Genuine, real world experiences pros/cons between the two please . . .bait boat haters need not comment pls!
Obvs Toslon is compact / all in one with its own screen but is it old tech or sufficient for most UK carping scenarios?
Raymarine looks the better sonar but is it complex to use and has it been adapted for bait-boat use?
Range between the two systems / price?
Cheers as either way this could be an expensive mistake - !
Obvs Toslon is compact / all in one with its own screen but is it old tech or sufficient for most UK carping scenarios?
Raymarine looks the better sonar but is it complex to use and has it been adapted for bait-boat use?
Range between the two systems / price?
Cheers as either way this could be an expensive mistake - !
In reply to Post #1
Hi bud, I can give you my views on a season using the Toslon 740. I got this on an xboat, previous season I was using a Raymarine Wifish on an RT4.
Old tech? There will be someone along soon to tell you it is which I dont doubt and if I am honest I was really thinking of swapping it out when I first got it for the Dragonfly Pro 5 as I quite enjoyed the Wifish, (this was way before the Element made an appearance)
Plus points. The GPS is very accurate, connects to satellites really quickly and the whole lot boots up and connects to boat a lot quicker than I could ever get the Raymarine to do. Autopilot is brilliant, works great everytime and I love using it, admittedly never had this on the Wifish so can't compare. Battery life is really good, I did consider buying a seperate battery for longer sessions but never needed one as yet, I have never flattened it.
As for bottom detail, the Raymarine showed a little more, but the Toslon is more than adequate and I had a few discussions with some of the lads on my Syndicate (as far as I am aware I was the only one with a 740 last year) I am semi convinced that the raymarine was taking me longer to find spots, I think that the extra detail put me off dropping the rig a lot whereas I am less hesitant with the 740. I didn't drop a camera down or anything to really make sure, so I can't say for certain.
I have a lot more info now than I did with the Raymarine, distance to target, distance from home etc. although I am not sure what the version of the Raymarine you are looking at probably all this and more no doubt.
Lastly I will say that if I didn't get such a good deal on it I wouls have almost certainly gone the way of the Dragonfly and a seperate xpilot, and spent the savings on bait or something! Really glad I didnt though. Also I am in no rush to change it, the new versions of Element look amazing but the Toslon does all I need it to do and more (not tried the mapping yet)
Good luck in getting sorted, shame you are nowhere near me as I would happily give you a go on my set up.
Hi bud, I can give you my views on a season using the Toslon 740. I got this on an xboat, previous season I was using a Raymarine Wifish on an RT4.
Old tech? There will be someone along soon to tell you it is which I dont doubt and if I am honest I was really thinking of swapping it out when I first got it for the Dragonfly Pro 5 as I quite enjoyed the Wifish, (this was way before the Element made an appearance)
Plus points. The GPS is very accurate, connects to satellites really quickly and the whole lot boots up and connects to boat a lot quicker than I could ever get the Raymarine to do. Autopilot is brilliant, works great everytime and I love using it, admittedly never had this on the Wifish so can't compare. Battery life is really good, I did consider buying a seperate battery for longer sessions but never needed one as yet, I have never flattened it.
As for bottom detail, the Raymarine showed a little more, but the Toslon is more than adequate and I had a few discussions with some of the lads on my Syndicate (as far as I am aware I was the only one with a 740 last year) I am semi convinced that the raymarine was taking me longer to find spots, I think that the extra detail put me off dropping the rig a lot whereas I am less hesitant with the 740. I didn't drop a camera down or anything to really make sure, so I can't say for certain.
I have a lot more info now than I did with the Raymarine, distance to target, distance from home etc. although I am not sure what the version of the Raymarine you are looking at probably all this and more no doubt.
Lastly I will say that if I didn't get such a good deal on it I wouls have almost certainly gone the way of the Dragonfly and a seperate xpilot, and spent the savings on bait or something! Really glad I didnt though. Also I am in no rush to change it, the new versions of Element look amazing but the Toslon does all I need it to do and more (not tried the mapping yet)
Good luck in getting sorted, shame you are nowhere near me as I would happily give you a go on my set up.
In reply to Post #2
Really good reply Andrew appreciated.
Looking at Raymarine Dragonfly 5 'on screen' it does look great but would need the Autopilot as well and not being fully integrated this is where it starts to get messy (over an integrated Sonar/GPS like the Tolson) and I've read reviews on set up confusion / errors from RT4 users who seem to always go with this option.
Hear what you are saying about detail. At the moment I'm using a modded (range) Deeper Chirp+ and the detail is great however like yourself I'm sure I got less fussy about bait placement and caught more fish with my previous modded smartcast and subsequent Lucky black and white fishfinder! It was obvious what was weedy and what was rock hard, whereas now it always looks like a combination of both . .!
