Switching from Lowrance to HB- Help Please!

[dks300]

Well, it finally happened. After refusing to even consider HB for my new electronics on my boat, they had to come out with the MEGA imaging and literally blow my HDS structure scan out of the water. So I've made the executive decision to switch to all Hummingbird units! Since I fish collegiately for LSU and we fish the BoatUS tour, we get a substantial discount on Johnson Outdoor products and that makes it even easier for me. I'm thinking of doing a Solix 12 on a gimbal at the console with a Precision Sonar mount, a Helix 10 on a Balzout mount at the console (for my offshore tournaments having two is just so much easier than split screening), and doing either a Helix 12 or two Helix 9's on Precision Sonar mounts at the bow. I'm currently running an HDS 12 Gen 3 at the console and an HDS 9 Gen 3 at the bow.

So my question is: What cables (ethernet, NMEA 2000, etc) pucks (to give heading information and keep my graphs from rotating and to track more accurately), and other accessories will I need to bring the whole system up to being equivalent with my Lowrance system?

Thanks guys!

[scubatelco]

What no 360 on the TM? TM should have spot lock too.

[dks300]

What no 360 on the TM? TM should have spot lock too.

I'm running a Fortrexx 112, I thought it didn't have Spot-Lock capabilities for i-Pilot? And unless they increase the frequency for the 360, I'm not really interested in it right now. I'm sure if I spent the time to fine-tune it and really spend some time with it, I would appreciate it.

[Wayne P.]

The unit you use for viewing mapping when fishing at the bow is the one that needs a Heading Sensor attached, that is the only one. With Humminbirds, the position curser doesn't wander around at slow speeds like a Lowrance does. The position curser changes to a (O) when traveling less than .6 mph indicating GPS cannot determine direction. It takes consecutive track points in a particular direction within a certain amount of time for GPS to determine direction. When it can do that, you get a Course Projection line or steady position curser moving on the chart view.
The Heading Sensor GPS antenna is the AS GPS HS.

No Helix unit will share a heading sensor unless GPS from the same source is also shared.

To connect all those units together to share data and accessories, takes the AS ETH 5PXG Ethernet switch. Then you need an Ethernet cable between each unit and the switch-- AS EC 20E is the 20' version, there are several lengths available.
Each Helix unit needs an Ethernet adapter AS EC QDE to connect an Ethernet cable to it.

Since Helix units have an internal GPS antenna like the Lowrance units do, if you want accurate waypoints created at the console, you need an external GPS antenna at the transom so sonar data and GPS data is at the same place. That would be the AS GRP antenna and the source for GPS for both console units.

The Ethernet Switch is powered so plan its location and then Ethernet cable lengths determined from each unit to it.

[dks300]

The unit you use for viewing mapping when fishing at the bow is the one that needs a Heading Sensor attached, that is the only one. With Humminbirds, the position curser doesn't wander around at slow speeds like a Lowrance does. The position curser changes to a (O) when traveling less than .6 mph indicating GPS cannot determine direction. It takes consecutive track points in a particular direction within a certain amount of time for GPS to determine direction. When it can do that, you get a Course Projection line or steady position curser moving on the chart view.
The Heading Sensor GPS antenna is the AS GPS HS.

No Helix unit will share a heading sensor unless GPS from the same source is also shared.

To connect all those units together to share data and accessories, takes the AS ETH 5PXG Ethernet switch. Then you need an Ethernet cable between each unit and the switch-- AS EC 20E is the 20' version, there are several lengths available.
Each Helix unit needs an Ethernet adapter AS EC QDE to connect an Ethernet cable to it.

Since Helix units have an internal GPS antenna like the Lowrance units do, if you want accurate waypoints created at the console, you need an external GPS antenna at the transom so sonar data and GPS data is at the same place. That would be the AS GRP antenna and the source for GPS for both console units.

The Ethernet Switch is powered so plan its location and then Ethernet cable lengths determined from each unit to it.

I got about 90% of that, what did you mean by "No Helix unit will share a heading sensor unless GPS from the same source is also shared."?

I really appreciate the detailed response, my plan is to buy it all in a bundle and get some help from a friend who's ran HB for many years to help me run and connect everything. I'll need an external GPS at the console and a heading external GPS at the bow correct? And am I correct in thinking there's no need for the NMEA 2000 if I use Ethernet? For Lowrance, you had to have the NMEA 2K for the Point-1 puck to function (GPS puck that could provide heading data to both units and acted as GPS for the console units, and I used internal GPS for the console unit positioning while getting heading from the Point-1)

[Wayne P.]

I got about 90% of that, what did you mean by "No Helix unit will share a heading sensor unless GPS from the same source is also shared."?

