Disappointed in GT-52

[LWINCHESTER2]

I'm no help with this conversation. I use side imaging (SideVu) every fishing trip, but I'm not not the fan of it that so many others are. I had a Hbird 998 initially, Lowrance LSS1 later, and now Garmin. I read the Lowrance board quite often and I see no concession there that Hbirds side imaging is better than Lowrance. It may be. I don't know and don't care. I also have a UHD system but I don't use it now as I am focused on water 100-150 ft deep. The first Garmin transducer I bought was a GT51. For people who fish around 30 ft or less of water they would consider this the worst side imaging transducer ever. The front to back cone on 260 kHz is 2.0 degrees. The 455 kHz is 1.4 that I would say is pretty good but other might disagree. But it was exactly what I was looking for and I've not been disappointed. The whole concept of finding fish by first finding structure is something I have abandoned. After reading Buck Perry's book and subscribing to Fishing Facts magazine, I was a fan of structure fishing for many, many years. Now I just skip that step and look for the fish and I find them in all sorts of places, and very often in open water. In my parts, spring crappie fishing for 99% of the fisherman will mean following a bank and casting to shore. I'll be in the open water, out from those same fishermen fishing like I did for umpteen years. My crappie catch is probably somewhere between 5 to 1 and better compared to those fishing the banks and the structure they have found there. My walleye fishing is similar but much much deeper. My tuning of SI is to turn the brightness and contrast up so much that that structure is bleached out so that the fish will show up very bright. My #1 search tool is the Panoptix PS30. My targetting tools for catching are PS22, LiveScope and 2d. If Garmin updated the PS30 to LiveScope level performance, I would pull side imaging off the boat completely. Right now I still need it to get a more detailed look than the PS30 provides.

Don't get me wrong. If you like side imaging and it is that important to you, good for you. I hope you find and get the very best on the market. be it Lowrance or Humminbird and that you are able to find and interpret the structure that is represented perfectly. i'll just keep looking for the fish.

[Reelcrazy]

My reason for switching was to eventually take advantage of the new texhnologies such as livescope. I just had no Idea how terrible the imaging was in some ways. Can I buy your UHD? Hahaha

[LWINCHESTER2]

No chance. I'll be back using it on prespawn crappie in January and February. I was out yesterday and saw three schools of crappie holding 10-15 ft deep. Not crappie fishing right now so I passed. Well not really. I didn't have my crappie gear in the boat. But getting ready to head out as soon as I finish my coffee and just in case I can't find some walleye I'll be ready this time. I was using LiveScope. I know it's an expensive proposition, but once you use Panoptix and LiveScope you can't do without it. I catch more fish and it just plain great fun.

Some people go fishing. The weather is good. Maybe they don't catch much and they say they still had a great time. Not me. For it to be a good day, I have to catch fish.

[opaleski]

I have had Humminbird and Lowrance. As far as turning them on and off to re-boot every so often seemed to be just not right, Then in fishing in very shallow water and getting readings of plus 1000 feet, well that seemed like a bunch of crap also. So I thought try Garmin. Easy to use, No problems, awesome traditional sonar display!! See no reason to go back to the other two!!

[Reelcrazy]

I guess my biggest question at this point would be go UHD with the separate black box? Or is Garmin furiously working on a solution to integrate "Mega Imaging" into the 76 series? Is the 76 series physically capable of running something similar to Mega or they simply need the extra black box? I just wonder why Garmin or Airmar cannot produce an all in one solution in a compact transducer like Humminbird was able to. The transducer on my helix was pretty damn small.

