Aqua VU VPG user review

[ickirby]

Standard Features Include:

7.2-amp 12-volt battery and battery charger with "quick-charge" access

Neoprene softcase with Velcro enclosure

200 kHz transducer frequency for maximum true resolution

18-degree transducer angle (equals 3-square feet of bottom coverage in 10 feet of water

Retractable transducer arm extends over ice hole or fits smoothly into softcase

1000-watts true RMS power

Target separation of less than 1/2-inch

Adjustable zoom can be targeted to view any segment of the water column

Adjustable sensitivity

10-level adjustable noise rejection

Auto range

Backlit night-glow display

Digital range control – 20’, 40’, 60’, 80’, 240’

"Ice Mode" heats LCD for continuous high-speed operation on the ice

Super low current draw for extended operation

OK now that’s the company’s spiel here is what I have to say:

First I’ll explain a couple things about me and my use of the unit so far.

4 days fishing 2 days panfish 2 days walleye

Lake use and river use with currant

Second sonar unit I have ever owned

Cold weather as cold as –33oc before wind

I paid 299.99 CDN for the unit.

OK here is a point by point of all the features and my experience with each.

The battery came fully charged and after plugging in to the “quick charge” access, I paid close attention to the connections and things seem very solidly built and pretty convenient for charging.  I have read and agree with complaints that for a tight fit the battery comes with a wooden block taped to it.  The company could have designed the battery compartment better to accommodate the battery.  This variable compartment size however did allow for the use of a slightly larger back up battery I already owned, so I cannot complain too much I guess.

The neoprene soft case held up very nicely and does an excellent job of protecting the unit.  The Velcro lined lid was a bit of a pain with wool mittens on but you can chalk that up to user stupidity.

I’m no electrical engineer the transducer frequency means absolutely nothing to me same as 99% of the rest of you.

Transducer angle is all about personal preference and water depth.  Since I generally fish in shallower water I would choose a wide transducer angle and lucky for me this unit has it.  The 18o angle is the only option presently available but the company should (hint, hint) come out with optional accessories like different transducers shortly I’m sure.

The retractable transducer arm works very well and seems up to its task in life.  Only thing here is be conscious of where you place the battery strap because it could interfere with the retracting of the retractable arm.

For advice on 1000-watts true RMS power please refer to www.idontgiveacrapaslo ngasitworks.com or www.mineisbiggerthanyo urs.com

The target separation is really difficult to judge but I found it to be very good separating my jig and fish in an active school of perch and that’s all I need it to do.  Next time I’m out I’ll reach down the hole with a ruler and check out this ˝” claim.

The adjustable zoom was a very handy feature, I used this a lot and was very happy with it.  It will target any section of the water column you desire.  One thing that this unit does not have is a view of the entire column at the same time as the zoom feature which could be handy in locating suspended fish outside of the zoom range selected.

Adjustable sensitivity (for you Vex/Marcum guys Gain, I think) this feature worked very well also.  I hardly ever had to turn up the sensitivity past about 16% and I was using a 1/16th oz jig in 24 feet of water.  If you turn the sensitivity too far up it messes with your bottom reading (takes a double reading at about 2x the depth of actual bottom and shifts your viewing scale accordingly) a little in shallower water with hard bottoms also so look out for that.

10 level adjustable noise reduction was not truly tested and I say that because there are a ton of you out there who think this only applies to interference from other flashers.  I have not fished it beside another flasher but I was getting interference from an aeration unit about 30-45m away from one of my fishing spots and the noise/IR system worked very well at eliminating that.

Auto range sets the depth scale automatically for you when you set the unit in place.  This feature gave me a bit of trouble when I had interference from the aeration unit and when the sensitivity was too high.  I was having a false reading below the actual bottom and was setting the auto range accordingly, which was annoying.  I was fishing in 24 feet of water and was on the 0-120 ft scale which made seeing suspended crappie difficult even with ˝” target separation.  After fixing the noise and sensitivity controls and restarting the unit (5-7 sec) the problem was fixed and now that I have learned that lesson I don’t think it will be a problem again.

Back lit night glo display.  This display worked flawlessly.  It was very simple and intuitive to use and the vertical layout (even for an experienced circle flasher user) was nice and not difficult to adjust to at all.  The light was on 100% of the time I have used the unit and was not a problem during the day at all and was excellent at night.  It is not so bright as to hurt your eyes in low light but it does not have adjustable brightness so it’s a d**n good thing it doesn’t.  During the day even in direct sunlight the display was clear as crystal and there is no way to adjust contrast but as I see it there is no need either.

Digital range control worked well and I played with it a lot during the learning of sensitivity and noise.   As I see it if  the auto range control is working well this feature would only be used when fishing in deep water 80’+ and fishing for suspended fish (something I have yet to do ever let alone with this flasher).