Weirdly I am drawn to the Toslon just for convenience and like the sound of quick boot up etc. Normally I'd never consider GPS as I'm happy marking spots and wrapping up before sending the boat out, (ie. considering maybe just raymarine but no GPS) however to have both integrated seems a big benefit especially at night when horizon markers are obscured etc. and to be able to see the boats position in context with a digital map etc . . .my only reticence is the tech age (think there's a Tolson 750 available but its silly money) and size of screen (I'm used to a 8" landscape tablet)
Whats the range like on the Toslon and also the battery life? Also does it have a fixing for a stormpole / tripod bracket etc?
Really good reply Andrew appreciated.
Looking at Raymarine Dragonfly 5 'on screen' it does look great but would need the Autopilot as well and not being fully integrated this is where it starts to get messy (over an integrated Sonar/GPS like the Tolson) and I've read reviews on set up confusion / errors from RT4 users who seem to always go with this option.
Hear what you are saying about detail. At the moment I'm using a modded (range) Deeper Chirp+ and the detail is great however like yourself I'm sure I got less fussy about bait placement and caught more fish with my previous modded smartcast and subsequent Lucky black and white fishfinder! It was obvious what was weedy and what was rock hard, whereas now it always looks like a combination of both . .!
Weirdly I am drawn to the Toslon just for convenience and like the sound of quick boot up etc. Normally I'd never consider GPS as I'm happy marking spots and wrapping up before sending the boat out, (ie. considering maybe just raymarine but no GPS) however to have both integrated seems a big benefit especially at night when horizon markers are obscured etc. and to be able to see the boats position in context with a digital map etc . . .my only reticence is the tech age (think there's a Tolson 750 available but its silly money) and size of screen (I'm used to a 8" landscape tablet)
Whats the range like on the Toslon and also the battery life? Also does it have a fixing for a stormpole / tripod bracket etc?
In reply to Post #3
Hi Chris. Range is more than I really need, I have had it on test to 160 yards but had to bring it back as I didnt want to encroach on a guy the other side of the lake, I was testing it on the widest part of my syndicate and didn't want to get into trouble as we have strict distance rules regarding boats. It had a strong connection and I am certain it would be as good a lot further out. GPS? Once you have it you wonder how you got by without it
I say that in jest, it really does make life easy though and I absolutely love the autopilot, thats been fantastic I was a bit sceptical when I got it, I thought I wouldnt bother with it but I use it all the time.
My unit didnt come with any fixings, but has the screw thread under the unit to fix whatever you want to it. I got the bank stick adaptor for when I am in a tight swim and cant use the tripod, was a couple of quid. The tripod I got from PC World had a quick change release plate (I think thats what it is called) I leave the plate permanently on the unit, saves a bit of time.
This one
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/cameras-and-camcorders/photography-accessories/camera-stands/hama-star-61-tripod-champagne-10219385-pdt.html
This was way better than the Carplounge one I had that fell to bits. I also didnt mention the actual fish recognition, I have mine switched off as I really have never trusted this on any sonar I have had, not to say it doesn't work I just prefer not to use it.
The toslon has a ton of settings and things you can alter, but is really user friendly and not over complicated to use, which I am glad about.
Hi Chris. Range is more than I really need, I have had it on test to 160 yards but had to bring it back as I didnt want to encroach on a guy the other side of the lake, I was testing it on the widest part of my syndicate and didn't want to get into trouble as we have strict distance rules regarding boats. It had a strong connection and I am certain it would be as good a lot further out. GPS? Once you have it you wonder how you got by without it
I say that in jest, it really does make life easy though and I absolutely love the autopilot, thats been fantastic I was a bit sceptical when I got it, I thought I wouldnt bother with it but I use it all the time.My unit didnt come with any fixings, but has the screw thread under the unit to fix whatever you want to it. I got the bank stick adaptor for when I am in a tight swim and cant use the tripod, was a couple of quid. The tripod I got from PC World had a quick change release plate (I think thats what it is called) I leave the plate permanently on the unit, saves a bit of time.
This one
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/cameras-and-camcorders/photography-accessories/camera-stands/hama-star-61-tripod-champagne-10219385-pdt.html
This was way better than the Carplounge one I had that fell to bits. I also didnt mention the actual fish recognition, I have mine switched off as I really have never trusted this on any sonar I have had, not to say it doesn't work I just prefer not to use it.
The toslon has a ton of settings and things you can alter, but is really user friendly and not over complicated to use, which I am glad about.
In reply to Post #4
Does the autopilot drop the bait or is this a manual function on the bb handset once you've dropped the bait?