[DogDoc15]

I'm no help with this conversation. I use side imaging (SideVu) every fishing trip, but I'm not not the fan of it that so many others are. I had a Hbird 998 initially, Lowrance LSS1 later, and now Garmin. I read the Lowrance board quite often and I see no concession there that Hbirds side imaging is better than Lowrance. It may be. I don't know and don't care. I also have a UHD system but I don't use it now as I am focused on water 100-150 ft deep. The first Garmin transducer I bought was a GT51. For people who fish around 30 ft or less of water they would consider this the worst side imaging transducer ever. The front to back cone on 260 kHz is 2.0 degrees. The 455 kHz is 1.4 that I would say is pretty good but other might disagree. But it was exactly what I was looking for and I've not been disappointed. The whole concept of finding fish by first finding structure is something I have abandoned. After reading Buck Perry's book and subscribing to Fishing Facts magazine, I was a fan of structure fishing for many, many years. Now I just skip that step and look for the fish and I find them in all sorts of places, and very often in open water. In my parts, spring crappie fishing for 99% of the fisherman will mean following a bank and casting to shore. I'll be in the open water, out from those same fishermen fishing like I did for umpteen years. My crappie catch is probably somewhere between 5 to 1 and better compared to those fishing the banks and the structure they have found there. My walleye fishing is similar but much much deeper. My tuning of SI is to turn the brightness and contrast up so much that that structure is bleached out so that the fish will show up very bright. My #1 search tool is the Panoptix PS30. My targetting tools for catching are PS22, LiveScope and 2d. If Garmin updated the PS30 to LiveScope level performance, I would pull side imaging off the boat completely. Right now I still need it to get a more detailed look than the PS30 provides.

Don't get me wrong. If you like side imaging and it is that important to you, good for you. I hope you find and get the very best on the market. be it Lowrance or Humminbird and that you are able to find and interpret the structure that is represented perfectly. i'll just keep looking for the fish.

Great information! I appreciate your insight.

[BassBoatElectronics.com]

I don’t think Garmin and other manufacturers are focusing on making side imaging better. They have been working to improve fish ability on the water with new product. LiveScope is the proof of that. You can get great image qualities with the UHD and the remote box does have advantages and disadvantages. Side Imaging in my opinion is where it needs to be with the right transducers from all the manufacturers. Garmin units have always been the most reliable and adaptable. The 76xx series are getting old and still performing with the latest advancements in sonar due to remote sonar hubs like LiveScope and UHD. However you did take a big step backwards going from MEGA imaging to the GT-52. After the shock and getting the unit setup the way you want it I think you will love it. Most of our customers have.

[pfisher]

I don’t think Garmin and other manufacturers are focusing on making side imaging better. They have been working to improve fish ability on the water with new product. LiveScope is the proof of that. You can get great image qualities with the UHD and the remote box does have advantages and disadvantages. Side Imaging in my opinion is where it needs to be with the right transducers from all the manufacturers. Garmin units have always been the most reliable and adaptable. The 76xx series are getting old and still performing with the latest advancements in sonar due to remote sonar hubs like LiveScope and UHD. However you did take a big step backwards going from MEGA imaging to the GT-52. After the shock and getting the unit setup the way you want it I think you will love it. Most of our customers have.

Once he had any other Si he won't be happy with the garmins. I had his same setup and after six months of fooling myself a friend, who only fishes with me, talked me into getting rid of it. The 2d was good and I could have lived with the Di even though it sucked conpared to the L units I came from. As the OP stated you couldn't tell the difference in targets unless they were very large. I could idle through a stump bed and not see a single stump that I knew was there. The final straw for me was looking for a creek channel and not being able to find it.

They are nice units but it's obvious since the beginning they either don't have the knowledge to implement SI correctly or others have it locked up in patents so tightly they can't get around it. Either way Si is a valuable tool to most of us.

[Riccochet]

That's my biggest complaint. I tournament fish, so I'm not out there just beating random banks all day long. I pre-fish and find the structure the fish are relating to. Then I use SI to find more of said structure. When I can't tell the difference between a rock pile and brush pile something is wrong. This isn't deep water either, 5-25 feet, at most. I can see a blob of shit down there, maybe, sometimes, but not all the time. Or if I do see something, turn around to see it again and it's gone. Have to idle back over the area 2-3 more times just to see it again, then not be able to tell WTF it is.

To me it's a time waster and not efficient.

