Thread: Fish/Depth Finder

Yes I believe it was, It also had all kind of programs that you you could download from Lowrance to keep it updated. The Lowrance model cost about a 1000$ with the gps accessory pack which included the external antennea and software. You can get one from eagle a lot cheaper but I don't know if it is as good.

Originally Posted by chaunc

I use the fishmark models. Got a 480 on the dash and a 320 on the troller. Love them both.

Hi chaunc,
I have an Eagle 320 on my dash and am going to purchase another unit of some kind for the trolling motor. I am thinking of another 320 because it seems to do everything I need . Do you like your 480 better than the 320? Would you recommend the 480 over the 320? Thanks ..........treepotato

Actually, i really cant tell the diffrence between the two. I haven't messed with the 480 at all. Its been on auto from the time i started using it, so i cant tell you much about the bells and whistles on it. I got the 320 last year and have fiddled around with it some. Sorry i cant give you a more in-depth report. I sit up front where the 320 is . Still, i like the detail they give me.

Originally Posted by chaunc

Actually, i really cant tell the diffrence between the two. I haven't messed with the 480 at all. Its been on auto from the time i started using it, so i cant tell you much about the bells and whistles on it. I got the 320 last year and have fiddled around with it some. Sorry i cant give you a more in-depth report. I sit up front where the 320 is . Still, i like the detail they give me.

Yes , I must agree with you on the detail. I have one of the first fishin buddies that was on the market but this Eagle 320 is in a whole other class. thanks for the reply.

I have been looking at the Hummingbird's "Matrix" units very hard. They are advertised as being handheld GPS compatable plus from my understanding, they can be hooked into a computer and upgraded as technology gets improved. There are a number of other things they can be rigged to do. I would reckon all of the add ons would run into a dollar or 2. I have never used Hummingbird products but I have seen alot of them around. Have any of you fellows had any experiance with them. I want to buy a reliable product.

Humminbird Products

I am on my second Humminbird depth finder. The first one I used was a flasher unit. My present unit is a repaired Humminbird LCR 8000 unit. I paid about $800 dollars for it when it was brand new back in the early 1980's. It's been a great depth finder and still will work today.

I did have some problems with it about ten years ago and I sent it into the HumminBird Factory for repairs. They charged a fixed fee for this service ( about 50 bucks if I remember right ) and they repaired the unit and had it back to me in less than a week or maybe two weeks. It was winter time when I sent the unit in for repairs and I didn't miss it. I was surprised that they fixed it so fast.

The repaired unit is still in use today. I may send it back in again to see if they can get some moisture out of it. At times I get an error message but if I turn it off and back on the goes away.

I have gotten 20 year of use out of this LCR 8000 unit and it's still going strong. Can anyone else out there say that they have been using the same depth finder for the last 20 years?

Jerry Blake has written about the Humminbird repair policy and he likes it also.

Now I have not heard much from the Lowrance guys about the Lowrance repair policys. What I have heard was a few guys not having much luck with the Lowrance repairs when their unit's failed to work. Now my first depth finder was the Lowrance little Green Box. See picture attached for proof. LOL
Lowrance was the first company to make retail type depth finders for the average fishermen. I learned to use a depth finder and to interupt the signals on the Lowrance Little Green Box while fishing KY Lake back in the 1960.

I too am looking at the Humminbird Matrix units. They seem to have what I need. My second choice would be the Garmin depth finders combined with the garmin Gps unit.

The Humminbird Matrix 37 can use the Quadra thing transducer which not only shows you what is directly below the boat but what is out to the side.

I was really wanting one of the discontinued humminbirds that showed a 3d image of the bottom around the boat. Not sure why those are not being sold these days.

BTW Humminbird was the first company to come out with the LCR screen.

And this year I was still able to buy a new transducer for my 20 year old unit.

I like the humminbird unit that I have but then again I have grown old with it.

And it's made in the good old USA. Efula Alabama is where they make the Humminbird units.

Originally Posted by Redtick

I have been looking at the Hummingbird's "Matrix" units very hard. They are advertised as being handheld GPS compatable plus from my understanding, they can be hooked into a computer and upgraded as technology gets improved. There are a number of other things they can be rigged to do. I would reckon all of the add ons would run into a dollar or 2. I have never used Hummingbird products but I have seen alot of them around. Have any of you fellows had any experiance with them. I want to buy a reliable product.

Nice pocket protector Moose!!!!

LOL Those are my eyeglass cases. If I had my pocket protector on there would be a slide ruler sticking out the top.

I took my eyeglass off to take that picture. Even back in 1967 I wore eyeglasses or contacts.

My cousin got his eyes fixed with that Lasik procedure. I wish I could afford to have that procedure. He just left the Navy and got a new job making $140,000 a year managing a big company in Davinport Iowa. He was in Oregan so Iowa is a lot closer. Hope to see him this Dec during the holidays and ask him about how is eyesight is doing. I would give my right arm to get rid of these specticals.


That picture was taken in 1967. It shows not only the little green box but the old 20 HP Mercury outboard that my dads owned. And there is even an old CANE POLE in the background. You see we used the cane poles back then to catch crappie. LOL Those crappie are not very big. They only were about 1/2 lb and 10" long if that.

Note the rental boat that we used back then. LOL.

One of the guys at the TeeZur Tournament fished in Cypress Bay and weighed in a nice mess of KY Lake slabs. I can't remember his name but I think he is with Crappie USA. I need to email Richard and find out who that guy is. I would like to find out where he caught those fish in Cypress Bay. Also I would like to get him to talk with Pat Hase and see if he can get Pat to sidescan and map out Cypress Bay and especially the area right at the mouth of Cypress bay where the Cypress creek runs into the old Tennessee River channel. Cypress bay would have been a good place to fish with that North Wind that we had. I was not aware that we could go there and fish for the tournament. LOL I know that bay very well as I fished it so many times. Just never really fished it for crappie like I would today.

Originally Posted by fatboy

Nice pocket protector Moose!!!!