Raymarine bottom machine?

[flfishchaser]

Does anyone have any info on the DS600X? I keep hearing how easy they are to use and what a superior picture of the bottom they produce. I am in the process of getting electronics for my new boat and want to do it one time. Thanks, all input appreciated.

[mcharman]

I have just purchased theHDFI (High Definition Fish Imaging) Raymarine DSM250 with 1Kw transducer (thru-hull) with the RL80 C Plus 10" colour screen, and it is fantastic. Plus you can use the big screen for radar and chart plotter as well.

[fishrman]

The 600 is a solid unit for the coin plus utalizes the same technology found in the dsm 250 . It will inport NMEA data and give you gps data and the picture is far superior to any thing in its price range

[flfishchaser]

I'm going to flush mount all of my electronics so I really want to be sure on what machine to buy.
Thanks

[trippenn]

I have the 600x. It is a good unit but beware the screen will fog. Do a search, there are several forum members that have had problems with fogging. Mine is flush mounted so I have not taken it out to send it back. Trip

[flfishchaser]

Thanks Tripp, how does the unit work when it is not fogged up?

[bg]

I've got the DS400x, which is the same internally as the 500 and 600 only with a smaller screen, and have been really happy with it. The screen will fog a little, as others have already mentioned, but other than that it's been great. The best thing is that I find it a lot easier to identify live bottom with this machine than I do with the FCV600L that I've used on a friends boat. It also does a really good job of seperating the returns in fish schools so that you can tell whether you're looking at a bait ball or a school of larger fish more easily. Just yesterday I used it to mark a school of Tuna under a shrimp boat. Thanks to the fishfinder showing seperate returns for the fish instead of a glob, we were able to correctly identify them as bigger fish and chummed them to the surface for a couple of hours of fantastic tuna action! Get one, you'll be really happy with it.

[scubadown]

I am on my third DS machine. Started with the 500 and it fogged. Returned it and the replacement fogged. Upgraded to the 600 and used it for a couple of months before it fogged. I have now sent that unit back to Ray and they say they have a fix. Also there are a couple of software bugs that are kind of annoying but they may have new firmware which will fix these. Should get my unit back in a week or so. The unit has a great screen and is very bright. The zoom feature is kind of clunky and not very easy to set to my particular likeing. I scuba dive so my requirements are probably a little different than most. Overall the unit is good but I am still disappointed and I don't think the unit can beat even a barebones CRT type unit. Just my two cents worth.

[trippenn]

The unit works great when its not fogged. It has a clear picture tha is viewable it direct sunlight. It is also easy to distinguish between fish and structure. By the way it did'nt start fogging unitl the air temp began cooling and it usually clears after being on for a couple of hours. Trip

[JAGSARE1]

Wow, I can't believe a Raymarine unit doesn't work. Worst reliability on the market. Fog is moisture on the inside...how long do you think that is going to last? I feel bad for you guys.

[CMAZ]

I installed the DS500X a few months back and so far no fogging issues.

Only thing I noticed is that these units do not have a bottom locking feature. In Zoom mode it attempts to track the bottom, which for most part it does well. However when there is a significant change in bottom depth it tends to jump around. Thats when I take over and drive it manually.
Has anyone else noticed this or am I not using it properly.

Dont get me wrong I am over the moon with this unit. Used to have an old Hummingbird Wide Eye and this is light years ahead of it. Have been able to spot up schools of snapper with ease and landed some serious fish with the help of this unit.