I really appreciate the detailed response, my plan is to buy it all in a bundle and get some help from a friend who's ran HB for many years to help me run and connect everything. I'll need an external GPS at the console and a heading external GPS at the bow correct? And am I correct in thinking there's no need for the NMEA 2000 if I use Ethernet? For Lowrance, you had to have the NMEA 2K for the Point-1 puck to function (GPS puck that could provide heading data to both units and acted as GPS for the console units, and I used internal GPS for the console unit positioning while getting heading from the Point-1)

If you want to share the Heading Sensor GPS antenna connected to a bow unit with a unit at the console, you have to share the GPS and the Heading Sensor. If you have ONIX units, you can share the data separately.

Yes AS GPS HS at the bow.

Humminbird's GPS antennas are not a network device, they connect directly to a unit's COMM port.

[dks300]

Ah, so that's why it's necessary to have two GPS pucks and one with heading instead of just one.

[Bob B]

Other things to be aware of is that you can only share waypoints between Solix to Helix. Your mixed system will be a sweet setup, knowing the limitations is important....curious why you want the Solix at the console.

With the Solix, you can also share mapping .... can't do that with Helix. As Wayne indicated, with Solix you can share the Heading sensor data separately from the GPS data, so you would only need 1 heading sensor GPS to have the heading at the bow and the console. You would need 2 HS GPS with the Helix to have that with the Helix and also have accurate waypoints.

With all Helix or all Solix you can share pretty much any data....GPS, Transducer, Temp, etc.

[dks300]

Other things to be aware of is that you can only share waypoints between Solix to Helix. Your mixed system will be a sweet setup, knowing the limitations is important....curious why you want the Solix at the console.

With the Solix, you can also share mapping .... can't do that with Helix. As Wayne indicated, with Solix you can share the Heading sensor data separately from the GPS data, so you would only need 1 heading sensor GPS to have the heading at the bow and the console. You would need 2 HS GPS with the Helix to have that with the Helix and also have accurate waypoints.

With all Helix or all Solix you can share pretty much any data....GPS, Transducer, Temp, etc.

I'm wanting the Solix because I'm used to the quick navigation of the touch-screen, I guess I would just need to use one without it for a while and see how much I liked/disliked it.

So the Helix isn't capable of both displaying mapping and waypoints from my console units, but all Solix's or all Helix's would be? If that's the case maybe I need to look at doing two 10" Helix at the console and two 9" at the bow, or just a 12" Solix at console and bow.

[Bob B]

Mapping cannot be shared with the Helix units .... pretty much everything else though........Only the Solix and/or the Onix can share mapping.

I wish they would come out with a Non Touch version of the Solix at a discounted price like they did with Onix .... but not sure if they will since the Helix series now has an all-in-one transducer. Buying 4 touch units would be overkill and much more expensive.

The Solix advantages are that it allows you to create custom views, share mapping, independent sharing of HS and GPS, and has touch.....maybe some other things I'm not thinking about right now.

[ntslam]

I would go with the solix due not having to completely swap out all the accessory cables if you decided you liked the solix more than the Helix. The solix will have everything the Helix does and more.

[BoatBuggy]

And unless they increase the frequency for the 360, I'm not really interested in it right now. I'm sure if I spent the time to fine-tune it and really spend some time with it, I would appreciate it.

Maybe you don't know what you don't know. If you're getting substantial discounts for HB gear, get a 360. You can thank us later.

[Pipe Rat]

You can also go a combination of SOLIX and ONIX and share everything between all networked units. If I'm not mistaken if you try to mix SOLIX with HELIX they will only share waypoints.

[dks300]

Maybe you don't know what you don't know. If you're getting substantial discounts for HB gear, get a 360. You can thank us later.

Hahaha maybe I don't, I'm pretty HB illiterate. I just noticed that that was the request of a lot of Humminbird guys on a couple of other threads that talked about the new mega imaging. I also have attended one of Keith Combs's classes and it seemed like deciphering the 360 was pretty tough, but maybe if I got it I would think otherwise! I'll definitely research it some more!

[dks300]

Mapping cannot be shared with the Helix units .... pretty much everything else though........Only the Solix and/or the Onix can share mapping.

I wish they would come out with a Non Touch version of the Solix at a discounted price like they did with Onix .... but not sure if they will since the Helix series now has an all-in-one transducer. Buying 4 touch units would be overkill and much more expensive.

The Solix advantages are that it allows you to create custom views, share mapping, independent sharing of HS and GPS, and has touch.....maybe some other things I'm not thinking about right now.

Then I may do Solix 12 at console, Helix 10 on balzout for offshore tournaments, and Solix 12 at the bow.