Lowrance Mark 4 question

Can somebody check to see if it'll record the depth and position on the SD card?
It's killing me to not run out and buy one. (is it still on sale at FM?)

Hey Wally. I'll see if I can play around with mine a little tonight, I haven't tried the SD card yet. With the SD card can you then plug it into the computer? Or just so you can transfer it to another fishfinder?

Thanks Noah! This has been eatin at me for a while. If it does, then we ought to be able to make some 3D bottom maps and the more folk with a recorder, the better the picture (I think).
We kicked this around a while back and I actually cobbed together a data recorder, but it never made it to the boat. If my favorite ff maker has done it for me, all the better.

Dr Depth 3D mapping thread:

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=4056.msg40942#msg40942

Wally,

I believe it is on sale till the 25th.  I have been mulling it over all week. I am trying to determine if I should get that or spend more and get a DI feature.  The problem I am finding it that it isn't much more to upgrade to DI, but DI + GPS  doubles the price.  I would love side scan, but unfortunately my wife would probably notice that transaction.  That, and for the price, I could get another yak.

Wally,
I believe it is on sale till the 25th. 

 That's dangerous 

  I have been mulling it over all week. I am trying to determine if I should get that or spend more and get a DI feature.  The problem I am finding it that it isn't much more to upgrade to DI, but DI + GPS  doubles the price. 

I can't find the DI. Is that color and/or side scan? In any event, the ff/gps is a must for me. Color is really nice, but a bit of a luxury.  I like the idea of side scan, but I'm really just looking for a bottom contour and position.

 At this point ignorance is bliss. I don't know much about the side scan and I'm afraid that if I did, I'd get a worst case of gottahavits.

Wally,

I believe it is on sale till the 25th.  I have been mulling it over all week. I am trying to determine if I should get that or spend more and get a DI feature.  The problem I am finding it that it isn't much more to upgrade to DI, but DI + GPS  doubles the price.  I would love side scan, but unfortunately my wife would probably notice that transaction.  That, and for the price, I could get another yak.

Are we all talking about the same unit? I picked up this one, the Mark 4 DSI/GPS.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lowrance-Mark-4-DSI-SonarGPS-Combo/1298539.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D1000003916%26Ne%3D1000003916%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dlowrance%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchallpartial%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26WTz_st%3D%26WTz_stype%3DSP%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26recordsPerPage%3D80%26search%3Dlowrance%26searchTypeByFilter%3DAllProducts%26x%3D31%26y%3D11%26WTz_srn%3DSeeAllItems&Ntt=lowrance

Are we all talking about the same unit? I picked up this one, the Mark 4 DSI/GPS.

Yep!

http://fishermans-marine.com/ads/

God I miss Fishermans Marine. 


But I dang sure don't miss the wx. 
(snow!?!?!?)

I think the fishermans combo doesn't have the down image scanning, mine does. They have about a hundred versions of that thing!

^ Noah's right. The Fisherman's version does not have down imaging. I went with the Elite 4. Also no down imaging but super crisp display.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I recently received a Mark 4 DSI from Cabelas. I was in the Tigard Fisherman's the other night and was talking to the electronics dude - he said they carry the Mark 4 DSI now, although he didn't have any in stock at the moment.

A couple of things about the DSI:

1) The installation manual was for the regular sonar model and the DSI model. It said I would need a 5/8" diameter hole to pass the electronics connection through. The DSI needs a 7/8" diameter hole to pass the connector through. (Measured it at .850" actual dia.)

2) The manual says through hull is fine for the regular sonar, but strongly advises that the DSI not shoot through the hull. That means another 13/16" diameter (transducer measures .805" actual) hole, and mounting.

I see that several people are contemplating a rudder mount. I route cables on machinery for a living, and the twist & stow rudder looks less than ideal for that. The cable isn't a flex rated cable, and the twist and stow looks like it will put a pretty good axial twist on it. Axial twist is the worst kind, as it tries to lay and un-lay the strands of the cable.

I am thinking of mounting the transducer near the stern, to starboard of the keel. If I turn the mounting bracket around backward, it will tuck up under the stern pretty close to the hull, and place the transducer a little higher than the keel, but not close enough to block the signal. With the wide bottom on my Oasis, I can't roll my yak in a position that would damage the transducer if I mounted it there, so I think it could last there. I don't want to do a side mount, as I have two paddles to store - one each side - so an outboard mount would get in the way.

Turning the bracket around means modifying it so I can slide the transducer on it, but I think I can make it work pretty easily. For an entrance hole, I think I might ream out the drain hole enough to get the transducer through, and make a foam plug for it.  There is enough meat in that area that a grommet won't fit well, but a plug will. (I experimented and found a 3/4" conduit size hole saw makes the right size plug.) I haven't found the drain all that useful yet, so making it less useable doesn't concern me too much.

I'll post pictures once I get this worked out, assuming I actually follow through with this plan. And keeping with the original subject, I haven't gotten a SD card for it yet, nor have I actually used it to look at the bottom of any body of water, so I have no answers for you, FFTW.

I installed a humminbird 385 CI - DI and have not had any issues with shooting through the hull. 

I was worried about the same issue, but I figured that I would try the foam puck before I did anything more drastic. 

It is pretty cool some of the visuals the DI gives. 

I need to spend more time with it before I am certain, but so far the puck seems to work, and it is really very easy to do.

2) The manual says through hull is fine for the regular sonar, but strongly advises that the DSI not shoot through the hull. That means another 13/16" diameter (transducer measures .805" actual) hole, and mounting.

Keep in mind that when they say 'shoot through the hull' they are talking about a boat hull, not few milimeters of plastic kayak hull.

I just got the Lowrance Elite 4 with DSI. Its still in the box so no input from me. I have an outback and have seen the hobie scupper mount that will mount the transducer to port or stbd side of the keel and feed the cable thru the scupper hole. Connection of the power wire from the battery and the transducer cable are tied together and plug in at 1 point on the electronic display. So the battery can be behind the seat or in the rear hatch. Not sure where or how I will mount mine. Look forward to others input.

Bill in SNOWY Spokane

Keep in mind that when they say 'shoot through the hull' they are talking about a boat hull, not few milimeters of plastic kayak hull.

True.

I should try both ways before I do anything rash, but at the rate I am getting things done lately, even rash decisions seem to take forever to implement. With the OT I've been racking up lately, I've been able to accelerate my outfitting plan, but my wife has also accelerated her bathroom remodel plan at the same time. Seems like it is always impossible to get ahead...

I'm almost ready to test mine, but I'm waiting to go fishing. It takes way too much effort to launch just to go test the ff/gps. I haven't even had time to hook it up in simulation mode, yet.
A micro SD card is not provided with the unit. One must purchase that separately. I'm almost ready to make a shopping trip to Aberdeen, and I'll pick one up while I'm there. It allows one to take screen shots saved to the micros SD card, so I think it might record any info that is being displayed on the screen, like temp, as well as position.