i looking to purchase a new finder looking at the lowerance elite 9 ti totalscan versus garmin 93sv. i will primarily be freshwater but occasionally go down to the coast. any thoughts which unit would be better. Kindof concernced about the garmin transducer issue. also i would like the sat overlay for the bay. I asked about the nav hotmaps ofr sat overlay coverage in the bays. Would garmin maps be better. any advice would be great!

If you want Navionics, go with Lowrance.

Garmin has acquired Navionics but their graphs don't support them.....yet.

Both graphs will have similiar features. Sidescan, downscan and sonar.

Lowrance Elite TI series graphs will offer a touchscreen, FishReveal capabilities, Navionics support with Satellite overlay capabilities.

In my opinion, unless you have plans to run a Panoptix transducer for the Garmin graph, go with the Lowrance

I believe Garmin licenses the scan technology from Navionics; and I noticed some units even share transducers. But 'm too lazy to pull up the article that I read it in. I'm partial to Lowrance myself, since that's what I use. You should look at the entire network infrastructure and compatibility, not just piece by piece (for future upgradability).

Good luck
Tim

Garmin owns Navionics now

https://newsroom.garmin.com/press-release/featured-releases/garmin-acquires-navionics

Now Garmin and Navico, the parent company for Lowrance, have gone back and forth over lawsuits involving trnasducer designs

The result of these lawsuits is a cross licensing agreement between both companies involving various patents and designs

Ah ha, there's an article. Thanks
Tim

Did you decide which unit to go with? I personally run Simrad with the Navionics chips but the Lowrance has the same options. I really like the "Link" option that allows me to run the Simrad from my iPad on my tower. I'm a flats fisherman. You can also use the "Link" app to connect with your Android and iPhones but you can't control the unit with those devices just monitor it.

The plotter sync option between the NAVICO products and the Navionics maps is extremely useful when planning a trip.

Good Luck and Tight Lines!