saw an ad for Lowrance SI.............

Saw a print ad for the Lowrance SI add on for their HD units. Premieres at Icast 09 show. They call it "Structure Scan"

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Whompus,

where did you see the ad?

Blackie

This months BassMaster mag. It was an ad for one of the HDS units and in the text of the ad where all the add on options are listed they have something like "Structure Scan Side Viewing Sonar. Available 2009" Here is a link to the Lowrance site where the same verbage appears. They are having a $100 sales event. Oh and by the way, Lowrance warranty is two years now. Goodnite HB huh. LOL

http://www.lowrance.com/hds-upgrade?X.src=hdsupgradef

Here is the website commercial
http://www.lowrance.com/en/HDS-Revolution/HDS-Side-Viewing-Sonar-Video/

Official Press Release
http://www.lowrance.com/en/About/Press-Releases/Lowrance-Announces-Side-Viewing-Sonar-Option-for-New-High-Definition-Systems//

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Thanks Whompus.

Blackie

Anytime

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The images are not that impressive to me!

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"SideImagingSoft.com - Humminbird Side Imaging Forums"

I kinda thought the same thing but I have yet to see footage of a real working unit. I think all the stuff they have been showing is just CG footage for an early ad campaign. I do like the two year warranty and the pricing of the base HDS unit. Haven't heard a word about what the Structure Scan add on will cost though. Also I'm not really liking the overall look of the HDS that much. HB does have a better looking head unit to me. I do like the HDS graphics and button set up. Looks like the race will be on soon. I think the BASS pros have always leaned towards Lowrance until HB SI came out but I'm sure Lowrance will pull some back in with it. I hope HB can get and stay on top of their game. I think the next 10years is HBs last chance to survive and thrive. If they repeat the last 10 they will need another buyout or it's kaputs. My 798ci is still running great though! So far so good!

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Lowrance can't even get the updates ready so the HDS can run Navonics chips. I doubt they'll be ready by fall '09. They released the HDS units to soon. I bought a Humminbird because they've had SI avalaible for some time now. It's a tried and true technology with Humminbird. HDS will have bugs to work out I'm sure.

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It is schedule for release at the ICAST 2009 show. HB won best of show with SI at this event in the past.

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I owned a 2006 Lowrance model LCX-111C HD and it was about time to upgrade.
These sonars are just like computers(they actually are computers). To keep up with the technology, you really need to upgrade about every 3 years.

I really liked my Lowrance unit and never had any real problems with it, and I was actually thinking about stepping up to a new HDS model.

But,
When I took a real close look at the Humminbird SI, it was just too radical to ignore. Incredible is the word.

I too think it will take Lowrance a few years to work the bugs out on their SI. Humminbird has had some time to experiment and tweak.

I do think however, that the Lowrance conventional sonar shows a bit more bottom detail.
Maybe Humminbird can tweak their conventional sonar a little in the future.

One thing I've noticed on my 1197 is that the transducer is very powerful. I have to set the transducer intensity to just 1 (the lowest setting) for the best image up to about 40 foot depths.

I'd be interested to know about the Patent issue. Side-imaging has been around for awhile so HB can't have the patent on that. But, I saw on a forum from a HB rep that HB has the patent to use side-imaging on boats. Can Lowrance just market SI if they want? I'd like to know the legal issues involved. HB may be able to sue Lowrance for some big bucks.

I heard its gonna be a 400$ upgrade for the ducer. And now the upgrade for the HDS units is avalible, but no one can get it to work! Why cant lowrance figure it out! My bird has been bullet proof since the day I installed it, next to a lowrance that was replace 3 times before they got it right!! Evil or Very Mad

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I have fished nearly everyday this season, the rest have been wasted!

On the patent subject - I read a few posts somewhere (when I did all my research before buying) that basically HB patented attaching a side scan sonar unit directly to the boat hull since until that point side scan was usually a towed array. So if that is actually true I'm thinking maybe Lowrance one upped them by patenting theirs as a "add on unit". In other words HB patented the concept of attaching a entire SC unit the the boat hull (head and transducer) and Lowrance maybe has a patent for a separate "add on" unit or "accessory" as a loop hole around HB. Neither one of these companies made huge technological breakthroughs to bring us side scan. It was already well into its existence. They did however make it smaller, cheaper, hull mountable and combined with GPS & traditional sonar.

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