I have been using an Eagle 250 and Eagle 350 FF/GPS combo for over 12 years. Over that period of time, other FF's came and went, Hummingbird, Lowrance to name a few. All of them had issues and eventually died but my Eagles kept on going strong even though i subjected to extreme saltwater punishment in the surf zone. The problem with the Eagles is they max out around 200' and I have some deepwater adventures coming up. Decided to upgrade to something more powerful. I refuse to pay more than $300 for a FF and found the Garmin Striker 5 DV for $250 right in my price range. It is currently discontinued so retailers are discounting them.

Installation was straightforward except they didn't explain what to do with the extra wires. Actually there is very little instructions at all that came with the unit so if this is your first install, better to get some help. I used a 5 amp LiPo4 battery in a dry box mounted to the center hatch and a water bath shoot through transducer installation in the forward hatch. It will be interesting to see what the battery run time is. That transducer is one massive SOB. I added a folding handle to the transducer to make it easier to push it into place and remove. The display module is mounted on a RAM mount.

Tested it on Lacamas Lake today and was very impressed with the sonar capabilities. I don't think the DV imaging adds much for the type of fishing I do. I really liked the split screen traditional dual frequency display. I have owned a lot of Garmin GPS devices and have had a mixed experience with regard to durability, software, maps and customer support. The Garmin Striker 5 DV appears to be well made but only time will tell. The internet reviews on this product are better than average. Because it is discontinued, you should be able to get one for $200-$250. It doesn't come with cartography and it is not possible to add maps or download waypoints which is the downside of the unit, but it also eliminates a possible place for water intrusion. If you are looking for sonar, check it out.