Sonar. What Would You Like To See As The Next 'Big Thing'?

[5-Dinks]

Lower prices!

This and the ability to upgrade the unit without buying a whole new platform. Or maybe a universal casing that the end consumer can setup with his choice of brand electronics. So you could partition your software so you have both Hummmingbird and Lowrance on the same unit so to speak and can later change to something else if you wish.

[FES313]

The wireless transducer is limited by the power supply and size of the battery. It would have to be able to recharged or have replaceable batteries on the water and still be able to be waterproof. I see the units going to wireless network first. They already have Bluetooth, they just need the software to make it happen.

[Mark Perry]

For a new unit not to obsolete a week after you buy it.

[Mark Perry]

You would think if Power Pole could go totally wireless on a boat then so could these companies.

[DrewFlu33]

Most of the above suggestions like wireless transducers and smaller transducers would require a rewrite to the laws of physics to maintain things like SS and 360, so I wouldn't expect to see them. Power is always going to need wires, and smaller transducers have wide beams.

What I'd like to see is a separation of the displays from the signal processing and other hardware. Sonars would be black boxes mounted under the deck someplace with small cables running to monitors mounted on the consoles and ethernet connecting them.

This would make the displays themselves cheaper, lighter and upgradable.

If you want to go to an ideal world, you have an industry standard for displays and sonars so you could have multiple manufacturer's sonars integrated to a single display and companies competing to sell monitors etc. to drive the price down.

This this this. It's beyond stupid to pay 50% to 100% more to step up to a 12 inch screen from a 9 inch screen when the internals are EXACTLY the same. What does that additional screen size cost? $20? And even at that, with the larger case that goes along with the screen, it makes fitting and securing those internals easier for them. They're making too much money off of the larger screens for it to change, though. There would need to be a new entrant to the market to disrupt it, and even then they'll get destroyed by the existing companies' patent attorneys. It's a dirty game they play.

[duff73]

Most of the above suggestions like wireless transducers and smaller transducers would require a rewrite to the laws of physics to maintain things like SS and 360, so I wouldn't expect to see them. Power is always going to need wires, and smaller transducers have wide beams.

What I'd like to see is a separation of the displays from the signal processing and other hardware. Sonars would be black boxes mounted under the deck someplace with small cables running to monitors mounted on the consoles and ethernet connecting them.

This would make the displays themselves cheaper, lighter and upgradable.

If you want to go to an ideal world, you have an industry standard for displays and sonars so you could have multiple manufacturer's sonars integrated to a single display and companies competing to sell monitors etc. to drive the price down.

This. I would go further and say that I would like to have an equipment standard for all sonar components, whereby all you need is a tablet, sonar controller, and transducer, made by any company that works with everything else. Like NMEA, but the next step, where software on a tablet is the driving factor and fully updateable. I realize that NMEA has all sorts of plug and play components, but the functionality of the units is limited to what the head units can do.

It gets tiring to have to buy all new equipment when something new comes out, all proprietary to one manufacturer, although i understand that in low production runs, the margins are in the line of equipment and not the parts.

Just my thoughts, and they may be wrong and already on the market.

[fishon!sc]

This this this. It's beyond stupid to pay 50% to 100% more to step up to a 12 inch screen from a 9 inch screen when the internals are EXACTLY the same. What does that additional screen size cost? $20? And even at that, with the larger case that goes along with the screen, it makes fitting and securing those internals easier for them. They're making too much money off of the larger screens for it to change, though. There would need to be a new entrant to the market to disrupt it, and even then they'll get destroyed by the existing companies' patent attorneys. It's a dirty game they play.

They are making huge percentages on the big screens. Never going to change.

[TrackerPro16]

Wireless transducers have been around for many years, there are several castable transducers: iBobber, Deeper, Sonarphone T-pod, Lowrance Fishhunter Pro, Lowrance Fishhunter 3D, etc.
A smartphone or tablet is the display.

Humminbird used to have the Smartcast wireless transducer.

Sonarphone has a couple of mountable wireless transducers also with the SP200 and SP300.

I tried one of the better rated wireless fish finders and ended up returning it. It would loose the signal NEXT to the boat. Not useable at all.

[Capw]

The wireless transducers could have just a power wire running into the splashwell and then into the battery compartment for the power issue. Would solve the pita issue of running transducer wires.

Would also like to have the best features of every brand built into one unit.

[Axkiker]

Fish ID for SI.

