Wayne P.

Yes, lots of reports about the new MEGA Imaging units. Just do a web search for Humminbird MEGA Imaging. I have a new unit that does MEGA Imaging but it is the SOLIX.

Epoxy is somewhat OK if both surfaces are properly prepared. THEN you attach a tether to the mount plate in case the epoxy fails so you don't loose your transducer and plate. I would not trust just epoxy. That is used for installation of shoot-thru transducers and they come loose sometimes. The hull will expand and contract with temp changes and the epoxy/plate won't be doing that at the same rate. That doesn't even include hull flex due to shock loads on the trailer and the water.

The $1700 Helix 10 is the Helix 10 CHIRP MEGA SI G2N. It does CHIRP Side Imaging, CHIRP Down Imaging, CHIRP 2D Sonar and has the 1.2 MKz imaging frequency. Does all of that right out of the box. You used "fishfinders" and "willing to spend around $1600" so just one of those is over your budget.

There are 12 Humminbird Helix G2N models ----which one?????? They are current models There are several display sizes of HDS Gen2 and every one is two generations old. There are Gen3 and Carbon models after those.

It has zero benefit for where and how I fish. It may do better with a more powerful CHIRP specific transducer like AIRMAR has. I have done extensive testing with CHIRP and single frequency with the same units, on the same fish, the same day, and within the time frame of changing the settings, and see no difference. See any difference with these same fish? This is the 83 kHz band single and CHIRP frequency: This is the 200 kHz band single and CHIRP frequency:

Still out for me and four of my units are CHIRPers.

Do a web search for CHIRP sonar.

The Eagle is a 2D unit. It was an antique before there were any recreational imaging units. The Humminbird Helix 5 SI GPS G2 is $499 and replaced the discontinued Helix 5 SI GPS at the same MSRP last year. The discontinued model should be on sale wherever you may find one. I have seen them at Gander Mt and Dick's Sporting Goods. It has Side Imaging, Down Imaging, 2D Sonar, GPS/mapping. The current model G2 has CHIRP Sonar and CHIRP Imaging.

Did you check the water temp or the calendar for possible fish location? Where I have been fishing, the fish have been shallow for a month and I see lots of anglers still using the calendar for a pattern.

Thanks I have very good contour maps that were created with Navionics Sonar Charts so I have no need to re-do them with another method. I have four Humminbird units that do Auto Chart Live and don't spend any time making contour maps with those---just test areas sometimes.

In Central Va, I have been catching large, small, and medium size bass in less than 2' of water for about a month. They have been roaming and eating. Water temps in the mid 50's.

Never could get ReefMaster to work with the demo version so I never purchased the software.

I have been using Chatterbaits since the real original ones and always with superline. I use 50# Spiderwire Stealth. Water clarity is an non-issue. If you read the back of the package it states braided line for best performance.

This is the Helix FishID symbols:

The ONLY setting you have for a Side Imaging transducer is Compact Sidescan. What you get with the HDSI transducer is longer SI crystals that produce sharper images. In no way does that transducer add any extra functions to your unit.

The kayak kit is designed for the Humminbird transom 2D transducer XNT 9 20 T. The same company that owns Humminbird also owns OLD TOWN. Their stuff works with their stuff. Lowrance has a somewhat round transducer that is used for shoot-thru and trolling motor mounting. Has no mount stem though like the transom transducer. You will have to invent your own workaround using an off-brand sonar unit.

Sort of a difference in the price between the 2GB and 16GB cards-----$50 Other than the capacity, you can do the same thing with both.

The 2GB Navionics+ cards were discontinued a few years ago. Now there is the Navionics+ Region cards and the Navionics+ Preloaded 16 GB card that has all the Nautical Charts for the US and Canada. The Navionics+ Region cards replaced the discontinued Navionics Hotmaps Premium Region cards. The last year for the Premium was 2015.

I have most of the Navionics products except the Platinum+, I don't fish offshore. You can download the Lakemaster lake lists from the Humminbird Lakemaster website. You can view the current Navionics maps on their website's Web App. Lakemaster is very good for their coverage done by them listed as Lakemaster High Definition Survey. The other two detail levels, not so much.

Air bladder size. It take at least a 1# bass to get the smallest FishID symbol. There are two sets of symbols, one for fresh water and one for salt water. Only Humminbird does that. Anything in the water column can the represented by arches "raw data". If you fish for small species, it won't be any benefit to you. The Helix has them also, just a different looking fish symbol. Sort of looks like a walleye. The SOLIX is the new version of ONIX. The ONIX FishID symbols were shaped like tuna. That was changed with the last software update so the ONIX and SOLIX look the same. Yes, I have an ONIX also. This is what the ONIX symbols looked like originally:

You did what you were supposed to do. If you left it with a Side Imaging transducer selection, you can damage the unit processor since the unit would be pinging on unloaded circuits.

It's crappie---large ones, they school vertically.

Did you change the Connected Transducer setting to Dual Beam?

All the 500 series units come the XNT transom mount. Plastic two parts that have impact trip. That is for the 2D, DI, or SI models. All new units that have XNT transducers have the exact same transom mount. Example: XNT 9 20 T is the Dual Beam 2D sonar transom transducer. The included transducer for every model is in the specs for each model on the Humminbird website.

The Web App in on the Navionics website. It is the current maps as of yesterday----well maybe today if they have already done the update for today. It has both map layers. You toggle between the layers by clicking on the circle at the lower left of the panel. When the circle is blue, that is Sonar Charts, when its grey, that is Nautical Charts.