F_W_2015_02_

REVIEWED LOWRANCE ELITE 7 COMBO^101

LEF T: Full screen

showing the CHIRP

display and a school of

small tailor.

MAIN: Showing the

difference between

CHIRP and DownScan.

The Elite 7’s Downscan feature provides
photo-like display images. While I’m yet to
fully explore all the advantages offered by
Downscan, I like to intermittently run it
alongside the standard sonar display to verify
the presence of structure and baitfish. I intend
to use the Downscan display more this
summer to investigate some interesting
structure I’ve spied of late.
The unit’s chartplotter adds another feature
to an already impressive unit. It has an inbuilt
GPS antenna and on start up will quickly find
available satellites and the boat’s position. The
Elite 7 came with a Navionics chart – via a
microSD card - which makes navigating
around familiar and unknown waterways as
easy as it gets. If you see a school of bait or
some structure, drop-offs or fish in Sonar
mode, marking a waypoint is just a matter of
hitting the Enter key and confirming. Steering
to a waypoint is easy with a bit of practice by
using maximum zoom on the plotter display
via the + key.
Another great feature is Trackback. If you
pass over something interesting at speed and
want to take another look, Trackback makes it
easy to “rewind”. Just press the left arrow key
until the display moves in reverse and the

“history bar” shows up at the bottom of the

screen. This is very handy.

The unit’s 16-bit Full VGA screen (with

LED-backlit display) gives sharp, colourful

imagery viewable from most angles. I have

though found it more difficult to view when

standing directly above the screen while

wearing polarised sunnies.

While I haven’t touched the transducer

since the install, the Elite’s sonar display

generally delivers sharp bottom images at up

to over 20 knots with minimal clutter.

Overall, I’m still scratching the surface of

the Elite 7’s capabilities. For around $1100

RRP I reckon it’s a bargain. It’s an

impressively powerful unit that would

probably have cost twice as much not too long

ago. It suits buyers who don’t need the added

features of more expensive HDS touch screen

units, and is at home on boats from small

tinnies to larger offshore trailer boats.

Importantly, the Elite 7 will give you all the

info you need for most fishing scenarios.

More info: http://www.lowrance.com/en-au/

Quality built for ultimate performance.

searod.com.au formosamarineboats.com.au

CLASSIC

MK4

OUT NOW

Now available at

Aquatic Campers,

Belmont NSW

Untitled-8 1 10/12/14 3:32 PM