I'm currently looking to buy another unit (HDS 9 or HDS 12, Gen. 2) for my console. I currently have two HDS 8 Gen. 2's and they're both interlinked with all of the bells and whistles except for the satellite radio/weather. Underneath my console I have a LSS box (I think that's what it's called...?) for the Structure Scan. I want the new unit to have everything (I don't need the satellite weather/radio though) that it can have. My questions are: 1.) Will a Gen 2. HDS 9 or HDS 12 work with my existing units and the LSS Structure Scan box that's mounted underneath my console? 2.) Will I need to add another transducer, if so, which one do I need? 3.) What cables and cords do I need? 4.) Most importantly, can I just buy a basic unit that only has the Insight Genesis, since I have a transducer, LSS box, and mapping on my existing units? 5.) If the basic model won't work with everything I already have, which model will I need? 6.) Or should I just buy the model that has everything, to save myself a lot trouble with linking and hooking up everything?

I don't want to spend any extra money for a unit than I have to. If a basic model will work with what I have and it's not too much trouble to link everything, then I want to go that route. I'm going to install it myself and I know that it will be somewhat of a task. I'm not really concerned about the actual labor part, but I am concerned about the actual performance and making sure that I have everything linked and installed correctly. If there's a high risk of the unit not performing well because of the LSS box, existing transducer/cables, and existing HDS units, then I'd rather pay extra and buy the model that has everything on it and not have to do as much labor.

Any other concerns and comments are welcome to be brought to my attention. Thanks in advance!

Any new HDS Gen2 unit will inter-operate with your existing system with no gotcha. All you need to buy is:

1. HDS Gen 2 model of your choice: Get the "no transducer" version, which still comes with brackets and a power cord
2. One Lowrance Ethernet cable long enough to reach from the new HDS to the LSS box (sounds like 6 foot cable for you)
3. A RAM-D size adjustable mount if you want full unit position adjustment and like that type mount
4. Bolts/screws appropriate for your installation (attaching mount to boat, gimbal bracket to mount)

That's it - all you will need! It is not necessary to add any new transducer to the boat. The StructureScan transducer attaches to the LSS box; it should stay there. You probably have traditional sonar transducer connected to the HDS8 Gen 2 at the console (blue connector)? I suggest you connect this transducer to whichever of the console units you will use most to look at the regular sonar. Any other unit can get that data via the Ethernet network, but it makes sense to attach it to the unit that is usually used to look at sonar. The StructureScan views can also be viewed from any display also because it is also shared on the Ethernet network. This is why you don't need more transducers.

Many users like to make the in-dash unit the primary "map" unit because it is good for safety when driving - you can see the map when looking straight ahead. They make the unit to the side of the console the primary "StructureScan" display. They really don't look at this much unless moving slow to graph the lake.

Some may say you can reconfigure your system and do away with the LSS box. Some users who have tried the Gen2 Touch integrated StructureScan found it not to work as well as the one provided by the LSS boxes. So, they elected to keep the LSS box operational, as I am suggesting you do. If you want to ditch it, it can be done, but your choice.

Each HDS power cable and the LSS box power cable have a yellow wire. That wire from all units is probably connected together. Anytime you have a unit on, this wire tells the LSS box to turn on. You will need to add the new yellow wire to this connection so that the new HDS will also make the LSS turn on if the new HDS is turned on.

The HDS 9 Touch is an excellent product. It lacks no features compared to the 12 Touch other than screen size, but will save you some money and POWER. The higher power demand of the 12 can be a drawback; you could end up needing more battery capacity if you have a lot of electronics drain. Be sure to "sleep" units when you are not using them for a length of time as this will help save your battery. (They wake up from sleep fast, so it's not much trouble.)

Excellent! This is what I was looking for! You covered everything. Thank you very much for the info, I really appreciate it!

If you are after a gen2 touch you best hurry up and buy one, the price is as low as it's been since Lowrance is trying to clean them out for the gen3's. Cheapest I've seen is a tad over $1500 for the 12 and about 900 for the 9.

That's what I've been seeing as well. I hope to make a purchase here in a few days.

Well, I've been on the fence for the last few days but I went ahead and ordered another gen 2 12 from universal mania for $1459.00 (no transducer model since I already have several of them) free shipping and zero sales tax. They might drop more but who knows.