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  1. #1
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    Ultrex review by average Joe

    Ultrex Review

    Yesterday was my first time on the water since installing the new Ultrex 112 with I Pilot. I have a battle cruiser of a boat, Ranger Z520 and run Lowrance graphs, which are incompatible with Minnkota’s Link feature that works only with Hummingbird (which costs $200 more anyways.)

    The first thing I had to do once on the water was to go through the calibration procedure for heading sensor, which consists of initiating the calibration sequence via the remote by completing two tight clockwise circles in the boat using the trolling motor. Easy. There is an additional calibration required if the heading sensor puck is not aligned perfectly, but mine is good enough. Now lets go fishing.

    Living in Arizona, of course we can fish year round, but the bite definitely slows in the winter, which for me means a lot more jig fishing. When I purchased the Ultrex, I wasn’t sure how much I would use the remote, like many others who have considered not installing the heading sensor. My takeaway from my first trip is that the “spotlock and jog features,” which require the heading sensor, are the absolute best features on the new Ultrex.

    Deployment and Return: It is amazing how easily a brand new trolling motor deploys and returns, that is a big back saver. The new Ultrex comes with a steel cable, which is far superior to the old poly cord they used, but it is about a foot too long, I will have to shorten it. For the first few months, I will physically need to make sure the unit is completely locked in the stow position when I move on the water, as I have a padded front deck and it will take a while for the stabilizer to create a nice divot in the pad so it seats properly each time.

    The foot pedal is much easier to use than the Fortrex pedal, though it looks the same and functions the same, it certainly is like power steering. I use a stand up seat and had grown accustomed to a certain amount of pressure on my steering leg. What I discovered is that the Ultrex pedal turns with much less pressure, so I will need to change how much pressure I apply to the pedal. By the end of the day I was already getting used to it so my turns were much smoother. The pedal has activity lights that are easy to see so you can tell which features are active. In addition, there are also big buttons on the pedal that can activate the features instead of using the remote.

    The bite was a little slow so decided to do some jig fishing, so I pulled up on a point and decided to give spotlock a try. I nosed the boat into the point and activated spot lock through the remote, the Ultrex chirped a couple of times letting me know it was activated, and then the unit came to life and proceeded to maintain my water position. There was not much wind so it was only a minor test on the unit, but every once in a while the head would automatically turn and run the prop to push the bow of the boat back to its original position. After admiring the unit for a couple of minutes, it was time to get to fishing. I wanted to back off the point a bit, so I used the jog feature by pressing one of the 4 direction buttons, and the unit directed the boat slowly back off the point, 5 feet at a time. By now the wind had swung the stern of the boat around so it was parallel with the bank, so I walked to the back of the boat in order to fish some water that was now 21 feet closer. After working this area for a bit, while still at the back of the boat, I used the remote to once again jog the boat a few feet. Awesome! You are certain to lose a few jigs in the rocks, which I did, but with spotlock “on” I was able to retie without fear of the boat being blown into the bank. Super! I decided to move further down the bank at a quicker pace, so I simply stepped on the pedal and spotlock was immediately deactivated.

    I am usually slow to buy the latest gadgets, as there are usually bugs that need to be worked out, or maybe it doesn’t provide the benefits I thought it would (Spotlight transducer). But I have to say the Ultrex, though pricey ($2200), is absolutely awesome. And no I am not a Minnkota sponsored fisherman.

  2. Member
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    #2

  3. Moderator TMG's Avatar
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    #3
    Nice review
    " Talking to you is like clapping with one hand "
    Anthrax

  4. Member jimsch's Avatar
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    #4
    Thanks for the report. Sounds like my next TM.

  5. Finally over 80
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    #5
    Nice review. Just waiting for mine to come in.

  6. Iowa/Wisconsin/Hunting & Gun Lodge/Stroker Moderator Wags's Avatar
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    #6
    Nice review, thank you.
    LeaLea

  7. Member
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    Feb 2014
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    #7
    Great review! Can't wait for mine.

    2022 21PHX

    Previous boats:
    2017 Phoenix 721 ProXP
    2000 Triton TR186

  8. Member
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    Denair Ca
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    #8
    I ordered mine from brian at bbg and had it in my hand the very next evening,oh and im in california

  9. Member
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    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by mrsturggie View Post
    I ordered mine from brian at bbg and had it in my hand the very next evening,oh and im in california
    I too ordered from Brian at BBG. I found he was easy to work with and the prices were very fair. He also shipped the next day. I think it took 4 days for me to get it in AZ.

  10. Member
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    west michigan
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    #10
    That's what I was hoping to hear. I just bought one but being in Michigan I won't be using it for a while. Cant wait.

  11. Member
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    #11
    Thanks for the report!

  12. Member
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    #12
    Great review! I cant wait to use mine, I will have to wait until march before i can use mine.
    2004 Stratos 295 Pro XL
    2004 Mercury 3.0 L EFI 200 HP SN: 0T908560
    Standard/Servicemaster Lower 859399T13

  13. Member
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    #13
    Awesome review!! Just got notified yesterday that mine shipped. Finally. Been on order since September

  14. Member
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    #14
    Still waiting on mine but all I would be able to do is stare at it with the hard water we have. Excellent review can't wait!!

  15. Member
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    #15
    question, when you jog a few feet, is spotlock still active just at a new coordinance?
    So if I was on the back of the boat for some reason and jogged, do I need to hit spotlock again

  16. Member
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    #16
    Kromer, when you jog while in spotlock, it relocks into your new position after the job is complete.

  17. #17
    Has anyone used the Ultrex in Hydro???? The old 101s were fantastic but the new 112 is not as good. Just wondering how the Ultrex 112 does in Hydro.
    If you want a pig, flip a jig!!!


  18. Banned
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    #18
    how is the turning speed of the head? all of the videos I have seen show the head moving way too quickly with very little foot pedal movement. it would be nice if they would allow a speed adjustment

  19. Member
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    #19
    TroyBoy, i too was surprised at how noticably easier it was to change directions with the pedal. You will certainly oversteer if you use the same foot pressure as with the old Fortrex. I am not worried about it though. Your foot just needs to relearn the new pressure. I was doing much better by the end of the first day. I really like how easy it turns. What a smart and well built unit. Has to be one of the single best improvements on my boat since I added structurescan.

  20. Member jamey1e's Avatar
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    Jan 2015
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    Mount Croghan, SC
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    #20
    Thanks for the review. I'm not crazy about the steering but I believe spot lock will be worth dealing with it.

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