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In reply to Post #9
Well, I fish a 2500 acre lake and found it to be a great feature that saves me a lot of time, but then again thats quite a bit bigger  I don't know if I would really feel the need on 50 acres, but its definitely better to have than not to have it. Just imagine it like this: at the start of the season you're on the water a lot, doing a bit of prodding, looking for slopes, vegetation and other features. If the scope of your transducer is wider, it saves you a lot of time because you will find those much quicker and have a better view of the contours around them too. Regular downvision is much more limited and at time forces you to circle around an object a lot before you have a clear view. So in the end SI also saves you gasoline/batteries/frustration.
I'm not entirely sure, but I assume it also helps to create bathymetric maps much quicker (if thats your thing - too complicated for me).
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In reply to Post #8
Thanks Tim, really appreciate your advice. My comment on the Dragonfly was based on them not having side imaging. Do think that this is a worthwhile feature considering I will mostly be fishing a UK pit approx 50 acres and average 12-15 ft deep?
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In reply to Post #7
You think? A Raymarine Dragonfly 7 pro costs around £450 and the 5" around £300 (the extra 2" is worth the difference btw). These have all the of features you're looking for (more than your Toslon). Dragonfly has very crisp imagery through chirp/downvision, GPS and wifi-connectivity to stream to your tablet/phone. It has a very decent screen too, compared to many other units in that price range. The only useful thing it lacks in my opinion is side imaging (a wider 'beam' on the transducer, so you can also see what's beside your boat). They offer superior service too, at least as far as I was concerned.
I can't tell you much about Lowrance. I quit using them years ago and have only used them briefly when guest in other peoples' boats. They all seem fine, but in my experience their customer service is horrible and the way they sell their units as well. You need to be very experienced or willing to do a ton of puzzling to make the right choice. At some point they decided to divide their units into countless variations, all with different transducers that are able to do different things. Gave up on them years ago for these reasons.
Another good option would be a 2nd Gen Humminbird Helix (Humminbird Helix 7 G2/G2N). Its discontinued by now because they introduced newer models with added techniques (MSI), but if you can find them in stock somewhere you will have everything the Dragonfly has, and more (side imaging) for somewhere between £400 - £500. The only difference is user friendliness. I really needed to get used to Humminbird after Raymarine.
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In reply to Post #6
Been having a look around. It seems the Raymarine have relatively basic features until you get up to the £1000 Elements. Do you have any experience/thoughts on the Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 Triple Shot? Seems to do everything I would ever need for under £500.
Thanks for your help
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In reply to Post #5
I’m definitely not that guy, I just want the thing to tell me how deep it is and where I am. I’ll take a look at the Raymarine
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In reply to Post #4
Depends on your budget and what you want it to be able to do. Imho the worst thing you can do is ask other fishermen for advice about something personal (and expensive) like a sonar. I'd check Youtube for various units, such as the Raymarine Element and Dragonfly, Humminbird Helix, Garmin Striker and Lowrance Hook Reveal. Those are the same price mark as the Toslon, but they differ hugely in terms of functions and usability. Comparing videos can help you make a personal choice, because the first question you should ask yourself is whether you are going to try to understand all the functions a sonar has. It's very time-consuming and complicated given all the functions they have nowadays. If you are not that guy, I'd buy a Raymarine. They're plug-and-play and insanely easy to use.
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In reply to Post #3
Ok, that’s an option, which models would you recommend?
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In reply to Post #2
Why not sell the Toslon and get a proper combi sonar? Or swap it with a second hand Raymarine/Humminbird?
Neither Toslon nor Deeper will probably get you the same accuracy and functionalities as a Raymarine (to name just a brand).
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Also, the Tolson was a good bit of kit, but is getting on a bit now. Is the Chirp technology in the deeper better anyway? Might be better off using that and a handheld GPS?
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I have a Tolson TF640 that I was going to fit on a bait boat but never got around to.
I can now use a proper boat and have been using a Deeper for the echo but the GPS on the Tolson would be handy.
Any reason why I couldn't mount the transducer on a mount and use the Tolson for both?
Anywhere know a decent/helpful place for Tolson spares?
TIA
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