.
The LX-5 will use more power than a Vex. According to my FL-18 manual it's using 350ma. According to my Marcum manual it's using 400ma. Going by these numbers the Vex should run roughly 20 hrs, on a 7 amp battery, and the Marcum roughly 18 hrs.Keep in mind that the lower the battery gets the worse the readings usually get.
Excellent tips icetechy. I had done the same with mine and also removed the swing arm and installed a float ! Jack you have mail !!
I kicked around the idea of rigging up a float on my LX-3, but after using the swing arm a few times, I decided I like that setup better than the ice-ducer setup. I hole hop alot, and being able to just pick up the unit and have the transducer follow right along without all the extra cord is a huge benefit.
By moving the unit bracket rearward it allowed more room for the transducer and more room in general. I took the float off of my FL-18 and put it on. Removed the swing arm (1 nut/bolt) and the float fit in like a glove (sideways). I tried it for a few outings and prefer it. If I didn't it was simply a matter of 1 bolt and nut to go back to the swing arm.I like to have the unit where I want it - which I can with the float. With the swing arm I'm straddled to the hole. If I hook into a descent fish I can grab the cable or float and get it out of the hole easier before the line wraps around the cable. When hole hopping I lay the unit and transducer on my sled seat. When I get to a new hole I can drop the ducer in the hole and get a quick reading.It will boil down to personal preferance and the way I have my LX-5 set up is mine ! Without the swing arm, how do you keep the cord and transducer away from the edge of the ice?...with the arm and less than a foot of ice, you need to only keep the transducer submersed...at least this is my understanding?
That is what they say but I like to keep it near the bottom of the hole. Think about it ... the signal is going out in roughly a funnel shape (upside down). Granted it might not affect you in 1 foot of ice but when you're upstate NY or in Maine and you have 2 feet or more of ice I think the readings would be affected.I've accustomed myself to keeping it at the bottom of the hole. Now if there is 1 foot of ice I simply have the stopper set so the transducer is at 1 foot. The float is roughly 6" and the ducer roughly 3". If I set it tight against the transducer I'm alright in 9" of ice. Lately I've been on 5-6" of ice and it will hang below the hole but that's the price I pay. As soon as I set the hook the transducer is out of the hole. As for the transducer and line near the edge of the ice ? The float works as a cushion for the line and the float thickness keeps the transducer away from the ice. The line coming out the top I have looped around the knobs for the head tilt and this keeps all line off the ice.Again it's personal preferance !!
I love when the big brown truck pulls in my driveway. He just dropped off my new LX5 hat from Marcum. I'd rather have ice though instead of the hat.
Just got my LX5 yesterday and found a card for the free hat----Free hat but they want 6.50 for shipping !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Think I'll buy a few jigs for the 6.50 instead
That does stink. Wouldn't you think if you spend that kind of cash, they would throw in a FREE hat?
Do you guys turn your units off when going from hole to hole or just leave them on ??