Sounder/GPS combo's good or bad

[ynotaj]

In an older post of mine, I asked how to get inside my lowrance, and your answer was use the hacksaw. I did this and found a bloody mess, transistors melted and corrosion everywhere, the pcb was stuffed, so I have to get a new one.

If I'm going to spend money may as well get what I want, I won't be going outside in my 435 hornet so its the rivers and dams for me, but I still want something half decent, I want colour, sounder and gps, but do I go a combo unit, or get two units one sounder one gps.

I guess I am worried that if the combo unit plays up you lose both the sounder and gps, but the combo units can save you money over buying two units.

I have been looking at the LOWRANCE LMS-334C and the humminbird 595cx, the 595cx in Au is around $1400 but on ebay in USA it can be purchased from $540us so about $740au and then the HUMMINBIRD 787c2 FISH FINDER /PLOTTER FISHFINDER 787 is around $1780 in au and $980au with post from usa at this ebay page.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HUMMINBIRD-78...QQcmdZViewItem

Now I know we all have to make money but why is there about $800 difference, if we as consumers can buy from the usa at these prices I'm sure retailers and wholesalers buy it cheaper than us.

Anyway back to the topic have any of you had problems with combo units

cheers
Tony

[timddo]

not an expert myself. But in my opinion, keeping them separate is better. Split screens are a problem and hard to read. And If the unit fails, it's both gone. i would only buy a combo if you have limited space. I just brought a 5110 mon chartplotter for $300 Au from the US while whitworths sell them for $640. I think us Aussies get riped off with everything we buy, or our things are long outdated. The only thing with US is warranty, you may need to consider that when you are purchasing something expensive????

[ynotaj]

Thanks timddo, mate can you tell me or pm me with the site where you purchased the unit from. I have been reading about #############, he sounds ok.

cheers
Tony

[Spaniard_King]

Tony,

I just bought a furuno FCV620 from these guys http://www.jandlinterprises.com/

very helpfull and easy to deal with. They helped with the overall cost so I ddint have to pay customs /duty (over $1000)

Hard to go past this for what you want http://www.jandlinterprises.com/prod...ucts_id=113873

Garry

[saurian]

Ynot, i have furuno combo , and seperate units.
Combo is not the easiest to read in spitscreen mode.
But in small boat you could just switch fom mode to mode to save
outlaying the money.
Buy colour , mine is b/w always wishing for colour one now..

[wayne_cook]

Having had a duel set up in the past go the 2 seperate units if u have space.

the split screen was a real pain in the butt.imo

I've found garmin gps to be trouble free reliable and easy to use also cheap.

If a colour sounder is your choice have a look at the smaller raymarine hdsounders, well worth checking out

[ynotaj]

Thanks guys for the input and help, my boat is a 435 hornet side console so not heaps of mounting space on the console that's why I considered a combo unit and the fact that I will only be in the rivers, estuaries and dams so probably don't need the most expensive unit, at this point the sounder would be more important to me than a gps, although it would be nice to be able to find the same place twice especially at night.

Garry I checked out the website you provide and they have very good prices, just not sure on the freight its not listed, most of the other items I have purchased from USA cost me about $20au.

a lot of you like the furuno's, guess there is a message in all that

cheers
Tony

[Spaniard_King]

Tony,

they send it registered express, takes about 1 week cost is $65 usd

Garry

[billbanks]

I have a Lowrance LMS 337C DF combination sonar/GPS unit. Personally I have no trouble reading the split screens. I think the 480 by 480 resolution helps. If you want to return to the full screen you only have to press the page then the arrow then the exit buttons. Its very easy to move around the different screens. At $1,260 it was a fair bit cheaper than the two separate Lowrance units. Also less to disconect if you can't leave the electronics in the boat to avoid theft.

[ynotaj]

Thanks billbanks I was and probably still will post a question about this combo. I also like the res 480 x 480 and as you say to get two individual units with the same specifications will cost a lot more. Where did you get your unit from that seems a good price for aus, the best I can find is $1375 in aus and $888 in usa

thanks for the info
tony