# lowrance elite 5 dsi 299.99



## disporks (Jan 19, 2011)

Called to put my name on one at west marine and they had all been reserved, but the kind woman ordered me one that will be here Friday for the same price no shipping. Been waiting for a deal like this!


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## Dillusion (May 21, 2012)

If you have any west marine rewards points you can use them, as well use a $15 off $100 plus free shipping coupon that west marine has online.

Total for me was 279 shipped to my door


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## TwoKids (Jan 2, 2013)

Matty, what coupon code did you use for the $15 off? Coupon code MK35568 or MK35493 or WMAFF doesn't work. This deal may not be eligible, still an awesome deal.

Wagner, Thanks for the heads up.

Just ordered one, it said it was available online before checkout but after checkout my confirmation email says backordered.


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## loud_by_design (Mar 21, 2013)

I used one of the mk codes also and it saved 15 bucks but I did the ship to store so I don't know about the free shipping.


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## TwoKids (Jan 2, 2013)

> I used one of the mk codes also and it saved 15 bucks but I did the ship to store so I don't know about the free shipping.


I did the free shipping to home, must be why the mk code didn't work for me.


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## blondmonkey777 (Oct 18, 2012)

Lol I sold over 30 of those units today at west marine in Jacksonville people are going nuts over
That price very good deal but one of the best perks of my jobs is I get deals a little Better then this on everything in the store
And system. Hands down the best job for someone that likes boats


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## loud_by_design (Mar 21, 2013)

> Lol I sold over 30 of those units today at west marine in Jacksonville people are going nuts over
> That price very good deal but one of the best perks of my jobs is I get deals a little Better then this on everything in the store
> And system. Hands down the best job for someone that likes boats


yea I know a girl who works at the one near us but her price was still a good bit over the sale price. you guys get some pretty sweet discounts though


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## TwoKids (Jan 2, 2013)

> Lol I sold over 30 of those units today at west marine in Jacksonville people are going nuts over
> That price very good deal but one of the best perks of my jobs is I get deals a little Better then this on everything in the store
> And system. Hands down the best job for someone that likes boats


Shadowcast777 or current elite5 users - Ever seen this unit on the water with a shoot thru the hull install? Wondering how much sensitivity/detail you lose, it never seems as good as the marketing pics or sim. Also do you know if the skimmer xducer that comes with this package will shoot thru the hull or is there a better one to buy to do this? One of the airmar's maybe? Talking only 30' depth max, but I do like to see decent detail. Shooting through a shadowcast.


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

TK, the skimmer ducer is rounded, it wont lay flat on the hull floor, not like a regular puck ducer. I have the skimmer ducer on my larger boat.

I did buy the Elite 5 from the website last night, they are back ordered!!! 
I figure, maybe I'll score one, maybe I wont....


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## TwoKids (Jan 2, 2013)

> TK, the skimmer ducer is rounded, it wont lay flat on the hull floor, not like a regular puck ducer. I have the skimmer ducer on my larger boat.
> 
> I did buy the Elite 5 from the website last night, they are back ordered!!!
> I figure, maybe I'll score one, maybe I wont....


Thanks GTSR. I sold marine electronics back in the 90s. If I remember correctly Lowrance had a program that would exchange TDs out for you. I'll have to give them a call.... assuming I'm lucky enough to get one shipped to me.

I was set on the hds5 gen2 so if it falls through no big deal but this deal was just too good to pass up.


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

I am buying a more powerful unit for my other boat(the one that currently has a Lowrance with the skimmer ducer. Looking at the HDS 5 Gen 2 or the Elite 7. What do you know about the HDS vs Elite units?


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## TwoKids (Jan 2, 2013)

Just found this info on another forum. I dont think Lowrance sells a shoot thru 455/800 khz for the DSI.

Here is a quote from a Lowrance prostaff rep:

(Back to Mike's original question. The Elite 5 DSI is downscan only, no 2D sonar. With this technology, the ducer must be mounted on the outside of the boat.
__________________
Todd Driscoll - Lowrance Pro Staff)


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

I wrote to Lowrance as well, turns out that the HDS uses the same ducer as my old LMS337 but the Elite uses a special transducer for "down scan and 2d imaging" . I figured the HDS was special- newer and with the HDS would need a higher transducer but it is just the opposite!!!

Gonna try and buy the HDS 7 if it fits in my E box....


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## TwoKids (Jan 2, 2013)

> I wrote to Lowrance as well, turns out that the HDS uses the same ducer as my old LMS337 but the Elite uses a special transducer for "down scan and 2d imaging" . I figured the HDS was special- newer and with the HDS would need a higher transducer but it is just the opposite!!!
> 
> Gonna try and buy the HDS 7 if it fits in my E box....


Compatability is all about the freqs. DSI has very high def but only work in relatively shallow water and the high freq doesnt play well with obstructions like hulls. The HDS Gen 2 units are sweet.  I demo'd one at bps a few weeks ago. from what I can recall they have better screens, faster processors, sidescan capable, networking capability, and you can run better maps. ....but you pay primo cause they are new. I'm going to keep my order in for this dsi and just use it for the gps, $299 for a gps with gold chip is still a good deal. I can live without a FF on the skiff for now.


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## gary0319 (Jan 16, 2013)

I've had this unit for about 6 months now and bought it specifically for the Naviaonics Gold chip. I use the sonar for the depth, but not for fish locating. I'm kind of new to skinny water fishing, so maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see the use for a fish locater in 2 feet of gin clear water. At that depth, if they show on the screen, I might just as easily reach under the boat and scoop them up. 

