Marine Electronics Archives - Page 4 of 10

June 7, 2026

High-tech smart chargers are smaller, lighter and take better care of our batteries, but sometimes it takes a boost from an old-tech transformer charger to save the day.

Old tech to the rescue

August 22, 2014 Allan Tarvid

My town doesn’t allow people to talk on a hand-held cell phone while driving, but hands-free talking is OK so I keep our phones paired through Bluetooth to our two vehicles.

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Are you ready for an on-the-water emergency? A floating ditch bag can hold everything you need to call and wait for help.

EPIRB plus PLB equals SOS

July 24, 2014 Allan Tarvid

Standing in ankle-deep water on deck while too far from the shore to see it? Congratulations: You are behind a marine-grade 8 ball. […]

Side- and down-scanning units are amazing scouting tools for anglers.

Strangely enough, the reservoirs on our nation’s river systems were not originally constructed to give us places to fish; they were built to control traditional spring floods that destroyed crops and homes. […]

There are so many choices in boat batteries — which one is right for you?

Marine batteries 101

May 22, 2014 Allan Tarvid

Learning that all batteries are not created equal can be an expensive lesson. Power your trolling motor with batteries designed to start your engine and they will last for weeks rather than years. Buy full-maintenance batteries and treat them like maintenance-free versions and you will be lucky to get a single season out of them. […]

New Humminbird ONIX and ION units equipped with certain LakeMaster maps can use a plug-in SmartStrike program to help you pattern a lake.

Manufacturing luck

April 21, 2014 Allan Tarvid

The Dallas Fire Fighters Bass Club was formed in the 1970s and as a casual angler just turned serious fisherman I was a charter member. […]

Garmin’s GPSMAP 1000 series units offer the company’s best technologies in a keypad-controlled design for those who aren’t ready for touchscreens.

Garmin catches up (and then some)

March 20, 2014 Allan Tarvid

Garmin is bringing its down- and side-scanning sonar technology to the marine electronics market, calling them DownVü and SideVü. You can expect near-picture-quality views of the fresh- or saltwater world beneath and off to both sides of your boat like those you’ve been seeing on the screens of other manufacturers’ units. […]

SpotlightScan Sonar from Lowrance lets you pinpoint fish and see structure around your boat after a do-it-yourself installation.

New SpotlightScan side-looking sonar

February 21, 2014 Allan Tarvid

Classic bass-fishing destinations like Toledo Bend Reservoir and Lake Sam Rayburn had a lot more standing timber in them back in the 1970s. In fact, once you got above their lower basins the only way to get around was to follow the many boat lanes cut through the trees. […]

Humminbird’s ONIX unit is perfect for freshwater applications, offering myriad options.

Humminbird touchscreens

January 23, 2014 Allan Tarvid

Two years in development, Humminbird’s new ONIX and ION models offer anglers something different in marine electronics. The two models are the most-powerful Humminbird has ever offered, and were introduced at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October. […]