OH, but spend MORE money to make it better! .....but why? I spent $2300 on a 7608, another $250 for a GT52 and another $180 on a Gt15. $2700 and the imaging is terrible. Oh, but the 2D is great! It was great on my old ass Eagle fish finder from the early 2000's. So, now what are my options? Spend another $600 on UHD? So, for $3300 total spent I can have a 8" unit that's barely as good as a Solix 10 that costs $1200 less.

If I wasn't buying a new boat and all new electronics in the spring all this Garmin stuff would be up for sale.

I honestly could not recommend Garmin to anyone unless they are solely interested in Panoptix/Livescope. HB and L units just do everything else better.

[BassBoatElectronics.com]

Why buy the GT52 in the first place? 250 that’s almost half of the UHD system. We’re talking a 350 dollar difference. Again why is the GT52 paired with top of the line units? It’s the entry level all in one transducer. It’s going to give you entry level results. EchoMAP 7 to a GPSMap 7616XSV!

[Riccochet]

Why buy the GT52 in the first place? 250 that’s almost half of the UHD system. We’re talking a 350 dollar difference. Again why is the GT52 paired with top of the line units? It’s the entry level all in one transducer. It’s going to give you entry level results. EchoMAP 7 to a GPSMap 7616XSV!

At the time UHD, even Panoptix, wasn't available. Neither existed. The GT52 was being recommended as the "transducer of choice for shallower water". So, that's what I bought.

[BassBoatElectronics.com]

So if you would have bought any other display at the time MEGA wouldn’t even be an option. Let’s say you bought a Humminbird onix only to find out you had to buy a whole new unit to run MEGA and not able to just upgrade your transducer. Your cost would have doubled. Garmin 76xx series have out lasted all the rest and are still performing awesome. Your unit just needs a new transducer setup and not an overhaul.

[Riccochet]

So if you would have bought any other display at the time MEGA wouldn’t even be an option. Let’s say you bought a Humminbird onix only to find out you had to buy a whole new unit to run MEGA and not able to just upgrade your transducer. Your cost would have doubled. Garmin 76xx series have out lasted all the rest and are still performing awesome. Your unit just needs a new transducer setup and not an overhaul.

Have you looked at UHD screenshots? They're not that impressive. I'd say they are slightly better than HB's and L's standard SI/DI from 5 years ago. And that's my opinion when I owned 998's. I'd consider Garmin's UHD to be a product that should have been out 5 years ago.

My other huge caveat with Garmin is their mapping....or lack of it. And no way to use mapping from anyone other than Garmin. I get to fish an entire chain of lakes, where Elite series events have been, that has zero Garmin mapping. Oh, but wait, I can spend the next 4000 hours mapping it myself! How thoughtful!

[InternationalMarine Brian]

At the time UHD, even Panoptix, wasn't available. Neither existed. The GT52 was being recommended as the "transducer of choice for shallower water". So, that's what I bought.

The gt52 is the correct transducer for most bass fisherman. It is not an entry level transducer. Side and down images are similar with all of the gt transducers.

[LWINCHESTER2]

Wow!!! What a can of worms. I cannot straighten out all this but I do think I can offer a few points.


1. I did a head to head comparison of the GT50 and LSS1 being used at the same time, same place, same structure. I posted that comparison on this board and possibly a search might find it. IMO the GT50 was just as good as the LSS1. At times I thought it was better. I did not compare it with any Bird unit. I don't have one. To be fair some readers thought the LSS1 was better looking at the same screenshots. So now we get out of objective and into subjective. I do recall that when Lowrance came out with the LSS2 there were plenty of Lowrance people that claimed the LSS1 gave better detail than the LSS2. I don't know. I have also compared the GT50 with the GT52. I think the GT50 is noticable better. Others disagree. Better being defined as the level of detail of brush, limbs, trees, etc.


2.I have used the Hbird compact transducer referred to. I was impressed that such a small transducer would produce usable images. I also grafted it to a Lowrance LSS1 cable and used it through the LSS1 box on a Lowrance unit. I distinctly remember that I got better images on the Lowrance with this transducer than I did on the Hbird 998. My preference, at the time, of using this transducer was it's compact size made it easier to use on the trolling motor than other options. My being impressed with it was not that it produced better images but that it produced usable images given it's small size.


