7520 VS. X-15

[help me]

I was all set to buy the 7520 from Pin Point and Lowrance comes out with the new LC X-15. What would you buy. I realize that the Lowrance is very new and probably doesn't have much field testing done. Not looking for GPS option.

[Grampa_Joe]

I am obviously biased on this subject as Pinpoint is a sponsor of mine, but I was looking at an X-15 last night at the sportshow and was amazed at how slow it is. It's noticably slower than even an X-85. It sort of brought me back to when I ran X-16 paper graphs. They are very slow, but produce a very nice picture. I'm guessing Lowrance is still processing the info before outputting it to the screen, thus the delay I'm not used to seeing on a 7520 as it doesn't filter anything.
Hopefully I wasn't too one-sided.

-Joe Carlson

[Lund_Dude]

I have not yet seen the new X-15, but your point about speed drew my attention. I wonder if the chart speed was slowed down thru the menu? They are running a faster Microprocessor on the X-15 than they had used in the older models. I do like the speed of the display on the pinpoints and had hoped that the new generation Lowrance would be similar. Something I will need to look for!

[Grampa_Joe]

I found the chart speed in the menus and it was cranked. I thought maybe someone was screwing around and slowed it down.

-Joe

[Chris K]

Joe, just like you I could not beleive how slow the unit was! Even the delay between screen changes in the GPS side of the unit was horribly annoying. If Lowrance wants to show detail, then a lot will be missed at higher boat speeds! Can't wait until Pinpoint has their GPS ready! Chris K

[Peluso]

I will have to jump on the slow wagon. I saw this unit in action at Bass Pro in Cincy, I was amazed at how slow the chart was moving. I have run 7520's for a few years now and have had other units working side by side to them. No comparison really, I love the readout I get and believe everything I see on it. Pinpoint has a great product and I would imagine each year it can only get better and better. Good fishing and don't forget to shoot the puck. Mike Peluso

[GORD]

How would the vexlar "EDGE 2" compare to the x15 or the Pinpoint? no one seems to know much about the this new vexlar unit.

[SK1]

I too, was looking at the X-15 unit this past week. I have never run a Lowrance so I just assumed the 350A was the same way.
With this in mind should I grab a 350A that's on sale?? $700(350A) vs. $1,100 (X-15)
Clarity vs. Speed...Is that the main difference here?

[sdwalleye]

I would buy the X-15 or a 350A. I have a 7520 and don't like it. I have owned lowrance in the past 350A and X85 and they work well and had a better display. If my wife wouldn't shoot me I'd sell you my 7520.

[tim]

What do you want for the 7520?

You can e-mail me tim.s.zwieg@healthpartners.com

[Catch37]

Units you are viewing at a sports show are operating in a simulation mode. I'm not familiar with the 7520 but I'll bet it does not have the pixel count/resolution that the new X-15 has?

[Jaybird]

I was also set to get a 7520 this spring and then decided to wait until the X-15 came out. I think the slow speed issue that some have noticed on the X-15 is a function of the simulator and not a true on-the-water speed. The real speed is supposed to be about 20 pixels per second vs. 6 per second on the X-85 and 350. I think this is still a little slower than the 7520 but not a big deal as far as I'm concerned. What I have heard from someone who tested an X-15 against a Pinpoint, Bottomline, Zercom, Raytheon and Humminbird on a known course of trees, weeds, rocks, etc. is that it shows details far better than any of the others. That is enough to make me buy it, however I do want to wait until a few more have hit the water before I buy.

[srj`]

sure be nice to hear from someone who has run an x-15 on the water--the slow speed issue has stopped me from buying. i was really excited about this new unit--the pinpoint 7820 i've run for 2 years has been very troublesome. great when working right but on my third unit in those 2 years and the screen still "fades" black on sunny days. pinpoint will not correct the defective screen. the failure rate on the most technically advanced (and expensive) units available today is disgraceful. i hope the new lowrance units show a new level of reliability.

[fishin_fool]

I had a 7820 and the screen on that faded out in the sun. I traded it in for a 7520 and have never had a bit of trouble since. I have three of them in the boat and have run all three for two years without a problem.

[Snowman]

Sorry to get off of the subject, but is this screen fading with the 7820 a problem ONLY with the 7820, or is it on all pinpoint monitors? Does it happen on all units or just a few? Is there any fix?

[Grampa_Joe]

What don't you like about it?

-Joe

[sdwalleye]

I agree the 7520 does scroll very fast. But what I don't like about mine is the fish are not real defined. On my old 350 they ached nice and were easy to see, with pinpiont they tend to be more of a mass. The other thing mine does is it will lock up and quite giving the digital depth. I probaly will keep it and try addition settings. I guess I'm just a little disappointed after here how everyone tends to brag them up I'm not sure there much better than my past units.

