If you use SI at all the 9 is much better SI on a 7 inch screen in my opinion is almost worthless.
I can get one of these under $700 and I see i can get a last years Helix 9 si Mega g2 or $999.
I'm upgrading from the 899 si unit and learned my lesson hard on not knowing about transducer upgrades.
So, other than screen size why would I need the 9 ? Is there a transducer difference? Is there an upgrade for the 7 recommended?
Any input welcome.
If you use SI at all the 9 is much better SI on a 7 inch screen in my opinion is almost worthless.
If you plan on using the SI much at all, it’s worth it to spend a little more money. Makes a bunch of difference IMO
Bigger is better,,,get what you can afford.
PROUD MEMBER OF TEAM GEEZERauthorized by: Billbob and "G"
How about the Helix 8 as a compromise?
I just picked up the Humminbird 410830-1 Helix 8 Chirp Mega SI+ G3N for $1098 with free shipping
BamaBill LIKED above post
I talked to HB Friday morning. There are no needed transducer upgrades allowing for better imaging. My understanding is the gen3 units have more voltage allowing greater side imaging range. The 2D imaging has more resolution. Otherwise the gen 2 and 3 are basically the same unit.
They have discontinued the gen2 and they are $999. The Gen 3'-s are $1500.
I have a new helix9 si gen2 sitting beside me on the couch. Thanks again guys.
ad1974 LIKED above post
On the screen size. If your face is close enough to the 7 it will be big enough to work SI. The bigger screens do come into good play when you are having more than one function going on the same screen however.
I used a Helix 5 side imaging on my pond boat to deadly effectiveness. The 5 actually has higher resolution than the 7 and the 9. Extremely crisp image on the 5 just smaller. I went to the Helix 7 on my pond boat to get the Ethernet feature so I could use my 360 transducer on it. The 5 does not have Ethernet. Otherwise I would still be using the 5. But the 7 is nice. I would not want the 9. It has the poorest resolution of all these units even though it's screen is bigger. I would jump up to the 10 instead. Much better resolution than 9. I used the transducer trade-in service to get the HD transducer for my 7. It helps. It helped on the 5 too.
.
This is what I would recommend. The 7 has a lot of deficiencies as compared to a G3 8 or larger.
The 7 G3 does not have the increased power output. You have to go with the 8 or larger in the G3 to get that.
The 8 and larger have a much improved transducer over the 7..... with the 7 you have a comact transducer without a dedicated DI element in it.
With the 8 and larger you have 2 card slots .... if you want to view mapping and record at the same time that is very important.
The cost difference between the 7 G3 and the 8 isn't that much .... but you get a LOT more unit.
I am not a fan of buying a G2 unit unless you are getting a terrific deal that you can't pass up, but the 9 G2 would be superior to the 7 G3 in my opinion.
_______________________________________
Looking for the one that makes it all worthwhile.
Thanks guys for all of the feedback. I now have a helix 9 g2n on the bow and a helix 7 g3n in the dash. Well, I also bought a new boat while at it. Anyhow, the helix 9 g2n is great. I wish I hadn't bought the 7 in hindsight. I should have bought another 9 or 12 and put a 9 in the dash. Oh well.
I'm in the process of trying to link them on to 1 transducer. No luck so far but wish me well.