HDS 5 sonar unit

[sundaydrive86]

First time poster.
I have the HDS 5 (Gen 2 I believe) Sonar unit without GPS. My question is now that I am getting more into fishing I would like a GPS unit. Do all HDS systems have built in GPS antennas? If not I saw lorance has a "Point 1 antenna" for $200 just seems a bit extreme...I could put that $200 toward a new gps sonar system.
My end goal would be a sonar unit that has gps with lake maps whether it be navionics or other lake software as well as a good sonar unit. I fish mainly Wisconsin inland lakes.
Thanks in advance.

[lakedog]

Originally Posted by sundaydrive86

First time poster.
I have the HDS 5 (Gen 2 I believe) Sonar unit without GPS. My question is now that I am getting more into fishing I would like a GPS unit. Do all HDS systems have built in GPS antennas? If not I saw lorance has a "Point 1 antenna" for $200 just seems a bit extreme...I could put that $200 toward a new gps sonar system.
My end goal would be a sonar unit that has gps with lake maps whether it be navionics or other lake software as well as a good sonar unit. I fish mainly Wisconsin inland lakes.
Thanks in advance.

The antenna is an advanced feature for units that already have the plotter capability. For instance, if you mount your GPS behind a windshield the satellite reception may be poor leading you to seek out a better receiver location. The point 1 antenna also gives you a heading which is nice if you don't have a compass to check your direction when the boat is stationary.

Navionics is a popular card for Lowrance units. I don't fish Wisconsin but use it on my boat in MN.

[sundaydrive86]

Just to make sure I understand it properly...Since my HDS unit is a sonar only I cannot get GPS capability with it.

[lakedog]

Originally Posted by sundaydrive86

Just to make sure I understand it properly...Since my HDS unit is a sonar only I cannot get GPS capability with it.

I'll stop short of saying it's impossible but I'm not familiar with how you would do that and don't think it is very standard. Most units sold today are plotter/fishfinder combos. Perhaps there is something you could do with the NMEA network and some kind of add on module?

[CMesserschmidt]

Never heard of an HDS that has sonar only.... Your HDS 5 should have GPS.

The Point 1 which seems rather expensive is really nice to have. Helps with boat control as well as gives you a 10Hz refresh rate compared to the HDS 5's 5Hz refresh. Real time boat position compared to actual structure is the big thing.

Will you be fine without it sure many are but again much nicer with the point 1. As far as GPS lake chips..... I have had them all and started to recently like Navionics the best.

[lakedog]

Originally Posted by MACH

Never heard of an HDS that has sonar only.... Your HDS 5 should have GPS.

The Point 1 which seems rather expensive is really nice to have. Helps with boat control as well as gives you a 10Hz refresh rate compared to the HDS 5's 5Hz refresh. Real time boat position compared to actual structure is the big thing.

Will you be fine without it sure many are but again much nicer with the point 1. As far as GPS lake chips..... I have had them all and started to recently like Navionics the best.

I believe there as an "x" variant that was just sonar i.e. HDS 5x. I agree there are additional advantages to the "point 1" system; however, it's an external antenna with a built in compass. As such it will not make a fishfinder into a combo unit unless the firmware in the device supports that. I haven't done any research, so I don't know, but would be surprised if that were the case. You might be able to view waypoints or share the display with another device via NMEA. I'm not sure what capabilities Lowrance built into that specific unit. In any event such options would probably be more expensive than just buying a stand alone combo unit if that's what is needed.

[CMesserschmidt]

Originally Posted by lakedog

I believe there as an "x" variant that was just sonar i.e. HDS 5x. I agree there are additional advantages to the "point 1" system; however, it's an external antenna with a built in compass. As such it will not make a fishfinder into a combo unit unless the firmware in the device supports that. I haven't done any research, so I don't know, but would be surprised if that were the case. You might be able to view waypoints or share the display with another device via NMEA. I'm not sure what capabilities Lowrance built into that specific unit. In any event such options would probably be more expensive than just buying a stand alone combo unit if that's what is needed.

I just thought about that! Yes, my bad they do have the X model which was sonar only. A Point 1 will not give you GPS on that unit from what I recall.

Thank you sir!

[Kevin23]

If you do have an hds 5x you cannot get GPS as its not built in to your head unit.

Do you have room for another unit next to your HDS? If so I would pick up one of these and not install the transducer, just use it for mapping.

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...5i8aAvmN8P8HAQ

[lakedog]

http://www.hodgesmarine.com/Sitex-Sv...jqeniramsegdoh


When you consider what navionics costs this isn't a bad deal if you're just looking for a cheap bare bones plotter.