Hi

I`m writing an article on what units can be used for data collection, and thought I might share with you what I have found so far. The units listed needs to be both sonar and GPS in one unit, or offcourse a single sonar combined with a single GPS thrugh ethernet or NMEA2000 so that one of the two units can store both depth and position. (Usually the GPS/ chartplotter would be used for storing the data neded.)

Garmin:
GPSMAP527xs
GPSMAP727xs
GPSMAP820xs
GPSMAP1020xs
echoMAP50s og 50dv
echoMAP70s og 70dv

Simrad
NSS
NSS Evo2
NSE
NSO

Lowrance
HDS Gen 1
HDS Gen 2
HDS Touch
Elite HDI
Mark 4 HDI
LMS

B&G
Zeus

Furuno - none

Raymarine
Dragonfly

I`m working on Humminbird and Eagle, perhaps someone alreday have a list of these units?

Great idea!
I'll add a few HB units. Perhaps once we get a fairly authoritative list together, I will make a sticky and put all the units up in table form.

A secondary set of compatible units is basically any sounder that can output depth as NMEA0183. If you are willing to take a laptop onboard, then this data can be coupled with GPS data from any source (I have used an Android smart phone acting as a bluetooth puck, quite successfully).

Humminbird - I *think* just about any combination unit that has a memory card slot:

597, 797, 997, 1197
598, 798, 998, 1198

I am not 100% sure on the 5XX series, so someone please chime in if this is wrong.

GPSMap60csx combined with a Garmin intelliducer. I use it for rocky shallows and as a backup (secondary) for normal bathy work.
Garmin GPSMap 4xxs 5xxs

T

Can ad ONIX and ION from Humminbird (will test as soon I get one of them)

Raymarine Dragonfly and Lowrance Mark 4 HDI added to list.

My friend has a Raymarine Dragonfly and ask me for help. But i don't know this unit. In the manual i can't find a logging function.

Can You write me, what i must do for collect data with this unit.


Thanks and best wishes
fjordfisher

I don`t own a Dragonfly myself, and the manual is not relly very informative on this matter. My info comes from the local Raymarine rep, that has told me that the latest sw-update for Dragonly makes their track-function include depths. Hopefully I will know more on this in a few weeks as a friend of mine has bought a Dragonfly and I`ll test it as soon as possible.

But here is what your frien should to in theory.

First:
Download the latest software, the original sw does not support datalogging. Linkt to download www.raymarine.com/view/?id=6854&collectionid=95&col=9512

Second:
Read the english manual, the others are not updated with the new stuff yet. Link to manual www.raymarine.com/view/?id=6854&collectionid=95&col=9516

Look at page 43 and 64 for instructions on how to record tracks and save them to a memorycard. It will be very interesting to see if the tracks contain depth now or not...

Thanks for fast response. I'm curious about results and what the format is. Also interesting is, which typ of own charts (file name) are possible.

In the manual i only found save options for waypoints, tracks (possible with depth data or not?) and unit setting.


Thanks and best wishes
fjordfisher

Any idea what format the Raymarine uses to store tracks? I've had a few enquiries about support for the Dragonfly, so it would be great to be able to read tracks from it, even if it can't log sonar (doesn't sound like it can? shame). If you manage to get hold of an example track file with depth, it would be great if you could share it..

Regarding the Lowrance Elite HDI, I'm thinking of purchasing this one for my secondary boat, just for logging during summer.

Does anyone know if it can log hardness in the same way the HDS-5 I use in my fishing boat.

Or does anyone have a better alternative to the Elite 4 HDI in the same price range?

Can it? Yes, the BSM-1 sonar in Elite HDI and HDS are exactly the same.
Price range? Not even close. :) (I should mention that I`m not entirely unbiased here.) Humminbird has a unit in the 300-series that can be used, but I`m not sure of the pricing of the 386CI combo.

They advertize that they are now compatible with Navionics SonarCharts, so I`m guessing it`s GPX? I`ll know for sure in a few weeks. (Just have to get rid of that last bit of snow and ice now, hoping to launch my boat in 1-2 weeks.)