My 3in1 AI vs SS3D shootout - 18.3 on HDS Live

[jrhea]

I agree the down scan is better on the SS3d. The 3-1 shot looks slightly magnified

3in1 is for sure magnified somehow. Not sure if it is related to a faster ping rate or what, but the amphitheater would take up close to the whole screen on the 3in1 (top to bottom) and about 1/2 with the SS3D. Side to Side width was the same (50ft-60ft out as an example on the pass over). I am just not sure why the top to bottom takes up so much more of the screen though - very strange.

EDIT: In Looking at the downscan the same thing is present. The hump leading up to the stairs and the stairs themselves take up almost the whole screen on the 3in1 vs 1/2 the screen on the SS3D.

Anyone know what is causing that?

John

[Greywalls]

This is a fantastic post/thread -- thanks for the good work.

[uwbadger]

agree. the more I look the ss3d 18.3 looks the best farther from the boat. might be able to go up on contrast or down on sensitivity on the 18.3. the 3-1 800mhz range is pretty poor. I use SI to find structure away from the boat so range is very important to me. hmm might have to upgrade the 16 carbons and ss3d to 18.3...

nice to have such great comparison by an unbiased source. interesting how the 3-1 is touted as so much better by those selling them :)

thx again.

[j791]

The AI looks great. Considering they are plug-in play on the Carbons...no box required...pretty impressive. Thanks for the post.

[Roger MN]

The AI looks great. Considering they are plug-in play on the Carbons...no box required...pretty impressive. Thanks for the post.

Thats what I was thinking too. AI 800 looks better than everything else shown to me.

[uwbadger]

the ai800 is magnified for some reason vs the ss3d. but if you look out at 80-120 feet the 800mhz is almost black. it looks best close to the boat. so it is all about how you use your SI. I care a lot about 80-120ft from boat.

different strokes for different folks. away from the boat the 18.3 ss3d actually has the best resolution and decent return intensity (range).

[91tiger]

The more i look at the downscan images, I'm wondering if the 3 in 1 is less compressed than the SS3D and would be a better match for the faster idle speed on my boat.

[91tiger]

By the way, thank you for taking the time to do this. It's extremly helpful.

[jrhea]

the ai800 is magnified for some reason vs the ss3d. but if you look out at 80-120 feet the 800mhz is almost black. it looks best close to the boat. so it is all about how you use your SI. I care a lot about 80-120ft from boat.

different strokes for different folks. away from the boat the 18.3 ss3d actually has the best resolution and decent return intensity (range).

I agree that up close the 800AI is great. Get out a ways and you lose a lot, quickly. Here are two screenshots that are of the same bank, but slightly different angles so it isn't apples to apples by any means. The tree on the right is the same tree, just different approach angles. What you can clearly see with the SS3D (18.3) is a lot of detail past the tree going up the slope of the bank, including some structure 15 ft past the down tree. In the 800 AI pic, you can tell it is a hump past the tree, but it really has no detail past the tree. The first two are AI800 (120 and 100 ft both) and then SS3D at 120 ft. Not controlled or scientific, but demonstrates how fast 800 falls off compared to SS3D.

John

[speckster]

Thank you jrhea ,awesome stuff just what we needed to see.Was thinking about a ai ducer purchase but I will keep my cash until the ai 3d comes out.That should be worth waiting for!

[BassTracker175]

Well done! Finally see some AI images!

[BassTracker175]

Fishes are missing in AI 800 kHz.

I agree that up close the 800AI is great. Get out a ways and you lose a lot, quickly. Here are two screenshots that are of the same bank, but slightly different angles so it isn't apples to apples by any means. The tree on the right is the same tree, just different approach angles. What you can clearly see with the SS3D (18.3) is a lot of detail past the tree going up the slope of the bank, including some structure 15 ft past the down tree. In the 800 AI pic, you can tell it is a hump past the tree, but it really has no detail past the tree. The first two are AI800 (120 and 100 ft both) and then SS3D at 120 ft. Not controlled or scientific, but demonstrates how fast 800 falls off compared to SS3D.

John

[Fishton]

Very good comparison, well done

Horizontal Resolution is a big problem with SS3D (slow scroll speed)

[188Musky]

Very good comparison, well done

Horizontal Resolution is a big problem with SS3D (slow scroll speed)

Seems like two tools for separate tactics.

SS3D for fine detail while fishing.

3-1 AI for mapping/graphing while under power.

Personally, I wouldn't see slow scroll speed a problem at all, if I used it while moving the boat at speeds typically used while fishing.

Am I wrong in thinking you may be focused on mapping and charting a little more than the rest of us?

[Fishton]

Seems like two tools for separate tactics.

SS3D for fine detail while fishing.

3-1 AI for mapping/graphing while under power.

Personally, I wouldn't see slow scroll speed a problem at all, if I used it while moving the boat at speeds typically used while fishing.

Am I wrong in thinking you may be focused on mapping and charting a little more than the rest of us?

Unfortunately I don't use Lowrance to create my Lowrance mosaic charts as the raw data from the transducer is not very good.

[Team Colibri]

Great post, thank you for taking the time to share jrhea.

Only one problem, seeing others play around with new tech vs old tech is taking its toll on my patiance for this hard-water stuff that is in the way for my own testing at the moment.

[buster502]

do you do a lot of drop shot fishing ??? great shots thanks for posting them

[Bahala]

Thank you for posting these images! I have been reluctant to try the 18.3 update, but will give it a try. I like the 18.2 side scan image, but the 18.3 seems to have more range and the down scan is really good!

[mysuzytoo]

Thanks for sharing! GREAT pictures!

[jrhea]

do you do a lot of drop shot fishing ??? great shots thanks for posting them

I don't really. Mostly Jig, Spinner, crank when going for bass.

I appreciate all the positive notes from everyone! I hope I have helped some folks clear up some of the confusion and maybe make some decisions.

John