Hey all,
My 20 year old Lowrance X70A is starting to fog up and my 20 year old Garmin GPS III recently died. I have been looking at replacing these two units with a combo for my kayak. In looking around it appears to me that feature wise the Humminbird 597ci HD DI Combo has everything I want and a good bit more. I know there are smaller units, but my 50 year old eyes like the big screen
I searched the site but was not able to find enough information on the following questions:
Questions:
1. How is the screen in the bright sun (good, bad, acceptable)? Does it scratch easily?
2. Waterproof. Has anyone accidentally tested this? Mine will be exposed out in the rain. Any issues here?
3. Down imaging. Looks great in the demos. Anyone see benefit in practice? Do you use it this mode or just the normal sonar mode?
4. How good is the GPS? I can not find any information here. Does it lock fast? Does it stay locked? Does it seem accurate compared to other GPS?
5. Does the unit operate well in deeper water (100', 200').
6. Did you upgrade your maps or do you use the built in maps? If upgraded, to what and are you happy?
7. Ruggedness. Does the unit seem rugged? If you have banged yours around at all has it affected performance?
8. Anything else that you specifically like or dislike about this model?
Thanks for any specific information you can provide.
_________________
Fish tremble when they hear my name
A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.
--John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928