Also does it have a home button to return 'hands free' . . ?
Does the autopilot drop the bait or is this a manual function on the bb handset once you've dropped the bait?
Also does it have a home button to return 'hands free' . . ?
In reply to Post #5
Its a manual bait drop, and yes there is a hands free return to home. You just have to make sure you set the home position to a few rod lengths out, and not by the bank where you launch from, also home needs setting each time obviously or your boat will head off to where you last set it. There is an absolute ton of spots you can save but I tend to set mine each time as my lake has a few regular feeding spots but not many, and the weed takes no prisoners and coveres previous spots unless you are on them regularly.
Not sure if you have seen this but it has some useful info, I printed this out and referenced it a lot
http://toslon.com/upload/TF740/Manual%20of%20TF740%20v1.1.pdf
Its a manual bait drop, and yes there is a hands free return to home. You just have to make sure you set the home position to a few rod lengths out, and not by the bank where you launch from, also home needs setting each time obviously or your boat will head off to where you last set it. There is an absolute ton of spots you can save but I tend to set mine each time as my lake has a few regular feeding spots but not many, and the weed takes no prisoners and coveres previous spots unless you are on them regularly.
Not sure if you have seen this but it has some useful info, I printed this out and referenced it a lot
http://toslon.com/upload/TF740/Manual%20of%20TF740%20v1.1.pdf
In reply to Post #1
Tolson is absolute garbage compared to the raymarine .Had the tolson for 2 years and and it's no different to many budget echos it's pretty average The raymarine is on another level you can even identify Type's of weed on the downscan and it's impossible to drop in weed by mistake .It's so much better I don't believe anyone is genuine that claims the tolson is better because the fact is the raymarine is in another ball park .Not sure what GPS your getting but the few I have seen or used have all been poor the tolson was all over the place and only very occasionally accurate .However the carploumge autopilot is something else it's unreal used to have V3 and it was accurate 90%of the time but the new v4 has not missed the spot dropping rigs or coming home once .Plus there is loads more it can do the software is fantastic .As for a carploumg one falling to bits don't see how that's possible. Unless you abused it the comment implys it's junk which is untrue .
Tolson is absolute garbage compared to the raymarine .Had the tolson for 2 years and and it's no different to many budget echos it's pretty average The raymarine is on another level you can even identify Type's of weed on the downscan and it's impossible to drop in weed by mistake .It's so much better I don't believe anyone is genuine that claims the tolson is better because the fact is the raymarine is in another ball park .Not sure what GPS your getting but the few I have seen or used have all been poor the tolson was all over the place and only very occasionally accurate .However the carploumge autopilot is something else it's unreal used to have V3 and it was accurate 90%of the time but the new v4 has not missed the spot dropping rigs or coming home once .Plus there is loads more it can do the software is fantastic .As for a carploumg one falling to bits don't see how that's possible. Unless you abused it the comment implys it's junk which is untrue .
In reply to Post #7
Didn't think it would be long before you would be along
I just gave my impressions of the 740, and compared it to the wifish. Your comment about the abuse I gave the Carplounge tripod? It was a poor tripod nothing more, I dont abuse my gear. CL did offer top replace it which was great I just went with something better. Yes I am sure the new CL kit is fantastic, and maybe streets ahead of anything Toslon do but the 740 is more than fine for my needs, and works 100% of the time.
Didn't think it would be long before you would be along
I just gave my impressions of the 740, and compared it to the wifish. Your comment about the abuse I gave the Carplounge tripod? It was a poor tripod nothing more, I dont abuse my gear. CL did offer top replace it which was great I just went with something better. Yes I am sure the new CL kit is fantastic, and maybe streets ahead of anything Toslon do but the 740 is more than fine for my needs, and works 100% of the time.
In reply to Post #7
Don't want an RT4 (too big ) so will be fitting this to an SB3 . . .I am worried that the 740 is old tech (for the money) with the 750 being a slight improvement. I do like the fact that its an 'all in one' unit however . . .
What's the best complimentary autopilot system for Raymarine? I assume it can be run and viewed in parrallel on a tablet etc - does it need a wifi booster etc? How much is it etc . . . Toslon 750 is £1800 . .
Don't want an RT4 (too big ) so will be fitting this to an SB3 . . .I am worried that the 740 is old tech (for the money) with the 750 being a slight improvement. I do like the fact that its an 'all in one' unit however . . .
What's the best complimentary autopilot system for Raymarine? I assume it can be run and viewed in parrallel on a tablet etc - does it need a wifi booster etc? How much is it etc . . . Toslon 750 is £1800 . .
