Hello all, Im new to the site and planning my first trip into knife Lake in late May. Ive never purchased a "Portable" fish finder before and have been spending hours reading reviews on the different models. My main concern I guess is keeping it powered up. Im out there for nine days solo. Any advice on what has worked for you in the BW? I want something with mapping/gps as well.
Thanks so much.
Mike.

I'll probably be in the minority here, but I like my vexilar sonar phone which is paired with a smartphone. I really like the mapping and sonar capabilities of this combo. It probably weighs in a little heavy vs some other options, but in my opinion has more capability and the battery will last me a week reliably.

Check out the showdown ice troller, battery life is great off 8 aa batteries and reasonably priced. I haven't used mine in the canoe yet but used it on the ice and was pretty happy with it.

I built this mount today.

Welcome to the message board!

I'd suggest something with a smaller screen to reduce battery usage. The problem with a depth finder/GPS combo would be it will use more power/energy, maybe you will need to bring more batteries? You can convert any device into using AA batteries which is the lightest option I believe.

I don't have a specific model to suggest.
Battery conversion for depth finder

Thanks for the input! This is a great site been reading hours worth of old posts. Thanks again.

I use a Lowrance Mark 4. It has lake maps and gps. I carry it in a ammo box with 2 batteries in case one would go bad for some reason. If I was purchasing a new one I would go to a color screen.
I know it's a lot of weight but I go up there to catch fish, and particularly walleye & lake trout.
You pick your poison.

I use a PiranhaMax 230. Runs off of 8-10(I ferget) AA batteries. I get 6 days off a st, provides basic info, but does not make coffee or dry martinis(shaken).

Welcome to the site. The AA battery conversion is the ticket. I did mine based on the link provided above. I tried taking a solar pack recharger one year and met with frustration - it stopped working and there is really no need for a fish finder/ solar panel paperweight in the wilderness. It's a fun project (which you look like you're up for!). Just make sure you have a rough idea of how quickly your finder will go through 8 batteries on average usage.

Excellent advice guys. My first go to thought was solar power. Thank god for purchaser reviews cause its saved people like us thousands of dollars looking for the best way to get things done! Im ok with lugging a bunch of lithium batteries. The South arm of knife seems to be void of lake bottom contour maps. Ive found plenty of humps reefs etc via google earth but that only gets you so far.

quote Captn Tony: "I use a Lowrance Mark 4. It has lake maps and gps. I carry it in a ammo box with 2 batteries in case one would go bad for some reason. If I was purchasing a new one I would go to a color screen.
I know it's a lot of weight but I go up there to catch fish, and particularly walleye & lake trout.
You pick your poison."

What types of batteries are you using on it and how long are they lasting roughly?

Ikea Battery Holder

Rechargeable Battery Holder

quote MagicPaddler: " Ikea Battery Holder


Rechargeable Battery Holder "

Couldn't you just buy something like this?
AA battery case

Welcome aboard. There is a treasure trove of information about this topic if you use the search feature for depth finders, batteries for depth finders, etc. There are some very smart and creative people on this sight regarding running depth finders designed for 12v marine batteries and converting them to AA battery packs (various configurations). Personally, I use a Humminbird Piranhamax 170 (basic B&W model with temp. Easy on battery draw.) Using ideas and concepts from this sight I made a DIY bracket that is super lightweight and attaches on the canoe thwart. Similarly I assembled a DIY AA battery pack (from radio shack) in a small pelican box (waterproof). If so inclined to save yourself some time and trouble, just buy one of the premade AA battery models recommended and proven by other forum members.

Dp21
That battery holder should work fine just depends on how you want to mount it. I have had some problems with that type of holder a year after it got wet. Some of the connections between batteries are just press fit.
The link you provided points to a holder that will hold 8 batteries. If you are going to use 8 batteries they should be Energizer Ultimate Lithium. That set up is one of the lightest setup available for the energy you can get from it. The price may set you back a little.
A less expensive setup is 10 alkaline batteries in series. Ikea has the best bang for the buck on alkaline AA batteries. Some brands of AA alkaline batteries have a lot more power than other brands.

Excellent! Why wouldn't a person use D batteries for longer power?

quote : "Excellent! Why wouldn't a person use D batteries for longer power?"

The short answer is they are heavy. D cell will run a fish detector very well. They will be Alkaline so you will get 2 times as much running time out of 10 in series compared to 8 in series. 10 D cells in series will run your fish detector about 5 to 7 times as long as 10 alkaline AA cells. 10 D cells will weigh just over 3 LB.

How long would a Helix 5 gps/di last on a 12v 8amp battery? Is there a better battery option?

quote CanoeingHarry: "How long would a Helix 5 gps/di last on a 12v 8amp battery? Is there a better battery option?"

