Thread: Warning Lowrance Elite 7 HDI potential buyers!

Originally Posted by Countrytime

With Lowrance dropping the price around $300.00 on most HDS units makes it a no-brainer. Go with the Lowrance HDS and bbgmarine ask for Brian, has great prices. The HDSGen 2 is lightning quick and comes with SD slots and not micro SD. Some have 2 slots. You can use ethernet to connect two units on these. It will more than handle the Navionics chip. They must be about to release a new generation Lowrance or something. For those who have purchased the Lowrane Elite 7 HDI and have went past the return policy from where you bought it, just get the Fishing Hotspot Pro USA 2013 or 2014 chip to go in it. This is not an inferior chip. Then slow updating virtually comes a thing of the past. Again mount the transducer on the transom and by doing these two things it transforms the Lowrance Elite 7 HDI into a likeable unit.

Just curious, how does the Fishing Hotspot chip help with the slow updating processor in the E7. A guy at Bass Pro told me Lowrance could prob. come up with a new update to solve the prob. if they wanted to.

Should not have those issues with a new unit. Lowrance works great if I do this or that??? I will stick with Humminbird, as I do not have $2000 to spend the high end low lowrance.

LR 77 the Fishing Hotspot Pro USA 2014 chip has alot of ditches and channels defined by a dark blue line when zoomed in, but very little contour lines showing on it's mapping, the Navionics Hotmaps Premium has a ton of contour lines but not as much defined channel and ditches therefore Fishing Hotspot Pro USA 2014 does not have as much to process, thus it will update quicker. It is also a Lowrance LEI chip. The best thing to do is go with a Lowrance HDS since they have discounted them or the new Humminbirds. If you have an Elite 7 HDI and you are stuck with it, just trying to give suggestions to make it a likeable unit. Lowrance has sold a ton of these units. Fishng Hotspot Pro USA 2014 cost $100.00 at Bass Pro. You do not have to spend 2G on an HDS, HDS7 GEN2 can be had for around 1,100-1,200 dollars. Personally I have seen screenshots from the Humminbirds and the Lowrance HDS and prefer the Lowrance HDS down imaging hands down. The Bird can be had for around 700-800 dollars is very responsive and is very user friendly with descent down imaging making it a good value.

Tks Countrytime for your info. I already have the E7 and navionics chip. Might just move the nav. up front to my old LMS522 and get the Hotspot for the E7. I must say the 2D sonar and DI on the E7 works great. When you use the Hotspot maps, then how does the quicker update compare to the HDS units.

If you zoom in and out about 2 seconds compared to an HDS almost instanteously. You need to check your lake by going to Bass Pro to see if it shows the ditches and channels on the Hotspot chip, most of the ones I fish are. They will have a demo chip you can play with it on the demo Elite7HDI there. By buying a Point-1 gps pluck will make it super accurate and update quicker as well but it is around $200.00. Let's add it up around 650.00 for the unit 100.00 for the Fishing Hotspot chip and 200.00 for the Point 1 pluck so we are at 950.00. This is why I say if one is a new potential buyer go with the Lowrance HDS7. If stuck with the unit these will unleash the unit to make it workable. If I was price shopping and someone already had a handheld gps like a garmin etrex just buy one without the gps for around $500.00 it is called the Lowrance Elite7xHDI. The down imaging to me is very good, not quite HDS but good enough, this way you avoid all the gps hassle and get the greatness of down imaging on a nice bright 7 inch led screen with 2d sonar for around $500.00, again bbgmarine is one good place to buy.

Also say later on you wanted to add a Lowrance HDS you could use the Hotspot chip and the P-1 gps pluck on it, so neither one is a waste.

Wow I just bought an Elite 7 HDI and an Elite 7 HDI w/ CHIRP. One does ok zooming of changes screens and the other SUCKS! I wish I had found this thread earlier. I do not know what to do. I did notice that the lag seems to go with the chip, not the unit. The older 2011 Premium east chip updates in 1-2 seconds. My new 2014 chip takes FOREVER. I've emailed Lowrance and they are acting like I'm the first to report this issue. Maybe I'll forward this thread. Also I'm getting vertical lines on the sonar display of the "Non CHIRP" model. Does not matter if it is on the dash or the bow.

If i return to the store there is a 20% restock fee..
What should I do now???

Originally Posted by ctf58

Wow I just bought an Elite 7 HDI and an Elite 7 HDI w/ CHIRP. One does ok zooming of changes screens and the other SUCKS! I wish I had found this thread earlier. I do not know what to do. I did notice that the lag seems to go with the chip, not the unit. The older 2011 Premium east chip updates in 1-2 seconds. My new 2014 chip takes FOREVER. I've emailed Lowrance and they are acting like I'm the first to report this issue. Maybe I'll forward this thread. Also I'm getting vertical lines on the sonar display of the "Non CHIRP" model. Does not matter if it is on the dash or the bow.

If i return to the store there is a 20% restock fee..
What should I do now???

Do you have the latest update in your units? And if you just bought it and its defective, there should be no restock. If the one that sucks is the bad unit, return it when they don't have that one in stock and upgrade to a different unit.

Originally Posted by okhawg

Do you have the latest update in your units? And if you just bought it and its defective, there should be no restock. If the one that sucks is the bad unit, return it when they don't have that one in stock and upgrade to a different unit.

Yes, updated the day I got it. I went into the "about" screen to see the specs. The serial # on my Elite7 w/ CHIRP is in the 43,000's. the Serial # for the Elite7 w/o CHIRP is #7. Really number7. It takes 57 seconds on stopwatch to zoom from 200 feet per inch to 50 feet per inch.