[T-Mac]

Grand-pa,... what I don't like about my 7520s are all those fish they read......and I DON'T catch. Grrrrrrrrrr.
;-)

[RVRRAT]

I talked to lowrance rep. at MPLS. boat show and his claim is it's thier fastest unit as far as pixels per second.You have to remember that this unit has twice as many vertical pixels than its competitors(X-15).So it could be true,but the scan times are super slow.I personally like the Vexilar Edge.With its narrow cone angle and hi frequency(400khz)it should mathamatically have the best target seperation.Pulse width determines target seperation,thus higher the transducer freq. the narrower the pulse width can be.

[SdDoc]

I did experience this lock up on my unit. I called pinpoint and let them know. They said ship it back to them, so i fed exed it on monday morning and had it back on friday for the weekend. They had updated a code in it and now it works flawlessly!! I just wish I could catch all the fish it shows too!!!! Doc

[JBL]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-20-01 AT 00:17AM (CST)[p]I'm looking to rig a new boat when it arrives in a few weeks, so I have been reading all I can on this subject. The LCX16CI has a huge screen, 640x480 pixel vs. 320x240 for the LCX15CT. A reputable local dealer warned me that the 16 may not be easy to view in the direct light. Lowrance web page product description says:

"Huge 6.38" Color illuminated (CI) high-resolution - 640 pixel x 480 pixel - liquid crystal TFT display with newly advanced cold-cathode backlighting, produces unbelievably vivid color sonar, GPS mapping detail and super-sharp viewing in direct sunlight, as well as at night or in low light."

They have a link about some award they won for the 16 on the first page and it says this:

"The 300-nits rated color screen gives excellent viewing in any bright shaded sun location with a canopy, sun shield or inside a covered cabin. At night or in low light, the advanced cold-cathode screen yields super-crisp readability."

These two sort of contradict each other. The second one sounds like a warning that one shouldn't expect to see much in bright sun with the 16 doesn't it? Seems to me that pixels alone isn't that important, wouldn't pixels per inch be what to look for? (pixels divided by viewable inches) So...

16 640 / 6.38 = 100 ppi
15 320 / 5.66 = 56 ppi

Quite a difference in ppi, but not much use if you can't see it. I'm partial to Lowrance because I've had such good luck with them in the past, but won't limit my choices to that. They also list a 200khz and a 50/200khz transducer, can someone tell me what this means other than the cone size is different? I'm guessing the application would be to use the 50k mode when moving fast, looking for fish, then switch to 200k when moving slow for better definition?

decisions decisions...

[jp]

good question JBL about the transducers I have been wondering the same thing. Before long we are going to have to take a class on electronics before we buy or operate any of these units. But they are improving them.

[TedC]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-20-01 AT 10:24PM (CST)[p]I also saw the LCX-15mt at the Mpls. boat Show, and I was very impressed. The large screen area and high resolution make it possible to run the sonar and GPS side by side without feeling like you really should have bought two seperate units. The backlighting is really good too, similar to the X85, but with more of a green tint than than blue.

I also checked out the Pinpoint 7420, and was not very impressed. The backlighing is not really very good, it sort of reminds me of a Bottom Line graph in this respect, its pretty dark. Its true that the Pinpoint scrolls MUCH faster than the X-15, but a rep from Reeds told me that the Lowrance appears slower than in actual use because the demos are actual recordings being played back, and the scrolling speed can't be adjusted on the demos.

[FROGMAN]

They package some units with the 50/200 khz transducer for the angler that fishes the Great Lakes, or saltwater applications. The 50 khz frequency will give better definition with greater depths. It is also used by Salmon trollers whom want to watch their cannonballs track through the water column. The 50/200 transducer should be a popular setup for this area. In fact this is exactly the unit I ordered for my new tournament boat this year. I've been playing with it a little bit since I'm stuck inside with no open water to fish(Michigan). Hope this helps!

EAT. SLEEP. FISH.

Keith Segar
NPAA #260

[mikemcadams]

Don't know if this is the place to ask, but...

I am looking for a sonar that has side looking capability as well as the traditional down looking capability. I have been told that the Raytheon units are the only ones that have this, but I have my doubts that this is correct. I like the Pinpoint units (built in the Pinpoint motors) but can I get side looking from these.

I am planning on fishing the weed edges for Walleye this year since that is where most of the fish are (6-10') according to a new, unreleased study done by VA Fish & Wildlife.

TIA,
Mike

[miket]

My Pinpoint 7820 fades also. What did Pinpoint tell you when you contacted them? I am getting ready to call and just wondering what to expect. Thanks, miket!

[srj]

mike even tho my 7820 was and is in warranty pinpoint said it would cost $79.00 for a "new" screen. i wanted a fix-make it functional please-not an update. they refused. reeds in walker did give me another new one-unit # 3- but it had the same fade out problem. i deliberated between the x-85 (i've always run lowrance) and the 7820. the longer warranty was a significant factor in choosing the 7820--not a good choice as the warranty does not seem to include the screen. i was in correspondence with bob healy--bhealy@Brunswickoutdoor.com.