With all the electronics out there, it’s hard to decide upon what’s best for your application. As fall dropped on us, the falling leaves started me to think about ice. My first thought was to check out the new electronics available for ice fishermen. After looking at handheld sonar units, It took about 5 minutes to quickly realize all the brands available with the staggering amount of feature differences. Below I have outlined some major points for handheld depth finders, and prepared a table for comparison. Decide your application, and then start shopping.

New out from NorCross is the Hawkeye Portable Sonar System. The new DF2200PX unit replaces the 2120 model with more and better features. The 2200 is 60% more powerful; the depth range was increased to 199 feet, and now has waterproof buttons. The DF2200 unit still has a side scan fish detection indicator, instant depth readings, ability to shoot through a fiberglass hull or ice, and it floats. Programming is easy with a one-touch display. A single 9-volt battery powers the LCD display for day or night time use. The 2-year warranty will be helpful, since you can use the unit all year, above or under the water.

The Polar Vision handheld unit, by Strike Master, stands out with 2,500 watts of instant power, and can read from 3 to 199 feet, with 1 ¼ inch accuracy. Two 9 volt batteries will give up to 10 hours of service for the high resolution LCD, back light for night use, and visual and audible fish alarm. Another unique feature is the automatic shut off, which save power on cold days.

One major difference between the other 3 units and the Marcum LXi unit is the vertical display that shows depth to 299 feet with 1 ¼ inch accuracy. Just set it on the ice, and the easy to read screen will show the depth. The 12-degree cone angle measures a bottom area of 4.2 feet at a 20-foot depth. Of the 4 units reviewed, this one has the narrowest beam, but also requires a non-standard 6-volt lithium battery. Not one to be found anywhere, but good idea to stock up on a few of the lithium batteries when planning a trip.

Ease of use is the key to the Vexilar LPS-1 hand held unit. Put in on the ice, push the button, and let go. The LPS-1 will lock the reading on the display, and then shut off automatically. The single 9-volt battery keeps the unit light weight for transport, which makes it easy to carry in a pocket when setting up tip ups. Also the backlit display will help for night fishing.

For calculating bottom area seen of each hand held, the cone angle is used in combination with depth. Using a 30-foot depth, a narrow 12 degree cone will see about 6 sq-feet of bottom, while a 22 degree cone will see about 11 square feet.

Power wattage, battery usage, cone angle and a $20 price range are the major differences between these units. Higher power means more battery usage, but greater depth range. With all of these units, wetting the ice is key to a good reading. Cloudy ice can cause slight problems, but all can read through 2-foot of ice. All have superior ability to read depth accurately. For fish finding, the first reading shown on the units is bottom depth, if fish are present, the next is fish depth. Bottom line, what all of these units provide is time savings when looking for structure such as dropoffs before you drill and setup. This winter I hope to try several, and report back field test results.

Norcross 2200 PX
http://www.norcrossmarine.com/HEDF2200PX.htm

Strike Master Polar Vision
http://www.strikemaster.com/electric.html

MarCum Lxi
http://www.marcumtech.com/

Vexilar LPS-1
http://www.vexilar.com/products/lps1.html