Thread: What's wrong with Humminbird

Humminbird must really be slow in updating their website. I say this because they have all new models with bonus features, which you can see on other websites, but not on theirs. My big gripe about the 797 was that it only had one card slot. No problem, the 798 has 2 and better resolution, and the 50Channel reciever.

And they added the 3 programmable buttons, I like that.

So why wouldn't your own site, have the latest and greatest on it? You've got me?

Try some of the marine electronics on the web. You dont need Hummingbird. HB has a phone line to the tec. service. They are very helpful I have used them while I was on the lake. Good luck.

The problem with hummingbird is just that hummingbird gota have a garmin!

Been lurking and reading...been an avid Lowrance fan for 25 years. Only experience with hummingbird was early after I replaced my Lowrance flasher with my first "pixel" graph. Anyway, was really thinking about the new HDS from Lowrance but then a friend mentioned HP and SI.

Went to their site and was looking at what I thought was the new line...found this... 997c SI Combo

.

Then I stumbled onto this site...looks like it is directly connected with HP.Humminbird 997C SI Combo w/ Transom-Mount Transducer, 406970-1

Now correct me i I am wrong, but HB has been having some problems with "software" in conjunction with their gps. Looking through both sites the "Factory Outlet" product has a "NOTICEABLE"
and in RED description of their new setup, and I quote "16 Channel WAAS/EGNOS GPS Receiver Included".

On the other website, there is no mention of this. Am I looking at this wrong? I have tried to compare both products and look for similiarities and difference. The only thing I noticed so far was that in the description of the product. The outlet store has a capital "C" after 997. The HB site only provides a lower case "c". Guess maybe I need to know and understand the hierarchy in this regards to their naming system and what year each one represents.

Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by drifter106

Been lurking and reading...been an avid Lowrance fan for 25 years. Only experience with hummingbird was early after I replaced my Lowrance flasher with my first "pixel" graph. Anyway, was really thinking about the new HDS from Lowrance but then a friend mentioned HP and SI.

Went to their site and was looking at what I thought was the new line...found this... 997c SI Combo

.

Then I stumbled onto this site...looks like it is directly connected with HP.Humminbird 997C SI Combo w/ Transom-Mount Transducer, 406970-1

Now correct me i I am wrong, but HB has been having some problems with "software" in conjunction with their gps. Looking through both sites the "Factory Outlet" product has a "NOTICEABLE"
and in RED description of their new setup, and I quote "16 Channel WAAS/EGNOS GPS Receiver Included".

On the other website, there is no mention of this. Am I looking at this wrong? I have tried to compare both products and look for similiarities and difference. The only thing I noticed so far was that in the description of the product. The outlet store has a capital "C" after 997. The HB site only provides a lower case "c". Guess maybe I need to know and understand the hierarchy in this regards to their naming system and what year each one represents.

Any thoughts?

The C doesn't really matter with a 997. Just denotes COLOR, which the unit always is. I'm not sure if there is a difference between the 16 channel and the 50 channel since the software seems to be the problem. What sucks, is that any lowrance unit functions perfectly with a 16 Channel.

Now if you want to know everything about the unit, you better get with Canepole. I'm sure by now he's torn into one and probably modified it to suit his needs. He's an electronic wizard. (Canepole, I'd like to get a price quote to send you my SI trolling motor transducer to see if you can splice it better then I was able to. Hit a stump and broke a couple wires)
When I buy, it'll be from these guys Marine Electronics & Fishing Equipment, Buy Humminbird, Raymarine & Garmin Fishfinders, Handheld GPS, Chartplotters, Radios, Radars & Autopilots Online

probably the best prices I've seen.

To me, it's not worth the money to buy a lowrance high end, big screen unit, since it lacks SI. I have found cars, 50Gallon Drums, submerged foundations, etc with the SI, plus some great laydowns that were not visible from the water. Certainly you might be able to recognize a laydown with the lowrance, but it's a lot easier when you pretty much have a picture of what's under the water. JMO I'll be buying the 798 within a couple weeks if everything works out right.

