I use the term fish finder lightly, as they have progressed a long ways in fishing electronics. I know the topic has been discussed thoroughly over the years on this site, but my question is specific to battery's.

I've decided I'm going to purchase the Garmin Chip 45DV, maybe I will decided later it was a bad idea, but I guess I will find out. Hopefully I can get my hands on one before opener. The Quickdraw Contours custom HD map creation software sold me.

So I've done the searches, I've read a lot of post dating back a couple of years. I saw guys testing RC battery packs. I saw folks try to make their own packs, (years back I tried to do the same for my trail cameras until i realized it wasn't worth my time and money) but I'm wondering if anyone has purchased a Lithium battery and used it in the BW with their locators?

This evening I emailed Sharia (http://shoraipower.com/) to ask for clarification on their Ah ratings, as they are rating them with EqAh, which I believe is a rating for "equivlant" to a lead acid, I'm looking for the actual Ah rating so I can do the math. Garmin says the 45DV draws 5 watts, I will test it of course when I get it.

The weight and size of these batteries is what makes them attractive, obviously.

I'm curious to know if anyone else is bring in a battery for fishing electronics, if so, what can you share?

Batteries I have come across:
http://shop.antigravitybatteries.com/small-case-batteries/
http://earthxmotorsports.com/product-category/atvutv
http://www.lithiumion-batteries.com/products/12v-100ah-lithium-ion-battery/

I have a simple setup you might like. I'll send you a picture and description of the items tomorrow when I get a chance.

I've done a lot of research on batteries to use for my fish finder. Here are the two best (lightest, most stable Ah per weight) that are currently available as far as I know: Bioenno Power and Tracer Power Both of these battery packs are weather sealed LiFePO4 batteries. Tracer is British and makes a full range of sizes while Bioenno is made in the U.S. but only makes the one size.

It seems like if you could find a way to get a fish finder to run on usb you'd have an enless list of battery options. Something I've been thinking about lately...

We just got a 20ah li-ion battery for charging usb for less than $40...

quote keth0601: "It seems like if you could find a way to get a fish finder to run on usb you'd have an enless list of battery options. Something I've been thinking about lately...


We just got a 20ah li-ion battery for charging usb for less than $40..."

USB output is basically 5V so unless you can find a 5V fish finder, something that I don't think exists, you're going to be out of luck. The battery technology that combines the most efficiency with stability right now is LiFePO4 cells so some sort of LiFePO4 battery is the best bet. But as folks have pointed out, if you only need power for a limited amount of time (say, three or four days) then you could make up your own AA Li-ion battery pack that could be recharged, say with a solar charger, or bring enough AA batteries to switch off - keeping in mind that you'd need to run 8 to 10 AA batteries at a time to supply the necessary 12V.

quote KerryG: "I've done a lot of research on batteries to use for my fish finder. Here are the two best (lightest, most stable Ah per weight) that are currently available as far as I know: Bioenno Power and Tracer Power Both of these battery packs are weather sealed LiFePO4 batteries. Tracer is British and makes a full range of sizes while Bioenno is made in the U.S. but only makes the one size."

Thank you for the links to the battery packs, I did come across these once before and completely forgot about them. I'm going to take a another look tonight, this just might be the ticket.

Thanks again!

quote KerryG: "I've done a lot of research on batteries to use for my fish finder. Here are the two best (lightest, most stable Ah per weight) that are currently available as far as I know: Bioenno Power and Tracer Power Both of these battery packs are weather sealed LiFePO4 batteries. Tracer is British and makes a full range of sizes while Bioenno is made in the U.S. but only makes the one size."

Thanks again for the links, Kerry. I like the pack idea, but shipping across the pond for the tracerpower pushes this out of my price range I think.

Did you notice that Bionno does make other packs? This isn't a bad price for the Ah, and these are cells made for continues drain apparently:
https://www.bioennopower.com/collections/12v-series-lifepo4-batteries/products/12v-12ah-lfp-battery-abs-sealed-ws

quote KerryG: "

quote keth0601: "It seems like if you could find a way to get a fish finder to run on usb you'd have an enless list of battery options. Something I've been thinking about lately...



We just got a 20ah li-ion battery for charging usb for less than $40..."

USB output is basically 5V so unless you can find a 5V fish finder, something that I don't think exists, you're going to be out of luck. "

I was thinking more along the lines of wiring a battery that has multiple charging ports (like mine). Say putting together a harness that hooks up to three ports (thus 15 volts) and adding some sort of resistor. I'm no electrician, but it doesn't seem like it should be that complicated.

quote keth0601: "

quote KerryG: "

quote keth0601: "It seems like if you could find a way to get a fish finder to run on usb you'd have an enless list of battery options. Something I've been thinking about lately...



