Helix upgrade, need help

I am fishing out of a 1648 aluminum Jon boat with a 55 pound thrust Minn Kota, and a 40 hp tiller outboard. I fish mostly electric only lakes because they are close There is one large lake two hours away. I have a Helix 5 Chirp 2d mounted on the bow with the transducer mounted on the transom. The Helix sits on two 4" arms in an effort to get it closer to where I can see it. I am not very good with electronics and doubt I am getting all the Helix 5 has to offer.

I want to do some upgrading because; 1. The Helix 5 is still hard to see. 2. I would like to have the transducer underneath where I spend the most time. 3. When on the big lake I would like to have a unit to tell me where I am and if any bait fish are present while I use the outboard. 4. I thought I would give SI a try.

There is a Hummingbird rebate going on and I thought I would spring for a Helix 9 SI Mega G4 (and whatever letters is in the model name). The Hummingbird site says I must have a 80 pound thrust to mount the transducer on the trolling motor. i thought this strange but decided it had to do with the diameter of the motor head to match the transducer mount. Am I correct?

If so that takes me down to the Helix 7 SI Mega G4. and mount it to my existing trolling motor. I would move the Helix 5 to the where I sit while using the tiller. From searching the forum Mega seems the way to go for better clarity and also up grade to a HD transducer.

Does this make sense? Pros and cons I should be aware of?

I hope to use the Helix 5 power cord to run the Helix 7 to avoid rerouting so many cables. I'll have to talk to Hummingbird.

Your thoughts, tanks.

OK I have been doing some additional reading. The Helix 7 I was originally considering was the HELIX 7 MEGA SI GPS G4. I don't think I will be doing anynetworking. I am reading reviews that say the screen is too small for clear SI and not to mount the transducer to the trolling motor because it will be even less clear as I move it about. Any truth to these? I am now thinking Helix 7 Mega DI GPS G4 might be better.

Recommendations of mounting a transducer to a certain pound thrust TM have to do with where the skeg is located on the foot of the TM and if there is enough room between the skeg and the prop for a transducer to fit ...
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HELIX generation 1 units are networkable in 9, 10, and 12 inch ...
HELIX generation 1 units in 5 amd 7 inch are non-networkable ...

HELIX generations 2 and newer must have an “N” in the model name (ie: G2N, G3N, G4N) these come 8, 9, 10, 12, and 15 inch ...

HELIX 7 (generation 2 and newer) comes in a networkable version and a non-networkable version ...

All HELIX 5’s are non-networkable ...
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While it is true that SI on a TM can cause “skewing” in the SI image due to turning the TM - SI still can be an effective tool on the TM ...

When something looks interesting on the SI image - simply drop a waypoint on the item and pass over the interesting item again (holding the TM in as straight a path as possible) to investigate what that interesting item may be ...
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It is possible to use your current power cord on a newer HELIX but it is recommended to use the new power cord with a new unit because a newer (larger) HELIX will have a built-in interference choke in the power cable for possible RFI interference control ...

Rickie

In my opinion, the 7 would not be on my list for a SI unit. 9 would be the minimum for me, 10 is better. I started off small years ago, finally bit the bullet and moved to a 1st generation Helix 10 SI and loved it. Got a G4 Helix 9 in 2021 for ice fishing with a Mega 360 and summertime SI fishing and wish I'd ponied up the $$ for the 10" again for the SI experience.
I fish out of a 12' rowboat with a portable setup as I fish different waters with different boats so can't mount things permanently.
No real way around it, bigger is better for SI.

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Originally Posted by 6poundtest

In my opinion, the 7 would not be on my list for a SI unit. 9 would be the minimum for me, 10 is better. I started off small years ago, finally bit the bullet and moved to a 1st generation Helix 10 SI and loved it. Got a G4 Helix 9 in 2021 for ice fishing with a Mega 360 and summertime SI fishing and wish I'd ponied up the $$ for the 10" again for the SI experience.
I fish out of a 12' rowboat with a portable setup as I fish different waters with different boats so can't mount things permanently.
No real way around it, bigger is better for SI.

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Where do you locate your transducer? I don't disagree bigger is better but if I am correct about wanting the transducer where I sit, I would have to go with a larger trolling motor which would mean switching to a 24 volt system. I am not ready for a change like that.

My transducer is on a magnetic mount and it is always on the transom, whichever boat I am using. As mentioned, I'm in a rowboat, no power propulsion, no props to worry about.