Upgrading from Garmin GPSmap 440s to …?

[clearcan]

Hey folks, I have been seeing a bunch of units on sale at various places and it got me thinking of upgrading from the current unit on our Webbers Cove 22.

My use is for recreational tracking through the various rivers of tidal NH, out past the isles of shoals for ground fishing etc. It is not an immediate need by any means but it would be neat to get into some of the newer tech.

 

[Bill]

I would give @Wharf Rat a shout he is our electronics dealer on here and will tell you what to get.

 

[Tuna Hotline]

Garmin 74 - but I would go with whatever WR says.

 

[captjohn]

SIMRAD!!!

 

[sammdawson]

The Garmin EchoMap Chirp CVs are powerful little units. I run one as a secondary plotter and chirp sounder and also supplies ship info over NMEA2000 to various instruments. Compact, solid little units

 

[WA1KPD]

I went with the Garmin GPSMAP 1243xsv last year and love it. I also added the radar package and tie in to my autopilot. But i would still praise it as a stand alone unit. Big bright fast screen. Very intuitive, lots of avaialble data like tides and current flows are there.
Good luck.

 

[Wharf Rat]

Nobody out there really makes a 'bad' machine and there's no 'one size fits all' solution out there either; it all really depends on what functions you're looking for vs. budget. Guessing this unit would just be a GPS/Fishfinder? Or would you plan on adding a radar at some point?

 

[Samp]

I would give @Wharf Rat a shout he is our electronics dealer on here and will tell you what to get.

I second that! He was very generous with his time, info and knowledge, and very helpful.
How ‘bout them J-E-T-S!

 

[clearcan]

Nobody out there really makes a 'bad' machine and there's no 'one size fits all' solution out there either; it all really depends on what functions you're looking for vs. budget. Guessing this unit would just be a GPS/Fishfinder? Or would you plan on adding a radar at some point?

Hey @Wharf Rat - I have an older Furuno radar unit that is functional, picked up on a kayaker when I was out striper fishing one night who “forgot” his responsibility of having a light…

Yes GPS / Fishfinder combo works for me. As a great sage of mine once said “simple boat, simple electronics”.

 

[Wharf Rat]

You could actually re-use the existing transducer and use a converter to make it work with one of the newer Garmin displays; the EchoMap series is their more cost-effective display as it's designed as a standalone GPS/FF unit, not designed to network with a radar or other displays, although some of the models may not be able to work with the transducer onboard w/that converter.

That WebCo, is it an inboard? Or do you happen to have a bracket w/ outboards? The answer will at least enlighten us on what mounting options you would have with a NEW transducer. If it's a thru-hull that you currently have, a photo of that would help to find the least invasive option as far as a hole saw is concerned.

 

[ytmarine]

SIMRAD I have used both and there is Chirp in high resolution.

 

[clearcan]

A generous forum member that I have been chatting with on another subject has offered me a deal on a Garmin 7606xsv. I was looking at my current transducer, transom mounted to the starboard of the outboard, and trying to determine if it would work or not with this unit. I think ultimately if I can get a new transducer for a couple hundred it’s not the worst thing to spend some money on. When I looked up the part number, it looks like this Plastic Transom Mount Transducer with Depth & Temperature (Dual Frequency, 6-pin) | Garmin

Which I’m not sure if I just need an adapter cable or if it wouldn’t work at all.

 

[sammdawson]

check the number of pins and a quick search for a Garmin compatibility matrix *should* answer your question. And a call to Garmin to double check

I recently went through this process w adding an Airmar/Furuno transducer to my Furuno RDP and while the documentation online wasn't complete the reps on the phone helped clarify.

 

[Wharf Rat]

A generous forum member that I have been chatting with on another subject has offered me a deal on a Garmin 7606xsv. I was looking at my current transducer, transom mounted to the starboard of the outboard, and trying to determine if it would work or not with this unit. I think ultimately if I can get a new transducer for a couple hundred it’s not the worst thing to spend some money on. When I looked up the part number, it looks like this Plastic Transom Mount Transducer with Depth & Temperature (Dual Frequency, 6-pin) | Garmin

Which I’m not sure if I just need an adapter cable or if it wouldn’t work at all.
View attachment 155042
View attachment 155043

This adaptor block will be all you would need to go to that XSV - 8 Pin Transducer Adapter Block
You'll have to cut off the existing 6 pin connector and hard wire it into the block.

 

[seahab]

A generous forum member that I have been chatting with on another subject has offered me a deal on a Garmin 7606xsv. I was looking at my current transducer, transom mounted to the starboard of the outboard, and trying to determine if it would work or not with this unit. I think ultimately if I can get a new transducer for a couple hundred it’s not the worst thing to spend some money on. When I looked up the part number, it looks like this Plastic Transom Mount Transducer with Depth & Temperature (Dual Frequency, 6-pin) | Garmin

Which I’m not sure if I just need an adapter cable or if it wouldn’t work at all.
View attachment 155042
View attachment 155043

From the pic that prop looks like it's half the size of the boy...............

 

[clearcan]

From the pic that prop looks like it's half the size of the boy...............

Ha! The ol’ optical illusion of perspective! Outboard is on a bracket and probably a good 4’ in front of the young lad.

 

[clearcan]

This adaptor block will be all you would need to go to that XSV - 8 Pin Transducer Adapter Block
You'll have to cut off the existing 6 pin connector and hard wire it into the block.

It seems like if I was going to put $75 into that block, shouldn’t I just put in an updated transducer to take advantage of some of the updated tech? Of course when I look at the Garmin compatibility there are a lot of options. Any recommendations for us in the northeast go just go out ground fishing from time to time?

 

[Wharf Rat]

It seems like if I was going to put $75 into that block, shouldn’t I just put in an updated transducer to take advantage of some of the updated tech? Of course when I look at the Garmin compatibility there are a lot of options. Any recommendations for us in the northeast go just go out ground fishing from time to time?

Sure; personally I'd recommend going with the GT52HW-TM - Garmin GT52HW-TM | Transducer for Boat

That has a wide angle High frequency CHIRP for the standard fishfinder display, along with SideVu & DownVu. It's been kind of the go-to for fishing in the NEast where we're in relatively shallow waters, able to get a better view of what's beneath the boat, not necessarily what's directly under the transducer.