Hummingbird 787c2i GPS Plotter/Fishfinder Combo - works for me!

[Dave]

Capt. Mick wrote:

Dave - what kind of depth finder you running?


Capt. Mick – I’m running a Hummingbird 787 C2i combo GPS plotter/fishfinder. I'm not a big fan of Hummingbird, but after doing some research and reading over some reviews, I decided this one had all I could ask for, and at a price I could swallow. End result - I love it. Gotta work with the ‘ducer some more to get it to read at greater speed but that’s my problem, not the unit’s fault. I got the internal antenna one (that’s what the “i” stands for. If you have or are planning to have a T-top, I would highly recommend the one with the external antenna. In fact, were I to do it over again, I’d get the external antenna model and not have to worry about it. If you like it, shop around. They are listed from under 600.00 to over 700.00. I think I paid just under 6 for the one I have. Here’s one review on this unit. Google it using the key words (Hummingbird 787c2i review) and you’ll get a few more.

http://www.bassfan.com/reviews_article.asp?ID=83

Dave

Strike hold wrote:

1st sgt. I have a Eagle Sea Charter with all built in . its mounted in the normal location. I have never had a problem with it not tracking under my t-top. not to say it may never happen. Though an external unit may work better. do you have a chip in your unit? if not then it would be something to look into. i know they are a little high $$$ but i have found them to help alot . they show alot more detail as far as topo lines and hotspots where structure is located. it may even show a salty dog like your self an few new spots.

Yeah, this baby's got a very good topo map built into the chip. It shows all the land features inshore of the deep blue. Very easy to navigate in and around the inland waterways, inlets, channels, creeks, etc. Can zoom out to see a greater image of the topography or zoom in to see greater detail, all the while tracking your location and route.

It also has a "simulator" mode that allows me to play with it the comfort of my house or shop and it's a really fast and easy way to learn about and how to use the features. I bought a second power cord (about 10.00) and have my lawn mower battery out on a table in the shop. I built a makeshift mount for the unit out of spring clamps and I can play with it (as mentioned) or I can add or edit lat/lon numbers when I get back from a trip, without having to put the plotter in the boat and sit out in the cold or rain. 010

Dave

[Dave]

I've added some screen shots so you can see a sampling of the graphics of this unit. All these shots were taken while in the "simulator" mode, however the land graphics look the same in actual use. While out on the water, the image includes a boat icon plus your location and a tracking line to guide you to your target - see first image. The actual (on the water) screen would also show your Surface Speed, Water Temp, Compass Bearing, Distince to Go (DTG), Cross Track Error (XTE), among other useful bits of information.

This first screen demonstates only a portion of the total area covered by the built in software. The red boat icon represents my present location (southern Florida), and the blue dot represents where I want to go, in this case, the R8 Trawler Buoy, about 8 miles off Beaufort Inlet in NC. While in the simulator mode (as I am in) the circle icon with the reticle in it represents my cursor, that I can move to center the screen shot and then zoom in or out, as I wish. In this particular screen shot, the cursor covers a marker, which is the little round blue icon. In the next and last screen shot, the cursor does not cover a marker. The cursor is only used in the simulator mode and it's only purpose is to allow you to navigate and center the screen image where you want to be relative to land and sea.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/Hummingbird787C2iScreenShots006Crop.jpg


This is a closer shot of the R8 Trawler with several other GPS markers (that I have entered) in this area. The small circle with the reticle in it represents the cursor that I used to center the shot to a desired location. This (cursor) icon will always take center stage in the simulator mode. Here you can see a panned out view from Pine Knoll Shores to the Cape Lookout area, including Morehead City and Beaufort, NC.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/NearshoreGPSMarkersScreenShots011Cr.jpg


Here, I'v placed the cursor over the top of the Waypoint Marker "Beufort Inlet" and zommed in a little more. Notice the heavy blue line near the top of the screen. That would be NC Hwy 70, as it makes it's way through Morehead City, Beaufort, and heads on toward Atlantic, NC.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/Hummingbird787C2iScreenShots008Crop.jpg

Notice Taylor's Creek in the above view. Below, I've zoomed in a little more to the east end of Taylors Creek. The blue marker here represents the boat ramp on Taylor's Creek that I often use. For those that know this area, this shot included a birds eye view of much of (what we call) "The Middle Marshes", in the right lower quarter of this screen. This shot represents (maybe) 4 or 5 square miles. I could zoom in to just a hundred or so square yards if I needed to navigate with finer detail.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc188/djerhart/TaylorsCrkMiddleMarshScreenShots009.jpg