Hello all, I am pondering over going ahead and pulling the trigger on one of those Garmin Livescopes. I say pondering because after watching so many videos and doing a lot of research its still questionable. One thing that really stuck out was watching a couple of videos with some popular fishing guys. They brought up that the one downside to this product is the fact that if you really want the best out of this unit it is imperative that every time you put in and every time you change locations especially depth that you need to go back thru your menu and tweak your settings. I don't own one so I have to go off of what I research. The first thing I thought of was I'm gonna spend $3000 on a unit that is going to be the same as buying an old fashioned tv that you have to mess with them rabbit ears every time you change the channel. I think it would be nice if some folks that own and have had the unit for a minute could chime in on the downside to owning one of these units considering the price. Now I know every unit has its faults but still it would be nice to know. Anyhow. I keep hearing how so many that own the unit wish they had gone with a bigger screen so my question is if you had to do it all over what Unit would you have gone with and keep in mind I only need the Live Scope to be seen and I have a cap off price of $3000 total, give or take a hundred. Listen folks, I just want to say in advance that I really appreciate all the input and hope you all have tight lines in the near future.

I am no expert on the livescope , but I have found it very user friendly. I bought the 12 in non touch ( saved 600$ vs touch screen)
I set the gain one time, I don't feel the need to adjust it with every move. I am fishing the same depth range most of the time.
I may have to adjust when fishing deep water soon. The only adjustment I make is the forward range. I will go out to 40 or 60 ft if I am looking , scroll it back to 20 ft while fishing.

good luck
Mo

I have absolutely zero experience with Livescope, but I will give you my opinion because I just went through the same thought process.

1. I just purchased the Livescope with a 93 SV Plus which is the 9 inch screen. This model is being replaced by the 93 UHD, so the Plus unit can be found for $599.
2. A bigger screen is always a better choice with electronics, but what are you willing to pay to get that bigger screen? The prices seem to be about $300 to $400 per inch as you go up in size. That's steep.
3. Go watch this video for a couple of tips to setup the Livescope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6w-KpPLc8Y
4. How clear do you need to see with this type of picture? I personally don't think it needs to be too clear. All I really need to know is the exact location of the cover I'm fishing and whether or not there are
fish on that cover. I will use the SideVu to locate new cover/structure and use the Livescope to pinpoint the cover/structure and check for fish and depth.
5. I bought the Livescope at 20% off for Black Friday, so my investment total ended up at $1800 and I'm in the game.
6. If you bass fish, I think the Mega 360 is going to be a better tool for that, but it's also going to cost you around that $3000 mark for the Helix 10 and Mega 360.
7. If you mostly vertically jig for crappie, I think the Livescope is the better tool.

GPSMAP 1222 is the most economical 12" screen for dedicated livescope.

I agree with what is said here. I bought the 93sv and Livescope transducer several months ago. Fished over it probably 20 times now, and for me, the 9" screen is just fine. Sure a larger screen would be nice but not "essential". As stated above, you are not going to be changing your gain/depth every time you move. You potentially change your depth range that you do the gain. My last trip out, we were fishing 18'-20' deep the whole day...so I never touched the screen at all...gain or depth.

If you have the $3,000 to spend...you will not regret it at all! It is truly amazing!

budget for a pole ducer and ram mounts. Maybe $200 for a good one. Connecting the livescope to the trolling motor with spot lock doesn't seem very effective from all the things i've read and seen.

#5 - i need to know how you found this deal on livescope! i heard Reed's had it for 15% for a few days and i've found a couple of vendors that will do 10% off - none of them can really advertise since i guess garmin has some restrictions on discounting.

I got that discount through the Tackle Warehouse Black Friday Sale. Unadvertised as you say.

Another note...you can save yourself $150-200 by buying the screen with NO TRANSDUCER. The livescope will be your transducer, so you don't need to pay for the transducer that comes with the head unit

Don't forget the minimum 10GA tinned marine wire you'll need to power the head unit and livescope module. Don't skimp here, as Livescope is sensitive to voltage and amp fluctuations. Something else to think about..an additional, or cranking battery upgrade may be necessary as livescope is a battery drainer. A group 24, and most group 27 cranking batteries will not cut the mustard if you use livescope all day long.

I ran a 9" 93sv for a good bit... It gets the job done but it has quirks....Brightness sucks...Choppy images and a laggy returns when the distance is turned up while scanning.

You will be missing out on some fish that are holding ultra tight to cover and a lot of fish in the 25 foot+ range with a 9" screen. It just doesn't have the resolution or space. The deeper the water the smaller the scale....fishing for dots vs a couple of pixels.

I swithced to the Echomap Ultra 122SV several months ago and it was a whole different game.

We just got Livescope with the 126sv Echo Map Ultra and it is absolutely phenomenal.

