Upgrade for my Minn Kota
- Thread starter Derkd9
- Start date
@Derkd9 I wish that I could help you out for you have the same Minn Kota Terrova I-pilot as I have,(I think that you already know that from previous post’s), and your electric motor is likely newer than mine.My electric motor is a 2007 model & I haven’t upgraded mine at all to a gps system,etc.,and maybe @ANGLING OUTFITTERS or even someone here on this board will be able to help you out & good luck!!
@Red Hering
Thanks for the response!
I may just not know how to use it..
I know it has the GPS white thing mounted on the bow. Just not sure if it needs a fish finder with gps or if I can already use the spot lock features on it without a fish finder
I guess I should have played with it a little more this summer hahaha
I would like one of the fish finders with side imaging to mount in the bow with it regardless.
Thanks for the response!
I may just not know how to use it..
I know it has the GPS white thing mounted on the bow. Just not sure if it needs a fish finder with gps or if I can already use the spot lock features on it without a fish finder
I guess I should have played with it a little more this summer hahaha
I would like one of the fish finders with side imaging to mount in the bow with it regardless.
I don't have one but I have been shopping for one... actually I just bought one but its not in yet.
Anyhow, it depends what model you have, if you have the ipilot w/bluetooth all yo u need is the bluetooth controller to use spot lock etc, but if you have ipilot-link then you need a hummingbird MFD to use those features. Which do you have?
Anyhow, it depends what model you have, if you have the ipilot w/bluetooth all yo u need is the bluetooth controller to use spot lock etc, but if you have ipilot-link then you need a hummingbird MFD to use those features. Which do you have?
hvyhaul
Well-Known Member
Hey derk.d that spot lock is a nice feature keeps you in place also that n on the remote is great for keeping you in a strait line when trolling if you are reeling in or taking fish off and resetting lines
Your Terrova is ipilot which has spot lock, cruise control, auto pilot etc. all from the remote. You don't need a fishfinder unit to use any of the ipilot features. To hook it up to any of the networkable Humminbird units you would need a model that has ipilot link. Yours isn't that.
What transducer is in your trolling motor? If you have universal sonar 2, whatever fishfinder you get is going to just be 2D CHIRP at best, no DI for you. I don't think the transducers are changeable as they're a different size, the DI ones are huge.
I played with the bluetooth functions this summer. Found it pretty lousy. The remote works better.
That white puck isn't for GPS, all the GPS functions are in the motor's head unit itself. That white puck is a compass for heading readings since GPS can tell you where you are and where you're going, but not what direction you're facing. Need a compass for that. Heading readings only are used for one feature spot lock jog. If you're spot locked you can tell the motor to jog forward 5 feet. That's literally all it does. I installed my puck on my boat but haven't used it once.
My TM is an Ulterra with DI built in. I wanted SI at the bow so networked the bow Helix DI and console Helix SI and now I can see the rear's SI at the bow. The only downside is what you're seeing is out to the sides, 20 feet behind you. Oh well.
The real solution for this is the 360 degree imaging, but to the best of my knowledge you can't do that with a powerdrive motor. Only a Ultrex or Fortrex.
Feel free to ask me anything about these. I may only have had this stuff for one season, but I'm also an IT network/systems analyst by trade so I'd consider my tech skills pretty good lol.
What transducer is in your trolling motor? If you have universal sonar 2, whatever fishfinder you get is going to just be 2D CHIRP at best, no DI for you. I don't think the transducers are changeable as they're a different size, the DI ones are huge.
I played with the bluetooth functions this summer. Found it pretty lousy. The remote works better.
That white puck isn't for GPS, all the GPS functions are in the motor's head unit itself. That white puck is a compass for heading readings since GPS can tell you where you are and where you're going, but not what direction you're facing. Need a compass for that. Heading readings only are used for one feature spot lock jog. If you're spot locked you can tell the motor to jog forward 5 feet. That's literally all it does. I installed my puck on my boat but haven't used it once.
My TM is an Ulterra with DI built in. I wanted SI at the bow so networked the bow Helix DI and console Helix SI and now I can see the rear's SI at the bow. The only downside is what you're seeing is out to the sides, 20 feet behind you. Oh well.
The real solution for this is the 360 degree imaging, but to the best of my knowledge you can't do that with a powerdrive motor. Only a Ultrex or Fortrex.
Feel free to ask me anything about these. I may only have had this stuff for one season, but I'm also an IT network/systems analyst by trade so I'd consider my tech skills pretty good lol.
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Do the helix fish finders that have side imaging capabilities have two spots to plug 2d transducer and a spot for the side imaging transducer (not sure what it’s called) I’ve seen them on YouTube when the guy just throws the transducer in the water when he was using the side imagining?
Need a Y-Cable to break out the SI feeds and 2d feeds to separate inputs. I had to do this as I was getting no 2d reading or depth while on plane. Turns out the huge SI transducer is not very hydrodynamic, created turbulence at high speeds and loses any high speed reading just on it's own. I added a Y cable and a shoot thru hull transducer in the bilge for high speed readings and now the SI ducer does SI and DI only.
Looks like this:
But because it says Humminbird on it, $60
Trust me I was very very annoyed that I had to spend $150 more for another transducer and y cable so that my $2000 fishfinder could read depth while on plane.
Looks like this:
But because it says Humminbird on it, $60
Trust me I was very very annoyed that I had to spend $150 more for another transducer and y cable so that my $2000 fishfinder could read depth while on plane.
