New Garmin units
by ring fry on 28 Jan, 2015 12:09
I figured I might as well make the first post in this section. I am a beta tester for Garmin Marine products and currently am testing the ECHOmap 53dv and the ECHOmap 43dv. These are awesome new units that will be available very shortly. I don't know everything about them or other Garmin units but I can usually find out what I don't know.
SE Kansas grass grower
Reply #1
by Curt on 28 Jan, 2015 12:18
Would love to see some reviews here for these products that you're testing!!
That would give people some early info on products that are about to hit the market and help them make informed buying decisions.
And I'd be willing to bet that the people at Garmin would love to see you putting informative, real-life info where fishermen hang out
Reply #2
by tritonboats1 on 28 Jan, 2015 22:56
I have two of the Garmin 1040 xs units, and i can tell you they are better than any other unit i have used, the sonar and side Vu are super super clear, even at a 150 ft out on each side !! and with the 10hz Gps mapping you will always land right on you waypoint.
Reply #3
by Curt on 28 Jan, 2015 23:18
Thanks for the info!
You sound pretty confident in these units
How long have you been testing them?
Reply #4
by jbird68 on 23 Apr, 2018 21:09
Well, last year I bought the EchoMap 73sv. Love it so far. But figuring out how to download and use quick draw community maps is a pain in the butt. But I think I figured it out. I thought I could download the files and create a new folder on my SD card to place the maps inside. Apparently I can't do that. The .qcc files need to be in the first garmin folder on the card. I can download them and rename them for each lake. As long as they are in the main garmin folder they show up with a cyan colored box around the area as you are scanning your map. The only thing I noticed is that they didn't seem to be very detailed. Maybe it's because the maps I downloaded were not completely covered maps but just a few paths someone did. I really want to make use of the quick draw community but there just isn't a lot of maps for the places I fish that aren't already covered in the pre-installed Garmin maps.
jbird68
Morrison, IL
Reply #5
by Curt on 23 Apr, 2018 21:35
@jbird68 It'll be interesting to find out how this goes for you over the next several months. Please keep us posted!
Reply #6
by jbird68 on 23 Apr, 2018 21:39
Well, I finally got my boat out of storage. This darned Illinois weather is awful. Just when I thought I would be able to get her home it snowed or rained out was just too cold. Hoping to start playing with the Garmin some more.
Well, I finally got my boat out of storage. This darned Illinois weather is awful. Just when I thought I would be able to get her home it snowed or rained out was just too cold. jbird68
Morrison, IL
We've also had it bad here in RI this winter, but you guys really got hammered this year
Things here are finally turning around. I hope they do for you too!