Lowrance HDS-5 Question

[jayhawkokie]

I'm thinking very seriously about getting the Lowrance HDS 5 unit for my boat. The type of fishing I do and everything else I think it fits my need and can't justify spending the extra bucks for a 7.

I was looking on the Cabelas site and noticed they offer two tranducers, one of thm being a downscan transducer that epoxies to the inside of the hull. Is this transducer used in conjunction to the outside the hull transducer? If they are not used together what would be the advantage of one over the other.

I noticed in a few of the reviews on the Cabelas site that some owners had problems right away with the Lowrance and had problems getting Lowrance to even talk to them on the phone and they never answered emails. Has anyone here had the same problems with service from Lowrance?

Jayhawkokie

[Wabash River Bear]

It's either the thru hull transducer or the transom mount transducer, one or the other. Thru hull transducers dont work well, if at all on aluminum hull boats, they are best suited for fiberglass hulls. The transom mount is what most people have. The thru hull transducers would work real nice on a high speed fiberglass bass boat where you wouldnt want it subjected to a 60 mph water beating.
I have an HDS-7 and havent had any problems to date, and have never had to deal with Lowrance customer service.

[SkipEye]

A through-hull transducer that epoxies into your boat will NOT work on an aluminum boat.

Inside the hull has advantages for high-speed operation because there is little to no water turbulence to worry about depending on the location you choose to mount it. It is also not susceptible to collision damage from debris in the water or backing into a stump etc. You may lose a bit of the transmit power and receive sensitivity by going through the fiberglass bottom however. You would use one type or the other, they do not work in conjunction with each other.

There are some documented issues with some of the HDS units not being water-tight. Google for "Lowrance HDS Water Intrusion" and you should see some examples.

Good Luck. Not trying to scare you away from Lowrance, they are really good units.

[jayhawkokie]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm really looking forward to getting one of these units on my boat.

Jayhawkokie