We just got a 20ah li-ion battery for charging usb for less than $40..."

USB output is basically 5V so unless you can find a 5V fish finder, something that I don't think exists, you're going to be out of luck. "

I was thinking more along the lines of wiring a battery that has multiple charging ports (like mine). Say putting together a harness that hooks up to three ports (thus 15 volts) and adding some sort of resistor. I'm no electrician, but it doesn't seem like it should be that complicated."

Well I'm certainly not an electronics guy but wouldn't that mean wiring together three 5V battery packs. Besides the work involved, that's got to cost over $100 for the batteries. Why not just spend a little more for a dedicated 12V LiFePO.

Most of the supplied batteries I have seen that come with recent portable fish finders are 12V 7ah. If one would have a Garmin 45DV which would seem to have higher power draw than say a 151 since it adds color, DownVu and GPS, how long do you think the device would stayed powered up? I was looking at the Garmin Striker 4 myself, and they do make a portable bundle for it. That said, I wouldn't mind getting the 4dv since it has DownVu and buying the portable kit for it separately. I can also use it around town and add it to a kayak that I plan to purchase.

Im really liking the Tracer batteries, but you are right cost is definitely up there. If I can get one LiFePO (12V 7ah) and maybe use the supplied Garmin battery as well, do you think its even possible to get 4 days of solid fishing (8+ hours per day) for a BW trip?

quote Shaz: "Most of the supplied batteries I have seen that come with recent portable fish finders are 12V 7ah. If one would have a Garmin 45DV which would seem to have higher power draw than say a 151 since it adds color, DownVu and GPS, how long do you think the device would stayed powered up? I was looking at the Garmin Striker 4 myself, and they do make a portable bundle for it. That said, I wouldn't mind getting the 4dv since it has DownVu and buying the portable kit for it separately. I can also use it around town and add it to a kayak that I plan to purchase.


Im really liking the Tracer batteries, but you are right cost is definitely up there. If I can get one LiFePO (12V 7ah) and maybe use the supplied Garmin battery as well, do you think its even possible to get 4 days of solid fishing (8+ hours per day) for a BW trip? "

Call Garmin and ask them what the power draw of the 45DV is (in Ah.) They can provide you with those numbers. From there it's just a question of doing the math. A power draw of say .3 Ah would mean a 12V 7Ah battery would give you something like 23 hours of use, which, by your calculations would mean the one battery would give you 3 days of fishing. But .3 Ah is just a guesstimate. Call Garmin.

Thanks Kerry. Your help is very much appreciated.

I did speak with Garmin and their new Striker series takes a considerable amount of power draw compared to the older units.

The Striker 4 series has GPS, Chirp Sonar and color screen and uses 0.6Ah
The Striker 4DV which adds DownVu is 1.0Ah

I did inquire if you can turn off features such as DownVu or GPS to conserve battery life, but unfortunately that was not the case. The only recommendation that could help was by dimming the screen.

I do want the DownVu for applications away from the BWCA, but the tradeoff for my needs seem pretty dear in regards to the power requirements.

I hope this helps others as well when researching the right solution for them. I'm not sure what I am going to do just yet, but I may opt for an older monochrome Echo just for BW use.

quote Shaz: "Thanks Kerry. Your help is very much appreciated.


I did speak with Garmin and their new Striker series takes a considerable amount of power draw compared to the older units.


The Striker 4 series has GPS, Chirp Sonar and color screen and uses 0.6Ah
The Striker 4DV which adds DownVu is 1.0Ah


I did inquire if you can turn off features such as DownVu or GPS to conserve battery life, but unfortunately that was not the case. The only recommendation that could help was by dimming the screen.


I do want the DownVu for applications away from the BWCA, but the tradeoff for my needs seem pretty dear in regards to the power requirements.


I hope this helps others as well when researching the right solution for them. I'm not sure what I am going to do just yet, but I may opt for an older monochrome Echo just for BW use."

Shaz - I think I'm going to purchase the 45DV, I’m waiting for it to become available. When I do I will run a test for current draw, as I need to know for the same reasons you are asking, to determine the size of battery (Ah). We have an advantage when doing using lithium batteries vs Sealed Lead Acid, that lithium will maintain a consistent voltage even as the battery is beings used (load), allowing us to use just about 100% of the batteries capacitance, along with many other benefits.

I have been looking at a couple different ram mounts to mount the display to the Thwart and one with a flexible arm for he transducer, off the back of canoe. I need to get moving if I’m going to have this setup ready for opener.