[5-Dinks]

They are making huge percentages on the big screens. Never going to change.

Best thing we can do to save money is buy the older models just before they discontinue them for the newer ones. Then the price would become a lot more reasonable. No point in chasing the latest in greatest if it continues to change each year along with a higher price tag. That is unless you just love spending money on them like that.

[CatFan]

You would think if Power Pole could go totally wireless on a boat then so could these companies.

Millions of times more data on a sonar than a PP. The transducer is nothing more than a speaker/microphone, so it would have to have much if not all of the sonar capability built-in to the transducer to do anything because of timing issues being somewhat random via networks. You'd still have to run wires for power, it would have to be able to stand complete immersion and you'd always struggle to get good wireless signal from down in the bilge or under water.

[Tarheel14]

This all day everyday!! I would add that the transducer sizes should start shrinking in size also. Something in the size of a Bic lighter would be awesome. I would also like to see a box about 4 inches by 6 inches as a head unit and buy your own screen size viewer.

LIke a cable box or satellite tv box..... you buy the "receiver" and then whatever size "monitor" you want.

[Axkiker]

Also for units to be more modular. Such as you can buy a Helix g2 or g2n. From my understanding there is no functionality difference other than the networking capabilities. Externally wise I believe the only difference is the networking port is left off the g2 unit.

Id bet electronic wise they are identical. ill bet software wise they just either turned off the network option or left it out. How about make 1 unit with the ability to add the feature at a later date.

But yes this wouldnt sell as many units.

[FES313]

Best thing we can do to save money is buy the older models just before they discontinue them for the newer ones. Then the price would become a lot more reasonable. No point in chasing the latest in greatest if it continues to change each year along with a higher price tag. That is unless you just love spending money on them like that.

I just upgraded to Gen 3s from 10 year old+ gen 2s. I hope to get 10 years out of the gen 3s.

[Mark Perry]

Millions of times more data on a sonar than a PP. The transducer is nothing more than a speaker/microphone, so it would have to have much if not all of the sonar capability built-in to the transducer to do anything because of timing issues being somewhat random via networks. You'd still have to run wires for power, it would have to be able to stand complete immersion and you'd always struggle to get good wireless signal from down in the bilge or under water.

The groundwork is there. These companies can expand on the concept. Use the technology PP used as a base and expand on it. I think it goes without saying you still will need to be hardwired for power on the boat itself but the rest can be fully wireless.

[Wayne P.]

The wireless transducers could have just a power wire running into the splashwell and then into the battery compartment for the power issue. Would solve the pita issue of running transducer wires.

Would also like to have the best features of every brand built into one unit.

The Vexilar Sonarphone SP200 is just that. A wireless transmitter powered by the boat's battery, with transducer hard wired to the transmitter. Transmitter sends data via WiFi to a smartphone or tablet. I have one and have used it to do Navionics Sonar Charts Live.

[CatFan]

Also for units to be more modular. Such as you can buy a Helix g2 or g2n. From my understanding there is no functionality difference other than the networking capabilities. Externally wise I believe the only difference is the networking port is left off the g2 unit.

Id bet electronic wise they are identical. ill bet software wise they just either turned off the network option or left it out. How about make 1 unit with the ability to add the feature at a later date.

But yes this wouldnt sell as many units.

Very common in electronic test equipment to sell upgrades that are just encrypted keys. You could sell someone a unit that just had 2D sonar (but had the hardware for all functions) at an entry level price, then let them buy a key to enable mapping, side scan etc.. Manufacturing costs to make every unit the same would be driven down, and somebody who might never drop $2000 on a unit might do just that a few hundred dollars at a time.

[Axkiker]

The Vexilar Sonarphone SP200 is just that. A wireless transmitter powered by the boat's battery, with transducer hard wired to the transmitter. Transmitter sends data via WiFi to a smartphone or tablet. I have one and have used it to do Navionics Sonar Charts Live.

Yeah this is the sorta thing I was thinking about. Would require a bit more hardware but seems easily doable.

[Axkiker]

Very common in electronic test equipment to sell upgrades that are just encrypted keys. You could sell someone a unit that just had 2D sonar (but had the hardware for all functions) at an entry level price, then let them buy a key to enable mapping, side scan etc.. Manufacturing costs to make every unit the same would be driven down, and somebody who might never drop $2000 on a unit might do just that a few hundred dollars at a time.

Yup!!!! that is exactly what I was thinking.