Are there any issues with running my unit out of the water? (So I can look at my waypoints and maps.)  Does the transducer get warm?

I've been operating two 73SV's and a 93SV on and off since I picked them up at the BPS sale on the 11th.  These are my first Garmin's so I've had them at my desk on a power supply going through setting them up, reading the manual and learning all their features.  No, the transducer does not get warm and it doesn't bother them.  If the transducer is not connected, it will shut the sonar down, found that out when I accidently knocked it unplugged.  (I haven't put the lock on them yet).  Yesterday, I did set the transducer in a plastic container with a couple of inches of water in just so I could get a depth reading on the sonar, but that was only so I could play with those features.  That was not required just to operate it. 

One thing, I posted this in another post but will mention it to you.  When setting mine up, I was surprised to find they did not come from the factory with WAAS enabled in any of these, and haven't really seen a mention of that in the manual yet.  WAAS being enable can make a huge difference in accuracy.