Shoot, I just checked, Amazon does have a date on the Garmin Chirp 45dv, in stock on 3-19, for $349.99.

On Garmin's site, under the specs it is listing the current draw at 5W.

I also should have noted that I believe Garmin made a 45DV in the past, the new one is the "chirp" 45DV.

Wow, that really does pull a lot of power. That unit draws fully 10 times the power that mine does. Mind you I'm guessing there are a lot of bells and whistles that are important to you. But, in any case, that would mean that for the Chirp unit, a fully charged 12V 7Ah battery would give you about one day's fishing. There's really not much of a solution for that. One thing you might consider is the Bioenno battery pack. It includes built in charge control so it can be charged with solar panels. They make compatible solar panels but there are others out there that are even better. It gets to be pricey but it might be something to consider.

I believe the numbers the Garmin rep stated were inflated. I found an official Garmin memo on the Striker series online that states the typical power consumption in watts

Striker 4 (Color, Chirp and GPS) 2.8W
Striker 4DV (as above plus DownVu) 4.8W

I did use an online Watts to Amp conversion and it asked me to input the voltage which I listed 12V as that seems to be the range fish finders like to operate under. Also the portable kit uses a 12V 7AH battery. The formula is basically Amps = Watts/Volts.

Striker 4 (Color, Chirp and GPS) 2.8W = 0.23A
Striker 4DV (plus DownVu) 4.8W = 0.4A

Im not an electronics guru, in fact far from it, so I could be doing something way off here, but the logic seems right to me. I don't know how or why I was given the numbers that I did from Garmin, perhaps a different rep may shed different information.

quote KerryG: "Wow, that really does pull a lot of power. That unit draws fully 10 times the power that mine does. Mind you I'm guessing there are a lot of bells and whistles that are important to you. But, in any case, that would mean that for the Chirp unit, a fully charged 12V 7Ah battery would give you about one day's fishing. There's really not much of a solution for that. One thing you might consider is the Bioenno battery pack. It includes built in charge control so it can be charged with solar panels. They make compatible solar panels but there are others out there that are even better. It gets to be pricey but it might be something to consider.
"

Unless I'm missing something, 5 watts divided by 12 volts (assumed voltage), that is about .5 amp, that would provide you about 14 hours on a 7Ah battery.

If anyone is interested to know, I called Garmin today to get clarification on the EchoMap series and current draw.

The individual was knowledgeable around their product line, which was a plus.

The difference between the EchoMap 42,43,44,45 (DV series), is which maps come loaded on the unit. The 45 for example is both inland and coastal maps.

The EchoMap Chirp 43DV is the one that I need, the 43 comes pre-loaded with inland lakes and rivers maps.

Also informed me that the max current draw was ~.5amps, that I don't know if I believe, but will find out (MAX vs RMS).

Cornell... Shoot me an email thats on my profile. I want to send you some info that you may be interested ins seeing.

quote KerryG: "

quote keth0601: "It seems like if you could find a way to get a fish finder to run on usb you'd have an enless list of battery options. Something I've been thinking about lately...



We just got a 20ah li-ion battery for charging usb for less than $40..."

USB output is basically 5V so unless you can find a 5V fish finder, something that I don't think exists, you're going to be out of luck. The battery technology that combines the most efficiency with stability right now is LiFePO4 cells so some sort of LiFePO4 battery is the best bet. But as folks have pointed out, if you only need power for a limited amount of time (say, three or four days) then you could make up your own AA Li-ion battery pack that could be recharged, say with a solar charger, or bring enough AA batteries to switch off - keeping in mind that you'd need to run 8 to 10 AA batteries at a time to supply the necessary 12V. "

FishunterPro
Deeper
2 USB powered locators, I have been watching.

butthead

quote butthead: "

quote KerryG: "

quote keth0601: "It seems like if you could find a way to get a fish finder to run on usb you'd have an enless list of battery options. Something I've been thinking about lately...



We just got a 20ah li-ion battery for charging usb for less than $40..."

USB output is basically 5V so unless you can find a 5V fish finder, something that I don't think exists, you're going to be out of luck. The battery technology that combines the most efficiency with stability right now is LiFePO4 cells so some sort of LiFePO4 battery is the best bet. But as folks have pointed out, if you only need power for a limited amount of time (say, three or four days) then you could make up your own AA Li-ion battery pack that could be recharged, say with a solar charger, or bring enough AA batteries to switch off - keeping in mind that you'd need to run 8 to 10 AA batteries at a time to supply the necessary 12V. "

Yes, absolutely, there are those type of fish finders and they do work off a USB power pack. But, of course, you have to have a smart phone to go with them (and be willing to lose it, worse case.) For most people these days that's probably a given but for a luddite like myself ... need I say more.

