Ok..here it is in a nutshell....if all goes well with survey and seatrial i should be the owner of a 93 gulf stream by next saturday the 16th...now here is the issue.....i know it needs electronics...FF and GPS/Chartplotter...would like both to be at least 8 inch screens....was wondering if its best to have dedicated system for each....or go with 2 combo units....that way I'm always gonna have a backup just incase. I know budget has alot to do with it so let's not break the bank.....thanks in advance
more confused then ever
- Thread starter busterbrown
- Start date
If you have room, why not get a single 12" MFD? Unless you're headed offshore for days or conistently are 40 miles or so offshore, redundant systems (IMHO) are not worth the effort. Bring a handheld GPS as backup of course.
I'm not 100% sure I understand the question but can say what I have works very well. I have 2 Lowrance HDS-8's that are connected together via ethernet. Within the system is radar, structure scan, a rate compass and an extra transducer. Either display can work with or independent of the other. They cannot share a navionics or fishin' chip but can share waypoints. I've had one occurrence where one unit stopped working and continued the trip with the other, never missing a beat. The fault was a plug that was not fully engaged.
I mix and match features all the time. Typically I'll run one on sonar and the other on a plotter screen but many times split those with other displays. I could go on and on with pluses and really cannot offer minuses other than the occasional software update glitch. And those have been very few and self correcting in time.
I mix and match features all the time. Typically I'll run one on sonar and the other on a plotter screen but many times split those with other displays. I could go on and on with pluses and really cannot offer minuses other than the occasional software update glitch. And those have been very few and self correcting in time.
Thanks for the input....both options sound good....will look into cost etc etc....bad news is....survey and sea trial postponed til this friday...if all goes well....gonna be a nice fathers day gift to me
Most modern display screens will display whatever you have as "sensors." That includes sonar, GPS navigation systems, radars, video sources, etc. The screens are simply display devices, most often containing an internal GPS nav system as well. The ideal setup includes at least two displays that provide redundancy and larger viewing capability versus a split screen presentaion when you want to view both chart and FF. For true navigation redundancy you also need two GPS antennae.
The fun part is,once I figure out the setup I want, it will be,which brand to go with. Thanks for the input
Capt Bill
GreatGrady Captain
My boat was originally equipped with a dedicated FF, GPS, and radar units. No networking. After using it that was for 3 - 4 seasons, I replaced everything with 2 Lowrance MFD's; an 8" and a 10". They each have a built-in GPS, but I also added an external GPS sensor to the network; and 24HD radar. Same as GulfSea, with that setup, I can display anyt information on either screen; full or split. The system automatically uses the GPS sensor having the best position accuracy. You can save your trip's chartplotter/tracks and FF returns to a blank SD card, and play them back on your laptop, for review. You can see things you might have missed, on your run out to the fisging grounds.
Other sensors, such as fuel, temp gauges, music jukebox or XM radio, and live weather-fax can all be brought into the system, as you wish to expand.
Other sensors, such as fuel, temp gauges, music jukebox or XM radio, and live weather-fax can all be brought into the system, as you wish to expand.
If you could, 2 like units networked as Capt Bill said. Tie the RADAR, FF, GPS (and if you go offshore sat weather) to the same network so you can overlay the data.