3.The Garmin UHD images are a big improvement in detail compared to the other Garmin combo transducers in shallow water. Is it as good or better than Hbird MEGA? I don't know. If I cared more about side imaging I'd spend the time required to study user provided screenshots and videos in order to try to make in informed decision. For my use of side imaging I require two things. I need to know if I a looking a at school of bait or a school of fish. I need to do this at a minimum range of 150 ft. Except for UHD and MEGA I think everybody's side imaging does this, but I give the edge to the GT51 and GT50. Your criteria is most likely different, focusing on structure detail. If there is a shortcut to researching before you buy, I've not found it. Even then the marketing materials, along with blind followers, can lead you in the wrong direction. In years past, twice I have felt like I did my research on what I was looking for and made the purchase only to be very disappointed. But I bought from a company that offered a 30-day unconditional refund. Yes, I sent them back. Over a 30 day period I will fish an average of 20 times. So I felt like I gave them a fair trial. It's not that they were terrible but I had specific performance objectives I expected to receive for my money and didn't get it. They were not Garmins. I bought the 7610xsv and GT51 based purely on Garmins published specifications. Both were new to the market and there was no user posting history available. Both performed as per the specifications and I've been happy with them ever since.


4. There is no mystery to Garmin mapping. If Garmin mapped your lake, you'll be happy. It's not that hard to check that before you buy. You can do the online thing or just give them a call and ask.

[TOUCH OF CLASS]

On the Scott Martin video those screen shots look very good and than the scope is really cool how is he getting great images?

[BassBoatElectronics.com]

Here is a side by side photo of the GT52 next to a GT41. The black transducer is the GT52 and the larger grey one is the GT41. Now this is to show you the size difference of the two. I will upload a screen shot later this week of the screen shot difference between the two in the same frequency. The GT52 is an entry level transducer the GT41 is a higher watt transducer. For most bass fisherman the GT50 is what we pair most customers with that are running the 76xx series.

[Shooter 1]

Here is a side by side photo of the GT52 next to a GT41. The black transducer is the GT52 and the larger grey one is the GT41. Now this is to show you the size difference of the two. I will upload a screen shot later this week of the screen shot difference between the two in the same frequency. The GT52 is an entry level transducer the GT41 is a higher watt transducer. For most bass fisherman the GT50 is what we pair most customers with that are running the 76xx series.

So What transducer would you recommend for a 1042xsv?

[LWINCHESTER2]

I will upload a screen shot later this week of the screen shot difference between the two in the same frequency.
..... For most bass fisherman the GT50 is what we pair most customers with that are running the 76xx series.

To do a screenshot of each on the same frequency you'll have to set the GT50 to a manual frequency of 200 since the GT41 isn't chirp on 2d but is non-chirp 50/200. IMO the GT50 is the best all around combo choice until the debut of the UHD. The ability to hand pick the 2d transducer in combination with the UHD is a better choice in shallow water. When you get out to close to 60 ft deep though the GT50 takes over. When you go down to 100 ft or more the GT51 takes the cake. The GT51 on side and down at 455 kHz is very close to the GT50 in performance but has the benefit of using 600 watts on the 2d instead of 300.

Your comparison of the 2d shots will be very interesting. Non-Chirp 2d GT41 @ 600 watts vs chirp 2d GT50 @ 300 watts. Consider using the GT50 both on manual 200 kHz and then on chirp for the comparison.

[BassBoatElectronics.com]

I should have been clearer. The main purpose is for sideVu/downVu. I will compare the 455kHz for both down and side. Not too concerned with the Traditional sonar aspect. This will mainly show the difference in wattage of the transducers. My purpose ultimately for the GT41 it to have it and the GT34 UHD to have four different frequencies for sideVu and downVu. For the purpose of the Thread if running the GT52 instead of GT50/GT51/GT40/GT41 high wattage transducers what is the difference in image quality. All these transducers share one common frequency 455 kHz. That’s what I want to show.