The manual says it draws 3 amps. If that is true and not just the fuse size then 10 D cells would last about 3 to 4 hours. If the battery you reference is a 8 Ah rather than a 8 amp battery it would last about 2&1/2 hours. There is no battery that is reasonably sized that will run that detector for a few day trip.

Yikes, I was thinking the wrong graph. Those Helix 5 are such a good value I guess I got ahead of myself. If I got one of the birds without the DI does that better the battery output? I like the idea of the GPS for using lakemaps etc. or does it make sense to just go with a Hummingbird Piranha without GPS?

The helix 5 G2 lists a draw of 650mA. The Piranha is probably about 100mA. The non color low power draw detectors are no longer being manufactured. People are buying then new off of ebay. Good luck finding one. I have been playing with a Lowrance Hook4x. It is a nice detector but it draws about 240mA.

I'm quite certain that any color graph is going to eat batteries! There are lots of grey scale units on eBay.

quote Lotw: "I'm quite certain that any color graph is going to eat batteries! There are lots of grey scale units on eBay. "

That's the conclusion I came to when doing research, mainly on kayak fishing forums. Not sure how much difference the color makes. I've heard the same about GPS.

I settled on a monochrome version of Humminbird PMax, I think model 175. All I know is that 8 AA's will run that thing for a long, long time. I've fished 6+ days on a set of batteries, and you might estimate I had it on for 4 - 5 hours each day when paddling / locating structure. When I remember, I shut it down if I'm going to be fishing a certain location for awhile.

I have a portable Lowrance X-4 which uses 8 D cells. I have always brought a backup set of batteries (heavy) but have never had to put them in during a trip and always start with a new set. Trips are 8 days with quite a bit of use. I like it and it isn't too expensive.

quote mapsguy1955: "I have a portable Lowrance X-4 which uses 8 D cells. I have always brought a backup set of batteries (heavy) but have never had to put them in during a trip and always start with a new set. Trips are 8 days with quite a bit of use. I like it and it isn't too expensive."

Mapsguy
The X4 is one of the detectors that draw less than 100 ma.
You could lighten your load and still run your detector for the same amount of time. 10 alkaline cell in series will last as long as 2 sets of 8 cell in series for a fish detector that requires 10 volts minimum.

quote mvernelson: "

quote Captn Tony: "I use a Lowrance Mark 4. It has lake maps and gps. I carry it in a ammo box with 2 batteries in case one would go bad for some reason. If I was purchasing a new one I would go to a color screen.
I know it's a lot of weight but I go up there to catch fish, and particularly walleye & lake trout.
You pick your poison."

What types of batteries are you using on it and how long are they lasting roughly?"

Sorry it took so long to reply, it's been a busy week. They are 12 volt batteries, the same one you would use with your flasher ice fishing. They are 6x4x2.5" and weigh 4 lbs. a piece. I have never had one go dead over 6 days. I take the second one in case one would go bad.

Buy a Deeper. Weighs only 4 ounces. Turns ur screen into a fish finder. Rechargeable via micro usb so if you bring a small battery pack u are good to go. I use it mostly to find depth and structure.

quote MagicPaddler: "

quote mapsguy1955: "I have a portable Lowrance X-4 which uses 8 D cells. I have always brought a backup set of batteries (heavy) but have never had to put them in during a trip and always start with a new set. Trips are 8 days with quite a bit of use. I like it and it isn't too expensive."

Mapsguy
The X4 is one of the detectors that draw less than 100 ma.
You could lighten your load and still run your detector for the same amount of time. 10 alkaline cell in series will last as long as 2 sets of 8 cell in series for a fish detector that requires 10 volts minimum.
"

Are you talking about 10 AA's? Is there an easy conversion set for the D cell battery box?

If you are using Alkaline batteries whether they are AA batteries or C batteries or D batteries you will do better with 10 in series than you will with 8 in series. If you are considering using AA batteries I would encourage you to go to BATTERY SHOWDOWN and look at the 2 graphs on the upper left of the page. Ignore the first 2 batteries on the first graph because they are not alkaline. On the first graph find your battery and from the end of the red line drop down to the bottom scale. Devide that number by 100 for the X4 and your get a approximate number of hours it will run on 10 AA alkaline batteries in series. So you should get about 20 hours of operations per set of 10 alkaline AA batteries. Now go down one graph and you can compare the cost for power from different batteries. You will notice that the Ikea batteries give you’re the most power for the least $$ and they have one of the most power per battery.
10 D batteries will run your detector about 6-7 times as long as 10 AA batteries. 8 D batteries will run your detector about 3 times as long as 10 AA batteries.