“Ice Mode” heats up the LCD display to make sure that your liquid crystals don’t slow to a crawl.  I fished at –28oc with a windchill of –39oc and had the unit in direct wind outside for 2.5 hours and not a pixel slowed down on the entire unit the entire time.  It was all I could take and my buddies were back in the truck waving me in when I left so that’s all I can ask of my unit to be happy on the lake when it is too cold for me and my fishn’ buddies.

Super slow currant draw for long operation is the exact claim and I’d say they were right on the money.  I have used the unit for 4 full days fishing (about 25 hours and I until the last trip after each trip the charger said full and after the last one I charged it for an hour and it was full.  I think that is pretty good since the internal heater was on the entire time and the screen light.  No complaints at all here.

I will update this post as I get more experience with this unit and change my rating if I need to but I’m giving this unit 4 walleye out of 5

[PondPro]

Thank you for the info they seem like they work good. would you recamend this or a fl-8se?

[Skiff]

Excellent review!  Not often that a user has input into a product review to the extent that you gave.  Mostly reviews are company hype which may or may not live up to expectations.  I was particularly interested in it's cold-weather functioning, and your review covers that nicely!  WTG!
 

[PondPro]

oh yea dose this show you how deep your jig is and shows the fish going to it???

[ickirby]

Thank you for the info they seem like they work good. would you recamend this or a fl-8se?

I have no experience with the FL-8se so I cannot give you advice on that.  There are some great threads about those flashers here on this equipment board.  Just read through a few of them and decide what features are most important for you and figure out your budget then decide and ignore everyones bickering about what unit is better.  I suggest a good place to start is http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=38003.0

oh yea dose this show you how deep your jig is and shows the fish going to it???

This does show your jig and does show fish.  Anything that is displayed is shown by a 4 level gray scale display.  As the fish marked or jig get closer to the center of the transducer cone they register a stronger signal and show up as a darker band on your display.

[PondPro]

Thanks for the info

[ickirby]

Almost 300 people viewing this post and only one question 

[Kierran]

ickirby: your review help finalize my decision.  I'm picking up a VPG today.  I'll get back to you after I use it this weekend.  Thanks.

[stumper]

Almost 300 people viewing this post and only one question 

This is why.
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=40427.0

[icontact]

Almost 300 people viewing this post and only one question 

I have a question or two, how many have been returned because of the battery/ box design with a piece of wood for a spacer (I can't believe they actually released it with a piece of wood for a spacer). How many returned because they don't read in less than 5 ft of water, or the excessive interference etc. etc. I think it may be wise to wait for next years model, a piece of wood, I still can't believe it!!!!

[stumper]

The last one I heard of that got returned was because it froze up even on ice mode. He said it was working good then it just started to get slow and went black.

[Wannafish]

i know im a little late but i wanted to know what "Gain" is.

[Bean]

i know im a little late but i wanted to know what "Gain" is.

Gain is used to control the amount of energy let into the machine from the transducer-sent sound wave. Without enough energy(low gain), you won't mark anything; with too much(high gain) you'll mark everything. Neither extreme presents a useful picture. So when setting your gain, adjust it so you can see your jig or lure well. Sometimes it takes a little tweaking back and forth to get it adjusted right for different lures.

[Kierran]

My VPG has worked flawlessly for 7 trips so far.  Knock on wood (spacers). 

[Wannafish]

one more question  i was looking at the pic what is the up and down  with ice in between it do?

[ickirby]

one more question  i was looking at the pic what is the up and down  with ice in between it do?

When you push both of the buttons "up" and "down" it turns on/off the heater for the LCD display.

[Wannafish]

Thanks. I just bought one and cant wait to use it. Thanks again for making my decision easier.

[xcr440]

Is everyone still happy with these units?

[Fisherman 1]

So far, so good, got the upgrade done, zoom and target separation are better now.

[xcr440]

is there a way to tell if upgrade has been done?

[Fisherman 1]

When sent in for upgrade, they change the faceplate to show "Showdown" instead of the old VPG logo. 

[xcr440]

versa sent me a page this morning tell me how to check. you push 2 buttons and the program number comes. up. Did you have to pay. I see on their site that they list 5.0 -5.6 is $50 but nothing from 2.0-5.6?

[Fisherman 1]

Yes I paid for the upgrade from 2.? to the newest 5.6, it's all the same price.  The only grief was them using UPS for shipping, paid Versa electronics, $12 for the listed shipping, then they go any ship by UPS and got hosed another $38.  So needless to say, they will never get any more business from me, they completely ignore any e-mails or real mail.   Which 2 buttons do you have to push to find out the version?  Thanks.

[xcr440]

press and hold the noise button and the power button at the same time for 5 seconds and the software version will appear on the bottom of the display.   


They answered my email in about 12 hours.

[Fisherman 1]

  Thanks, it works.

[xcr440]

 8)