So heres the situation. My father-in-law needs some new fishfinders.he prefers lowrance and He wants to get 2, one for the trolling motor and one for the dash. He has a minnkota powerdrive with us2 (universal sonar)So heres the question; what would you do? He would prefer the bigger unit on the trolling motor and the smaller on the on the dash for navigating. Hes not on a budget but needs it to be simple to use and doesnt want to get into all the gizmos. So I am just ruling out the hds series. I am thinking about the elite7 on the bow and the elite 4-5 on the dash but is it worth it to still get something with downscan for the bow? If you had to choose between sonar and downscan what would you pick? I have just recently convinced him the gps in a fishfinder is a must so I would like some input as far as what you look for.

If it were me, I would opt for a Lowrance Elite 7 HDI on the TM and an Elite 5 HDI for the console. I don't think you necessarily need downscan on the bow, but in my opinion, it shows more detail.

I agree above- I have an elite 7hdi/chartplotter at the bow and an HDS 5 and the wheel.

The 5 is plenty for me as I am sitting right in front of it and the 7 is amazing standing at the trolling motor. 

I love the split screen DSI/2d as well as ability to use the chart in the 3 screens at bow. 

I think downscan at the bow is great as I spend most my time there anyhow.  Also, I get 0 interference from my TM on the unit and my cord is actually wrapped around the cable.  I know others have to take additional means to remove it.  Only interference I sometimes get is if I forget to stop the sonar at the wheel before jumping up the fish up front.

If he wants to use the US2 transducer, The Down Scan technology will not work with a 2D transducer.

If he wants to use the US2 transducer, The Down Scan technology will not work with a 2D transducer.

 

I do understand that and its a minor setback as I usually use just sonar and gps while fishing, but I really like downscan when moving around to look for structure.  thank you for your replies.