May be a tad over your budget.

But all I can say is the unit itself is outstanding.

Just did our 5th trip with it today.

Good Luck.

Well, first off I would like to thank everyone who commented and I appreciate all your input and experience with this Unit. I, like so many out there was really hoping that Humminbird was going to come out with something at the Expo this last October. I do believe this Unit is a game changer and that it will give some of us armature to beginner fisherman an edge. I am weighing the options and with everyone's input am tipping the scales towards getting one. Again I thank everyone here and by the way Hogan, I am getting one of those cooling vests for Christmas and it is already wrapped and under the tree. You and your father were definetely the deciding factor on that and I thank you for your detailed post on that subject.

I have the 93SV. Plan on upgrading to a 12" this spring.

Wayne

Good Morning Ranger 18,

Obviously, it is not needed at the moment, but when the Texas Heat shows back up you are going to love going fishing with that cooling vest. (Hunting, yardwork, sporting events in the heat, etc. you will be mighty comfortable).

It's a Game Changer.

Just like the Livescope will give you an edge.

Jerry Hancock told me Livescope was the greatest thing to hit fishing since the fishing hook.

Dad and I are still learning how to use it.
Probably take a Guided trip at some point with an experienced user like Jerry and open our eyes some more to Livescope.
I can tell you we are having a blast with it to date.

Yesterday, I was watching my Dad show my Mom him bouncing his jigs on the screen and I said Dad a fish is checking your bottom jig out and about 5 seconds later WHAM!
We were all laughing because that was the first time we all got to see a fish hit one of our jigs on our Livescope.
They call it video game fishing and I can understand why.

My Dad watched a fish hit my Mom's jigs at one point as well.

My Dad likes the Black Emerald color scheme and has been using that for his Livescope.

The decision to get Livescope is a big decision and Dad and I like many on here have been holding off to see what the future brought.
We saw a video of Livescope vs Lowrance Livesight if I am remembering it correctly and Livescope blew it away.

I remember when buying a Gun Safe I was chatting with a fella and he told me my advice to you is go big because you will grow into it over your lifetime. I went with the biggest I could afford and I'm glad I did.

To Give you an idea and you can do some homework and research being this is a big decision.

The Livescope Black Box and Transducer is $1499.99.

The 126sv Garmin EchoMap Ultra without a Transducer is $2499.
With a Transducer it is $2799.

I got a bundle package from the GPS Store which gave me some maps worth $169 for a $.01.

I did see the 126sv at Academy Sports online a few weeks ago without the Transducer for $2399. Might be worth checking since Christmas is coming up.

The Transducer you want even if you buy it later it the GT54UHD.

I found it online for $269 or $279 and the GPS Store matched it. They were asking $305 for it.

I used Ron Duran for the install. We also chose Ron Duran's Pole Mount system. Very happy.
Lots of good options out there to choose from and obviously every boat is different.

Gamblinman has sent me some suggestions with some minor modifications to help my Dad out and we will probably be adding those in the near future. Already talked to Ron about them. Thank you Gamblinman!!!

Everyone knows you don't need Livescope to go catch Crappie.

It is another tool in the tool box.

Dad and I have been waiting and doing our homework for over a year.
This was our Christmas present.

The 126sv is their newest unit came out in March I believe.
Dad and I have been so impressed with the detail that we almost never look at our Lowrance units since adding the Garmin.
I can see his screen from the back of the boat. I will eventually probably add another Garmin to the back.

We are very happy with the purchase and we do not regret spending what we did.
Ron did an excellent job on the install and has made several customizations for my Dad.
My Dad loves the ease of use of the unit and everything is at arms reach for him and the screen is right there while he is seated in his Pontoon Boat Captain Chair. (The Chair due to my Dads back issues was another no regret purchase). No bending over and no having to look down at your feet for my Dad. Ron Duran was a lifesaver.

If you have any questions or if you want to come see in person just let me know.

We had 5 boats come up to us on Fork wanting to see our set up and saying we could see your screen from way over there. It is impressive when you see it in person. Yesterday was our 5th trip post and pics coming later today.

We have no regrets.

No matter what you go with you will have no regrets buying Livescope.

Dad and I can highly recommend the 126sv just like we can highly recommend the Cooling Vest.

Feel Free to give me a shout anytime. 214-264-3232 Glen Schmidt

Congratulations on your next Crappie Slaying Tool purchase.

Did you feel that tremor this morning? It was them Crappie Trembling knowing your getting Livescope and a Cooling Vest for Christmas.

Call me I'll give you some quick tips for charging your cooling vest packs (the way to hydrate them).
Dad is actually the one that came up with the idea.

If you call and miss me leave a message I will call you back. I have Radiant Barrier in my roof sometimes interferes with my cell service.

I'm off to clean fish.