FishunterPro
Deeper
2 USB powered locators, I have been watching.


butthead"

Just happen to have an old Galaxy3 (son's cast off), out of service smartphone used as a GoPro monitor now. Double duty with easy solar cell charging off the Nomad13's I have.

I'm not a fishing geek and not current with depth finders. They do look like a good fit for my use. More interested in the units effectiveness.

butthead

PS: Luddite??? I still use a flip phone, Motorola Quantico. bh

quote butthead: "Just happen to have an old Galaxy3 (son's cast off), out of service smartphone used as a GoPro monitor now. Double duty with easy solar cell charging off the Nomad13's I have.


I'm not a fishing geek and not current with depth finders. They do look like a good fit for my use. More interested in the units effectiveness.


butthead

PS: Luddite??? I still use a flip phone, Motorola Quantico. bh"

Impressive. But I don't even own a cell phone. And I've only got like maybe a dozen friends. Oh the shame of it.

I've learned a lot more in the last couple of weeks, thanks to this post, specifically to Shaz for the white papers and Kenny on the battery links.

I just ordered the Garmin Chirp 43dv. I'll test the current draw when I get it, ordered Amazon Prime, should have it Monday. With a little further research, I found that a lot of the BW lakes claim to be mapped with the Garmin LakeVu.

I guess I still need to figure out a mounting solution for the transducer and the display, I figure looking into some Ram Mounts would be the place to start. I need clamp on stuff, as I rent a canoe.

Regarding the battery situation, I plan on putting it in my Thwart bag, and for sure the best battery I have found so far is the Bioenno Power. I have learned there is a difference in the battery type with lithium, C rating on the battery(deep cycle or starter) and these are made for deep cycle. The ATV/Motorcycle Lithium's are not going to be made for deep discharge, continues drain or backup battery solutions. I got a really nice email back from the Shorai company regarding using their batteries for the use we are discussing.

Hey all, very good info here. Thanks for sharing!
I also found the Garmin echo map chirp 43dv at Gander Mountain .
I love the options, bells, and whistles of the new model fish locators, but carrying all that weight and messing with all those charging options/batteries sounds like too much hassle for me.
I hope you find an option that works well for you! I'm in the market as well, but so far my head is spinning!

I have the Deeper and love it. Its portable and light and runs off USB. ( I know some of you dont have smart phones so this isnt for you). I put my phone in a waterproof case and paracord the phone to the canoe so I dont lose it. I then paracord the deeper off the canoe as well.

The other thing I love about the Deeper is that its the only small portable fish finder that has a flasher built in for ice fishing. I used it a lot this winter and was very impressed.

quote Birdknowsbest: "I have the Deeper and love it. Its portable and light and runs off USB. ( I know some of you dont have smart phones so this isnt for you). I put my phone in a waterproof case and paracord the phone to the canoe so I dont lose it. I then paracord the deeper off the canoe as well.


The other thing I love about the Deeper is that its the only small portable fish finder that has a flasher built in for ice fishing. I used it a lot this winter and was very impressed. "

How long do you get on a charge of both phone and device?

I have noticed a lot more fish locator activity on the gear forum as we are getting closer to open water, I thought I would post a quick update on my project, and a little testing that I did.

The Garmin Chirp 43dv seemed to draw the rated .5 amp of current, while on the multimeter I saw from .2-.7, this was with the transducer sitting on the floor, so I imagine it was a contributing factor. I felt comfortable assuming the rated .5 amps was close. Adjusting the screen brightness also (as assumed) impact current draw, it is a color screen and all.

I ended up going with the 15Ah battery. The battery is very nice, high quality, and should get me around 28 hours of use.

I went with an assortment of Ram Mounts to mount the display and transducer. I have yet to test the transducer mount on a boat yet, but hope to do that before my first trip of the year (35 days!). I'm not sold on this yet, I still need to modify the transducer mount to work, but I'm really curious to try to shoot through the boat (renting).

I get about 4 hours of use with a fully charged deeper.

Hey Cornell, how'd it work for you? Any recommendations or things you plan on changing this year?

I had a question for those that have used a Deeper. I had read reviews on it, and like most reviews there are some on both ends of the scale, which seem to contradict each other. So my question is have you had any issues with losing the signal? Some had said they had a difficult time keeping a connection, and it maybe had something to do when the transducer was submerged (from casting it out, or with waves). Any experience with this happening?

I have had none of those experiences. Only positive with my deeper