Just got me new BPS catalog and it shows the price for the new iPilotLink! Called All Star and they hope to have some in stock soon. FINALLY!!!! Been waiting months for one.

I will have the i-Pilot Link available soon as well. I am showing an ETA date of 1/11/13

why would i want a 718 when I can get a 561 DI with more power for the same price, screen size, 320x320 ?

soggybottom, they are way different units.
The 561 DI does Down Imaging and 2D sonar--that's it.

The 718 is just regular dual beam 2D sonar that can be a Track Plotter if a GPS antenna is connected and it can share GPS data with another unit with the INTERLINK connection.

Look up both units on the Humminbird web site, under the picture of each is an accessory listing, click on "view all".
You will see the difference in what they can do.

what does 4000 ptp get you over 2000 ptp

More depth capability and ability to detect smaller objects.

Wayne, I know that HB has a higher pixel count than Lowrance and I switched from an HDS 8 to an 1198 this year. BUT, I can take you to an area on Cedar Creek Lake where someone has sunk a large amount of tires to make a crappie structure.
On the HDS 8, with lower pixel count, you can see the individual tires to the extend you can almost read the writing on them. My 1198 doesn't come close to giving me the same or better display. I have tried everything I can think of to adjust the display to no avail. I just can not get as clear a pic on the 1198.
I'm thinking that even with the higher pixel count, the HB algorythms used are not as good or some other software related issue gives Lowrance a better view than what HB uses.
Would you agree or care to comment on this? It really bugs me to have abandonded Lowrance mainly due to support issues and had to sacrifice in performance.

Pixel count has nothing to do with the unit's power to show small objects and depth as soggybottom was asking about.

You got a lower resolution display now. You can't do any adjusting to add more screen pixels.

BTW the Humminbird 1198 and Lowrance HDS-10 have the same pixel density and count and is the lowest in each brand's models.
I don't have the specs for the HDS-8, but the pixel density is probably about 2000 more per square inch than the 1198 and HDS-10 have.

The number of screen pixels means nothing, it's the pixel density (pixels per square inch) that determines image quality.

Example is the Humminbird 798ci SI has 31,170.5 pixels per square inch (the highest resolution in the industry) and the 1198c SI has 8,858.2 pixels per square inch. I have both of those models and the image quality difference is very apparent.

Are you running the same frequency when looking at the tires? I prefer 455kHz for the 180� of Coverage Humminbird Offers but using the 800kHz will give you higher detail images but less coverage 110�.

455kHz



Reurned with 800kHz

Sorry to here that! I purchased my1198 and also had this happen, I would press the view button a couple time and it would reboot! Call HB sent it back and got this fixed! They said it was something corrupt in the file and fixed it! Hope you have this solved soon .

I have a 998 that seems to freak out every now and then... It will be on and working fine then suddenly the depth with show 1.9 ft and say I'm in the DI mode the screen's black - all menues work, left side displays work ie. temp, course, ect. - and will require shutting down and restarting to get it working again - only to do it again later. Any ideas - unit or Transducer?

How is the unit powered?
Is the power cord extended directly to the battery?

Have you checked the unit digital voltage readout?

It is running thru my fuse panel. The DV readout works if thats what you mean.. Do you think it could be spiking/droping and causing this problem?

"works" doesn't mean anything. Is the unit displaying at least 12V ? Does it drop under 11V when you are having issues?

Humminbird recommends you extend the power cord directly to the battery to eliminate voltage loss due to resistance from connections, switches, and boat wiring harness conductor size.

The longer the extension needed to do that, the larger the conductor size you need. 16-14 guage works very well for most boats. I use 12 ga marine grade conductors. Use a spade type fuse/holder at the battery and solder the splices.

Thanks Wayne, I'll give it a try.