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Lowrance has recently introduced the Elite 7-HDI unit. This unit will excel in giving fisherman a very affordable option for high quality sonar, downscan imaging and chart plotting. Lowrance introduced this to fill a need as an entry level main unit for boats.
You can purchase this unit for as little as $599.00 on the base model and ranges all the way up to $869.00 depending on the package you select. You will be receiving a lot of power and features for the price with this, which is exactly what Lowrance wanted to achieve by offering it.
Features
It is important to note that this does not have the ability for side scan so you are stuck with looking below the boat with the other methods in the list above. This is not necessarily a bad thing as a lot of quality information can be derived from traditional 2d sonar and down scan imaging.
A great feature of this unit is that it allows you to split the screen into 3 sections to show each of these options, plus you can change the size of each segment to fit your preferences which is a new feature not found on other Lowrance units, yet.
A great feature of this unit is that it allows you to split the screen into 3 sections to show each of these options, plus you can change the size of each segment to fit your preferences which is a new feature not found on other Lowrance units, yet.
None of these features are ground breaking or new, this is not the purpose of this unit. This until will deliver these features to you in a easily readable screen, and at an affordable price. This is where the strength lies in this unit.
Screen
Besides the actual features the unit brings to the table, the next most important aspect to look at is the screen. This is very important as having a screen which is easy to read will make all the difference when you are out on the boat fishing. This has a LED back light and is a 7″ widescreen with 16:9 aspect ratio.
The screen with this unit is sharp and very bright. You will have no issues seeing what is on the screen on a hot sunny day or any other condition. The width of the screen allows you to fully utilize the split screen options which are available. For the price this is by far one of the best units to get the most screen space compared to other units. Lowrance did a good job at engineering a high quality screen in this one.
The screen with this unit is sharp and very bright. You will have no issues seeing what is on the screen on a hot sunny day or any other condition. The width of the screen allows you to fully utilize the split screen options which are available. For the price this is by far one of the best units to get the most screen space compared to other units. Lowrance did a good job at engineering a high quality screen in this one.
Power and Chart Options
According to Lowrance this unit has a Max 250W RMS and 30,000W Peak to Peak. This translates to approximately 1000 ft of depth with traditional sonar and 300 feet of depth with the downscan feature.
The chart plotter will allow you to save up to 3000 way points and will also integrate into Lowrance’s Insight Genesis software so you can create your own custom maps on the computer. The high resolution display coupled with the chart plotting software really makes the maps easy to read and you can see a lot of good detail.
Conclusion
Lowrance made this unit as an entry level setup for boaters which still offers a high quality screen and some very powerful features. Dynamic screen sizing and high resolution set this apart from other units in this price range, however it is missing side scan technology but still gives you powerful options with sonar and down scan imaging.
You can also network with other compatible devices on the boat and incorporate Insight Genesis mapping software on the computer to take advantage of power chart plotting options. This in my opinion is the best unit in this price range which is currently being offered in the fish finding market.
You can also network with other compatible devices on the boat and incorporate Insight Genesis mapping software on the computer to take advantage of power chart plotting options. This in my opinion is the best unit in this price range which is currently being offered in the fish finding market.