Which fishfinder

[Biggameaddict]

Im looking to buy a new fishfinder and i settled on three but i need your opinions. Im thinking of the eagle cuda 350, lowrance mark-4, elite-4. Now do you realy need a color finder? How about down imaging? The 350 is pretty cheap and has most feutures like the mark but its 50$ cheaper. Whatsthe difference between these too? Any fishfinder reccomendations? Thanks.

[Oxbeast1210]

I currently use the mark but will probably go to the elite. Honestly I think all of them you are considering will do what you need. I like color better when its bright out for me its easy to see the color then the B/W.

I didn't notice much of a difference from the Cuda to the mark 4
the mark 4 has an LED display and the cuda is Lcd but I didn't see a difference.

ALso the Cuda maps are preloaded on the unit and has no card slot
the mark 4 and elite have a memory card slot so you can load your spots an other maps.

ALso im not 100% sure but I believe the Cuda transducer is 200 KHZ only
and the mark 4 is 83 /200 KHZ Depending on where you fish that may not matter to ya.



One thing to keep in mind with the Elite and mark 4 is the Memory card access door that I mentioned about. I have had issues with the little rubber plug wanting to come out . So when I launch and return or if it gets too rough I stow it in my dry bag. Since the Cuda doesn't have a card slot this is not an issue.

Honestly I think you would be happy with any of the ones you mentioned .If money isnt an issue id go with the Elite.
anyway good luck post up what you decide to get.

[NextBite]

Just buy mine its super cheap, not even used its still in the box

[lowprofile]

83KHZ is the shizz in shallower water. 200 is like a pencil beam straight down, the 83 shows more surface area.

Elite 4 is what i went with.. sometimes... i wish i had a 5 or even 6" screen.

[Biggameaddict]

Originally Posted by lowprofile

83KHZ is the shizz in shallower water. 200 is like a pencil beam straight down, the 83 shows more surface area.

Elite 4 is what i went with.. sometimes... i wish i had a 5 or even 6" screen.

Howd you like it? Is the color really necessary?

[Biggameaddict]

Originally Posted by NextBite

Just buy mine its super cheap, not even used its still in the box

Is that the one from harbor freight or the little camera rodnreel?

[lowprofile]

Originally Posted by Biggameaddict

Howd you like it? Is the color really necessary?

color is not necessary but easier to read, when you figure out the difference between yellow and red. i do like it though. GPS is also helpfull in the dark/fog.

[Sdspeed]

Originally Posted by Biggameaddict

Is that the one from harbor freight or the little camera rodnreel?

my new fishfinder

[Biggameaddict]

Originally Posted by Sdspeed

my new fishfinder

Looks like you got it in black and white?

[Biggameaddict]

Originally Posted by lowprofile

color is not necessary but easier to read, when you figure out the difference between yellow and red. i do like it though. GPS is also helpfull in the dark/fog.

Mark 4 it is thanks.

[GregAndrew]

Color gives you a ton of more information if you know how to read it. The khz of a transducer does not determine the cone angle of the transducer. The cone angles of different 50,83 or 200khz transducers can be widely varied. Narrow cone angles can help you more acurately identify the location of bottom structure. Where wider cone angles may show you if there is structure/fish anywhere in the vicinity.

[T Bone]

I have an Elite 4X same as the 4 just no GPS I had a cuda 250 and a lowrance X67 before that.For the money ($169) its absolutely unbeatable.Three times the output power of the cuda and my old color x67.

If money is no issue get an HDS5 stay away from DSI

[lowprofile]

Originally Posted by GregAndrew

Color gives you a ton of more information if you know how to read it. The khz of a transducer does not determine the cone angle of the transducer. The cone angles of different 50,83 or 200khz transducers can be widely varied. Narrow cone angles can help you more acurately identify the location of bottom structure. Where wider cone angles may show you if there is structure/fish anywhere in the vicinity.

then what does the KHZ do? its a frequency. lower frequency will produce a wider cone and penetrate farther. higher is more dense but dissipates quicker.

[GregAndrew]

Originally Posted by lowprofile

then what does the KHZ do? its a frequency. lower frequency will produce a wider cone and penetrate farther. higher is more dense but dissipates quicker.

The transducer concentrates the sound into a beam. When a pulse of sound is transmitted from the transducer, it covers a wider area the deeper it travels. If you were to plot this on a piece of graph paper, you would find that it creates a cone shaped pattern, hence the term "cone angle." The sound is strongest along the center line or axis of the cone and gradually diminishes as you move away from the center.

In order to measure the transducer's cone angle, the power is first measured at the center or axis of the cone and then compared to the power as you move away from the center. When the power drops to half (or -3db in electronic terms), the angle from that center axis is measured. The total angle from the -3db point on one side of the axis to the -3db point on the other side of the axis is called the cone angle.

This half power point (-3db) is a standard for the electronics industry and most manufacturers measure cone angle in this way, but a few use the -10db point where the power is 1/10 of the center axis power. This obviously gives a greater angle as you are measuring a point further away from the center axis. Nothing is different in transducer performance, only the system of measurement has changed. For example, a transducer that has an 8 degree cone angle at -3db would have a 16 degree cone angle at -10db.






Lowrance offers transducers with a variety of cone angles. Wide cone angles will show you more of the underwater world, at the expense of depth capability, since it spreads the transmitter's power out. Narrow cone angle transducers won't show you as much of what's around you, but will penetrate deeper than the wide cone. The narrow cone transducer concentrates the transmitter's power into a smaller area. A bottom signal on the sonar unit's display will be wider on a wide cone angle transducer than on a narrow one because you are seeing more of the bottom. The wide cone's area is much larger than the narrow cone.

High frequency (192 - 200 kHz) transducers come in either a narrow or wide cone angle. The wide cone angle should be used for most freshwater applications and the narrow cone angle should be used for all saltwater applications. Low frequency (50 kHz) sonar transducers are typically in the 30 to 45 degree range. Although a transducer is most sensitive inside its specified cone angle, you can also see echoes outside this cone; they just aren't as strong. The effective cone angle is the area within the specified cone that you can see echoes on the display. If a fish is suspended inside the transducer's cone, but the sensitivity is not turned up high enough to see it, then you have a narrow effective cone angle. You can vary the effective cone angle of the transducer by varying the receiver's sensitivity. With low sensitivity settings, the effective cone angle is narrow, showing only targets immediately beneath the transducer and a shallow bottom. Turning the sensitivity control up increases the effective cone angle, letting you see targets farther out to the sides.

[NextBite]

Originally Posted by Biggameaddict

Is that the one from harbor freight or the little camera rodnreel?

Its a fishfinder

[ful-rac]

YEAH! SUCKA!