Topic: First time boat owner looking for help and advice on Humminbird Fish Finders

[Grd7out2]

Hello All!  I recently purchased a boat that came with a Humminbird 859CI HD DI and I'm looking for help/advice on getting another head unit to do Side Imaging that is compatible with the 859CI HD DI without breaking the bank.  Is it worth trying to find an older unit to go along with the 859CI HD DI or go a totally different direction as far as electronics?

[rnvinc]

Point 1: 859 core units will share waypoints with any networkable HB unit (older and newer)  ...

Point 2: 859 will share Sonar with limited HB units (older and newer)  ... use this link to see what will share  ...
https://zingtree.com/deploy/tree.php?z=popup&popup=1&disable_scroll=0&tree_id=917412678000&session_id=917412678000-d5657fdd07de4bc5#34

Rickie

[rnvinc]

With the limited sharing between HELIX and older core number series there are a couple of options to consider  ...

If your plan is to use the core number series unit for mapping and sharing waypoints only - any generation HELIX is a good choice  ...

If your plan is to also share Sonar, you will need to move toward 2 HELIX G3N or G4N to get the optimal sharing capabilities  ...

Rickie

[Kenai]

I can suggest from my own experience to use 859 in front (transducer on trolling motor) and SI capable Helix on the helm. I suppose bass fishing setup. If you plan for other fishing technics, it all depends...

For finding good fishing spots, you will use Helix SI (go at least 9" for SI). And when you start casting from the casting deck, 859 in front will be used for mapping and vertical fishing. Sharing images from transom mount transducer is not much of a help anyway, if your boat is not moving in a straight line. (you are fishing some spot on some sort of anchor).

Or consider mixing electronic brands. Don't want to be a troll on HB forum, but if you can't fully network your existing unit with new one (thanks HB) Maybe you will be better with HB + Garmin setup. You will not lose almost anything, and you will be able to use arguably the best live technology out there in the future. Basically what I'm to try to say is don't be stuck with thinking your next unit must be HB because you already have one. That would be a mistake.