hds system questions

[Entourage]

i just got a hds set up and it is a hds 5, i did not get the 7 becuase i want 2 5"s instead. will the structure scan link the two or do i need some other network device?

[Entourage]

also do i still need to mount the transducer that came with the unit if i am using structure scans transducer?

[fishinblues]

Get the elite with the downscan, instead of 2 HDS 5's

[Jaybr]

I just put a second HDS 8 and structure scan on my boat this week. The structure scan box is a network hub and will link the two 5's together, you still need 1 standard transducer hooked to 1 of the HDS 5's and you be able to view the sonar on either unit.

[Entourage]

how much was the link for networking?

[Jaybr]

how much was the link for networking?

The LSS-1 (structure scan) box is the network hub so the only thing extra you need to buy to connect the second HDS to the network is a Lowrance ethernet cable, $31 at BOE

[Entourage]

cool that was what i thought when i got the unit last night, thanks

[Jaybr]

If you want to hookup anything else you may need a NMEA 2000 network which is seperate from the Lowrance network. I hooked up my Yamaha F150's and had to install a NMEA network for that, that's the Lowrance Network Starter Kit.

[Entourage]

i installed the hds and structure scan today.

[Ken Sauret]

To answer your questions about whether or not to install the transducer that came with the HDS unit since you have a Structure Scan unit?

Yes, install the transducer that came with the unit. You now have access to two separate types of sonar, Structure Scan and traditional sonar. The traditional sonar has an 83/200 khz transducer that will show fish and bait much better than the Structure Scan. The Structure Scan shows structure best because of the 455/800 khz transducer. The LSS-1 will show fish and bait once you get used to what to look for. They are small white dots and bait shows up like clouds in the water column. To get a better look at fish around structure, when you see fish hit the arrow keys and move the cross hair which I refer to as the cursor over the fish and hit zoom in and you can get a closer look.

Also, hit menu twice, go to sonar and hit enter. Go down to Fishing Mode and you can get better results if you match the mode with the depth of water and conditions you are fishing. Experimentation is the best teacher here. Next go down to installation and hit enter in the same menu box. Go down to Transducer type, it will say unknown. Arrow down to the box and hit enter and a list of all the transducers that Lowrance makes comes up. Look on the transducer cable that is plugged into your HDS unit and find the chrome tag. This tag will have the model number of the transducer on it. Find the model number on the list and hit enter. This will input it in the box and hit save. Now your HDS unit will know which transducer to use and it will find the bottom faster and hold that lock on the bottom.