In reply to Post #9
There's two modded versions that Fish Eye Camera do, one is £550 which comes with a booster that connects the Dragonfly via an aerial lead from the Dragonfly to the booster, then you affix a 2.4ghz aerial to your boat. This mod still has the chunky connector from the transducer to the Dragonfly, so you need room for it. I just about squeezed this mod into my ND2.
The other version of the Dragonfly that Fish Eye do removes the chunky connector. The second mod is around £750 which I think he said includes fitting it at all their end for you; you'll have to ask them about it as they're well busy because of all the units they're making for Total Fishing Tackle.
You could do all these mods yourself if you can solder, the second mod though I've not found what the pinout is - Fish Eye does and I can't see they'll share that - so it would be a case of going though and finding which lead relates to which pin, then cutting the lead off and soldering 25 or so pins... Looked a right agg for me as I need to get a camera zoomed right in for such fiddly work.
If you wanted to buy a cheap Dragonfly 2nd hand from eBay for instance, get hold of an electronics guy locally to solder the aerial from the Dragonfly with a connector to a booster, and also get the plug on the back removed and have the wires from the transducer hard wired to the Dragonfly and save a few quid, that's a good option.
I'd guess that the range for the mod is around the 200yds stated from Fish Eye. If you need greater range, you'd have to get a booster/bridge extender from the bankside to the boat. Easy enough to set-up these boosters. Have a look at a post where I've mentioned the Vonets VAP11S before 👍
There's two modded versions that Fish Eye Camera do, one is £550 which comes with a booster that connects the Dragonfly via an aerial lead from the Dragonfly to the booster, then you affix a 2.4ghz aerial to your boat. This mod still has the chunky connector from the transducer to the Dragonfly, so you need room for it. I just about squeezed this mod into my ND2.
The other version of the Dragonfly that Fish Eye do removes the chunky connector. The second mod is around £750 which I think he said includes fitting it at all their end for you; you'll have to ask them about it as they're well busy because of all the units they're making for Total Fishing Tackle.
You could do all these mods yourself if you can solder, the second mod though I've not found what the pinout is - Fish Eye does and I can't see they'll share that - so it would be a case of going though and finding which lead relates to which pin, then cutting the lead off and soldering 25 or so pins... Looked a right agg for me as I need to get a camera zoomed right in for such fiddly work.
If you wanted to buy a cheap Dragonfly 2nd hand from eBay for instance, get hold of an electronics guy locally to solder the aerial from the Dragonfly with a connector to a booster, and also get the plug on the back removed and have the wires from the transducer hard wired to the Dragonfly and save a few quid, that's a good option.
I'd guess that the range for the mod is around the 200yds stated from Fish Eye. If you need greater range, you'd have to get a booster/bridge extender from the bankside to the boat. Easy enough to set-up these boosters. Have a look at a post where I've mentioned the Vonets VAP11S before 👍
I had the raymarine fitted to my boat last year approx £800
I'm getting in touch with the guy next week to quote me for the auto pilot will let you know how much he quotes me 👍
I'm getting in touch with the guy next week to quote me for the auto pilot will let you know how much he quotes me 👍
In reply to Post #11
What boat?
Also with the Auto Pilot does this run off its own screen or is it integrated / controlled by the Raymarine app?
What boat?
Also with the Auto Pilot does this run off its own screen or is it integrated / controlled by the Raymarine app?
RT4
In reply to Post #13
Just reviving this briefly - have been buggering about with my deeper on my SB3 and the range (even with booster) is pants - have 'heard' that raymarine (also being wi-fi) can suffer in a similar way meaning driving slowly (to keep connection) whereas the Toslon always stays solid and connected (even when driving at speed) . . .is this true?
Just reviving this briefly - have been buggering about with my deeper on my SB3 and the range (even with booster) is pants - have 'heard' that raymarine (also being wi-fi) can suffer in a similar way meaning driving slowly (to keep connection) whereas the Toslon always stays solid and connected (even when driving at speed) . . .is this true?
In reply to Post #14
Had a Toslon tr640 non autopilot gps and now have the RM Dragonfly on my ND2.
I can see the Toslon being seen as a decent unit all in one simple set up however the Fishfinder is basic at best compared to RM. The autopilot settings and X pilot where clanky in my opinion.
ND2 autopilot is the nuts.
All depends and what you want and we are all different but the RM I can actually see the fish sizes and what they are the RM is that good.
Had a Toslon tr640 non autopilot gps and now have the RM Dragonfly on my ND2.
I can see the Toslon being seen as a decent unit all in one simple set up however the Fishfinder is basic at best compared to RM. The autopilot settings and X pilot where clanky in my opinion.
ND2 autopilot is the nuts.
All depends and what you want and we are all different but the RM I can actually see the fish sizes and what they are the RM is that good.