garmin striker 4 ice combo
Since the time I bought my first fishfinder in 1989, fish technology has come far. I can still clearly remember the fish icons on the view screen. When I was young, I was sure that there was a huge fish just below the boat. But it didn’t seem to be very helpful. These days, depth imaging and sonar technology have made it so that fish finders can really help you improve your fishing skills. We have now access to fantastic geolocation technology, (GPS), at very reasonable prices. The combo units are able to combine location data with underwater imaging data to provide a complete picture about where and what you're fishin.
GPS fishfinders are extremely important to fishing. The devices come with an embedded GPS and can be used to pinpoint your exact fishing location within seconds. Continuous inertial reference pulse (CHIRP) sonar technology lets you see the habits of fish and their feeding patterns much better than traditional GPS. An important accessory for fisherman is a GPS fishfinder with a larger screen than 7.8 inches.
The supplied transducer includes a transom mount as well as a builtin water temperature probe. It also comes with a 20 foot cable. The temperature graph function shows the difference in temperature between the surface temperature of the water and the currents beneath it.
Your operational learning curve will also be reduced because you only need to learn to operate one unit and not two. One of the downsides to a combination unit, is that it puts all your marine electronics eggs in the same basket. For most boaters, this won't be a problem because failure is rare. But, you need to be able to navigate to safe harbor in the event that your unit fails.
Many newer chartplotter fishfinders are capable of displaying AIS targets when connected with a receiver. These data are generally transmitted using an NMEA 0183 HS network. This network is 38400 baud and is not compatible with the slower 4800 baud NMEA 0283 system.
Over the last ten years, HDS series has been constantly improved and enhanced. These units provide superior hardware and software. One of the unique features in the new version is the multi-touch screen. This screen, along with the button navigation, are the only ones that have this feature. The HDS series fishfinders are a great choice for both novice and experienced anglers.
The display screen is what matters most when choosing a chartplotter/fishfinder combination. We always choose the highest resolution display screen we can afford. Some of the newer 5-inch screens we tested had resolutions in excess 150 pixels per run inch. Although a screen of this size will display stunning detail, it should be viewed from close by.