Originally Posted by mduncan62

The C doesn't really matter with a 997. Just denotes COLOR, which the unit always is. I'm not sure if there is a difference between the 16 channel and the 50 channel since the software seems to be the problem. What sucks, is that any lowrance unit functions perfectly with a 16 Channel.

Now if you want to know everything about the unit, you better get with Canepole. I'm sure by now he's torn into one and probably modified it to suit his needs. He's an electronic wizard. (Canepole, I'd like to get a price quote to send you my SI trolling motor transducer to see if you can splice it better then I was able to. Hit a stump and broke a couple wires)
When I buy, it'll be from these guys Marine Electronics & Fishing Equipment, Buy Humminbird, Raymarine & Garmin Fishfinders, Handheld GPS, Chartplotters, Radios, Radars & Autopilots Online

probably the best prices I've seen.

To me, it's not worth the money to buy a lowrance high end, big screen unit, since it lacks SI. I have found cars, 50Gallon Drums, submerged foundations, etc with the SI, plus some great laydowns that were not visible from the water. Certainly you might be able to recognize a laydown with the lowrance, but it's a lot easier when you pretty much have a picture of what's under the water. JMO I'll be buying the 798 within a couple weeks if everything works out right.

Sorry, just now read your post. Take it off and send it to me. No charge and no guarantee. I will see what I can do with it.

I'll be taking it off in a couple days, and I'll pm you for your info. I appreciate it, and if it dies it's not that big of a deal. Decided I didn't need two SI units so I just got a 778C from J and H delivered today. Got the interlink and ram mount. Wish they would have had the second card reader on the 797 like they have on the new 700's. I'm not sure I'd use it on my 778c, since it's not SI. They did include the 50 channel gps puck, don't know that I'll bother with it though.

Originally Posted by mduncan62

I'll be taking it off in a couple days, and I'll pm you for your info. I appreciate it, and if it dies it's not that big of a deal. Decided I didn't need two SI units so I just got a 778C from J and H delivered today. Got the interlink and ram mount. Wish they would have had the second card reader on the 797 like they have on the new 700's. I'm not sure I'd use it on my 778c, since it's not SI. They did include the 50 channel gps puck, don't know that I'll bother with it though.

ok.

The 50 channel GPS antenna puck is an upgrade. It does not come with the new units. The 16 channel GPS antenna puck is what comes with the units. The 50 channel is just a higher accuracy antenna.

The problems with the GPS with the SI has been that when you are using the bird's eye view, the response from the gps to showing your position on the screen is slow updating. HB is aware of the issue. I would expect there to be a software release to fix this issue. HB normally releases software in the spring and the fall. Let's hope for a spring release.

Even with the slow gps response issue, I have thoroughly enjoyed my 997. It has saved me some serious time. It's cool to be able to make a couple of swipes through a cove and know everything that is going on. It saves me so much time of having to do it the old fashion way of having to use a traditional down looking sonar and having to scan every square foot of the cove.

There is a lake I have been fishing for over 30 years and I have learned more about it in the last 6 months than I have the past 30 years by have this SI unit.

What is so cool is that it doesn't matter what kind of boat you have. What I mean is that some may say that spending $2K on a SI unit for a cheap boat or an aluminum boat is crazy! I disagree. It doesn't matter if you put it on a $100 jon boat. That $100 jon boat can now do everything a $50k boat can do.

Just my two cents.

Originally Posted by icemanrrc

The 50 channel GPS antenna puck is an upgrade. It does not come with the new units. The 16 channel GPS antenna puck is what comes with the units. The 50 channel is just a higher accuracy antenna.

Might want to check your information. I just bought at new 788C combo and it came with the 50 channel, as do all the new units. The purpose of this thread was to say that they have all new units out this year that you can purchase from retailers, but HB does not even have them on the HB site yet.