I have a new (to me) boat and researching which electronics and bang for the buck.
I always wondered if the CHIRP was worth it. I guess it is. Better target ID even when closer together or near the bottom.

Everything you wanted to know about CHIRP �Compressed High Impact Radar Pulse� is in the article/post below.
VERY technical and prolly more than you wanted to know.... my brain hurts.

http://www.thehulltruth.com/marine-elect...-explained.html

marine-electronics-forum
chirp-sounders-fish-finder-explained

Do we need chirp in our waters?

Do we need 12 inch graphs?

Dave sure hopes so!

Yes to both.

But I will have to sell a kidney to pay for them...

Also considering this transducer.

Not really....10" is plenty big for display

Very few lakes I fish here in North Texas are over 2000 feet deep. Don't see any need for it.

How much is TOO much. As an electronics freak I finally have come to the conclusion that #1 you can never be totally up to date on the latest bells and whistles for more than about 3 months at any given time. More importantly, I asked myself, by continually updating am I catching more fish? Answer is NO. The new stuff since Gen 1 is nice but will not change what you are finding much. Learn to use what you have before changing.
(sorry David)

As far as the new Lakemaster chip is concerned, I used Guys last Sat and found it contained Too much information. Terribly cluttered with stuff we really didn't need . Maybe set up wrong.

Just my opinion.

Ernest, what was your thoughts on his Onix?

Yes on the 12"!
I have 3 screens on my favorite saved display and don't need my reading glasses to see what's on the screen......Sonar, sidescan and Map. My 2nd favorite display is downscan, sidescan, sonar.
Chirp????? Couldn't tell ya, don't guess I do - LOL

Another way for the manufacturer's to get their fair share of OUR money! How effectively they do this depends on how we feel after handing over money. If we are satisfied, then their job is done!

I believe Earnest is right here.

Good luck enjoying the ride!

I have Chirp on my Garmin units. SideVu and DownVu are so much better @800MHz for finding brushpiles and submerged cover.

Admittadely, the new Humminbird Onix, together with the new/revised LakeMaster chip tends to give one a LOT of information to digest, and it takes a few trips to get use to having that much information at the touch of a finger, but honestly; CHIRP, chip, gen 1/2/3, or anything else that the competition has does not begin to compare with the overall quality of performance and picture that the Onix/LakeMaster combo offers. BUT....this setup is not for the first time/inexperienced electronics user, as it takes a lot of on-the-water experience to obtain the full capabilities that it offers (and that setup is not cheap either). I've now had my new Onix 8 & 10 for about three months and am finally getting comfortable with knowing what to do in a given situation. And I do wish that I had gotten both units with 'touch' instead of just the 10.

IMO, know your own level of electronics knowledge and buy accordingly, but strongly consider the Onix/LakeMaster over anything else if you're gonna go "top shelf". If anyone has any questions, please let me know and I'll try to help.....and I'm NOT sponsored by either of these products.

They all do the same things just different buttons.