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Random Quote: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
If you want to rely on your chartplotter for your auto pilot to work , or you are needing chartplotter for trips to the islands don't buy a lowrance . I have had so many issues with this 111hd unit and the lsg2000 antenna it is just insane.
I disagree. Many others will also disagree. IMO the 111HD is a fine unit. I have had two failures of the GPS module (LGC-2000), what you call the antenna, but both were repaired expeditiously and my only cost was shipping although the second failure was well beyond the warranty period.
IMO, virtually all marine electronics manufaturers have issues with equipment from time to time. Lowrance, at least, charges a reasonable price for it's equipment and provides outstanding warranty support.
If you require equipment that will never fail I don't think you'll find it. Some very upper tier gear is probably more reliable than middle or lower tier gear. If you're willing to pay a lot more money you may be able to find satisfaction with upper tier gear.
lowrance = garbage
I agree.
I had nothing but problems with 6 seperate Global Map 6500s. Changed 2 head units, changed 11 antennas, reprogramming, etc. These were for commercial applications and the downtime due to "repairs" cost me tens of thousands of dollars.
__________________
That is crap.
Which idiot told you that CO2 only makes up 0.039% of the atmosphere?
oceansmasher Ill send you shipping cost and you can send me that garbage Lowrance. If you feel it is really garbage send it to me and get "some good stuff". I will take it off your hands just let me know.
Dan Mack
I think everyone would agree that Lowrance products are not top of the line , but in my experience Lowrance has ALWAYS stood behind their products , even when out of warranty.
Ive had some minor issues with my LCX 111 , but Ive also had some with my Furuno FCV 585. I wish all companies stood behind their products like these two do.
I've ran both the 111hd and the new 113hd. Both have been fine and very reliable. Going on 3 years with no issues. I am sure that all manufacturers have their problems but in my experience the Lowrance has perforemed flawlessly.
__________________ Capt. Bob
34' Baha Cruiser King Cat
43' Mikelson Sportfish
We have sold dozens of Lowrance GPS/SOnar combos from the small to large HD models. Constant issues with antennas, a few with head unit issues, sonar failures, constant voltage sensitivity problems, pathetic liars in warranty department, etc. I have come to the point where I BEG my customers not to buy Lowrance for anything more than an entry level fishfinder. They have their pick of any electronic equipment they want, but, that Lowrance price can snag a few of them from time to time.
I had a furuno 1850 before this unit and I gave it to my next door neighbor and it is still working flawlessly . I have had two trips to the bahamas cancelled because of issues from nmea2000 problems / lcx111 . When I need it to get me somewhere I feel like the safety of relying on it to be there when I need it is not there. I'll be on the phone tomorrow morning to see what they want me to do this time. I'm trying to leave for the bahamas this coming friday.
I had a Lowrance LCX 15-MT for less than a year and the GPS antenna stopped working. I was 35 miles offshore. Now, it's not that I can't get myself back to shore with just a chart and compass (I'm here now, right?) but that night I said this is unacceptable. Once was one time too many. So I got a Garmin
oceansmasher - 7/27/2008 5:47 PM I had a furuno 1850 before this unit and I gave it to my next door neighbor and it is still working flawlessly . I have had two trips to the bahamas cancelled because of issues from nmea2000 problems / lcx111 . When I need it to get me somewhere I feel like the safety of relying on it to be there when I need it is not there. I'll be on the phone tomorrow morning to see what they want me to do this time. I'm trying to leave for the bahamas this coming friday.
My experience with Lowrance failures have been either the GPS puck (LGC2000) or their internal HD's in both units failed after two and three years. I just don't think the reliability is there.
For the money, I think there are better choices. It really gets down to money nowadays. Raymarine cost more. But traditionally (other than the old DSM modules) have been VERY reliable. I still run into older systems that are 8-10 years old working flawlessly. I live here on the Oregon coast. So the environment here is pretty harsh. I really don't reccommend Lowrance much either. It's not to say for some they have been good, but I can't see why saving a few hundred dollars is a good idea when here we travel 40+ miles offshore routinely.
Furuno is awesome stuff too. But otta the box, they have a STEEP learning curve. Not for the impatient user.--But again, excellent equipment.
As a strictly recreational boater whose boat doesn't take a lot of pounding, my results with Lowrance have been consistently good for 4 years. The current setup is the 850 DSC VHF and the LCX28HD GPS/Sonar. Never had a problem with either of them so far.
__________________ Rick
Alabama's Gulf Coast
Chaparral 240 Signature (Sold)
If you want to rely on your chartplotter for your auto pilot to work , or you are needing chartplotter for trips to the islands don't buy a lowrance . I have had so many issues with this 111hd unit and the lsg2000 antenna it is just insane.
Oceansmasher has told us he is a commercial boater and needs his electronics to work at all times. Lowrance is clearly a recreational boating product line. He should not be surprised nor disappointed that his Lowrance has not been fully satisfactory in his commercial application.
My LGC2000 GPS Module has, as stated earlier, failed twice. But that did not interfere with my recreational boating. Within 10 days of sending it in to Lowrance for repair I had it back, installed, and working properly. BTW, at no charge despite an expired warranty.
If I could not endure ten days of down time rest assured that I would have a spare LGC2000 on hand based upon my experience. They cost about $225 from LEI, a Lowrance subsidiary, and can be ordered via the Lowrance web site.
If my boating was commercial and reliability was the overiding issue I would likely choose a commercial quality line of electronics.
Lowrance is far from a garbage brand of recreational boating electronics. It's good stuff but it is also recreational stuff and priced appropriately, IMO.
I should, perhaps, have more sympathy for all the self inflicted wounds laid out for all to see on THT.
I have the Consumer's Marine catalog in front of me...no where does it say that any mfr is for recreational consumers or commercial customers..In fact, all have these big dog photos of their products in action...if Lowance wants to be in the game, they should not hide behind a "rec boaters only" moniker that some have stated above...
By the way just to set the record straight I am not a commercial boater and have never been a commercial boater and have never claimed to be. What I do expect from my electronics is reliability, if you can't depend on it that does not set well with me .
Third season with a Globalmap 6600hd and an X107df, no issues. With one caveat, when I first got them I fried 2 LGC-2000's due to improper placement vs the radar. Radar won. Since I put it on a 2 ft mast I have had zero problems. So far happy with both units. Though still pissed that Lowrance won't plot DSC.
Ray
__________________ If the river was whiskey and I was a duck,
I'd dive to the bottom and I'd never come up...
oceansmasher - 7/28/2008 6:43 PM By the way just to set the record straight I am not a commercial boater and have never been a commercial boater and have never claimed to be. What I do expect from my electronics is reliability, if you can't depend on it that does not set well with me .
lowrance = garbage 