However, I will be trying to use the DSI in the future to determine structure etc., just not good at it so far.


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## blondmonkey777 (Oct 18, 2012)

The dsi was designed for shallow water more for bass fisherman doesn't mark fish that well and doesn't go that deep there will not be a option of a through hull or in hull only trolling motor mount and transom but over all a good deal


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## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

For those of you who bought this Elite-5 DSI/Navionics Gold bundle, have any of you successfully updated the charts on the chip using the Navionics Webstore?

I'm having issues getting it to work, although it did the first time I tried it and Navionics tech support hasn't been very helpful.


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## TwoKids (Jan 2, 2013)

> For those of you who bought this Elite-5 DSI/Navionics Gold bundle, have any of you successfully updated the charts on the chip using the Navionics Webstore?
> 
> I'm having issues getting it to work, although it did the first time I tried it and Navionics tech support hasn't been very helpful.


Hammer - I just rcvd my elite 5 dsi unit yesterday from WM. Today I tried to update the data, I had problems as well. Called Navionics, waited 30 min on hold, eventually talked to someone and they say because these are bundle chips with lowrance units that they are not upgradeable. They claim lowrance has control of what is on these chips and that lowrance is just using "some of" navionics gold data to populate the chips.  Bottom line is they are not updatable.


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## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

> > For those of you who bought this Elite-5 DSI/Navionics Gold bundle, have any of you successfully updated the charts on the chip using the Navionics Webstore?
> >
> > I'm having issues getting it to work, although it did the first time I tried it and Navionics tech support hasn't been very helpful.
> 
> ...


Ok, thank you for responding! 

Now here’s the reason behind my question. About three weeks ago when I first brought home my Elite 5 DSI, I attempted to update the bundled Navionics Gold chip by using a SD card reader and following the directions on the Navionics site. As part of the process, I installed the Webstore application and it detected my Navionics chip and then displayed a screen where I could choose to download updates and three or four other optional item such as Sonar Charts via a series of checkboxes. I proceeded with only the updates selected and the Webstore app started downloading some data. After about 20-25 minutes, it came back saying the update was complete and that I had 364 days of updates left. All seemed well and good, right? Wrong!

After “updating” the chip I happily went out to the garage and plugged it into the E5, but upon looking around at the charts I didn’t see any difference in any of the areas I was interested in. Ok, that wasn’t completely unexpected, since obviously there might have been no changes to those charts. However, my OCD kicked in and plugged the chip back into the PC to take a look at the files. Not one single file on the chip had been changed. They all had dates that were from three months ago, meaning the update hadn’t worked for some reason. Concerned I went back into the Webstore and discovered I could no longer get to any of the previous screens that allowed me to select items to download. The only message I got (and still get) is one in red saying “A chart has already been purchased for this chip”.

After two weeks of unresponsiveness and unhelpful generic emails from Navionics support, I called them to discuss the problem, and they told me almost the same story they told you, that the bundled chip isn’t eligible for updates or “Freshest Data” as they call it. They say they can’t explain why I saw the update options that I did and that the bundled chips can’t be updated. 

Needless to say, I’m a tad annoyed and somewhat skeptical with the answer I got, however I have no real course of action unless I can find someone with the bundled chip who is getting Freshest Data updates. Since you're now reporting the same inability to update, I guess I may just have to live with it.  Still doesn't explain why it worked once...


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## loud_by_design (Mar 21, 2013)

Well That kinda sucks. No where in the add did It say that the bundle chip would be anydifferent than the standard navionics Gold chip. I'd love to say my experience has been much better but I have yet to even receive my unit yet. They assured me when I called I'd be one of the first to receive my unit but obviously that is not the case seeing as y'all got yours before me. Hopefully they fix it for you guys and me whenever they decide to let me have one.


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## b16stang_crx (Jan 18, 2012)

From when I ordered it that June 24th I received mine a week and a half later...( only because I went to the store where I had said to ship it to and they had one in stock and just gave me that one)


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## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

> ...They claim lowrance has control of what is on these chips and that lowrance is just using "some of" navionics gold data to populate the chips.  Bottom line is they are not updatable.


So today, out of the blue, after almost two weeks had passed since I’d last been in touch with Navionics about the chip update issue I was having, I got an unexpected email from them. I thought the matter was done with, but apparently they wanted to rub a little more salt in the wounds. 

“_Some of the bundled MSD/NEB-2 charts that were included with plotters from Lowrance were able to be updated once, to address an issue with Lake Champlain only. That update was only available for a brief time, which was probably the time you were able to perform the update. There are no other areas covered on that chart to which there were updates. The chart does not have the capability to be updated beyond that, as it is a specialty product not designed with that capability._”

Now, is it just me or does there seem to be some conflicting statements here? A specialty product not designed to receive updates, but can in fact receive them when Navionics feels like it? The content is controlled by Lowrance, but Navionics can update it after all? I am (or at least was) pretty much over the fact that I bought a Gold Nav chip that isn’t really what it was advertised to be, but it still seems like Navionics is just giving us the run-around.


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## loud_by_design (Mar 21, 2013)

turns out mine shipped to the store july 4th and was waiting for me there but no one at west marine thought it would be a good idea to call me. I haven't gotten it on the boat yet but is the only problem your having with the chip that you wont be able to update it or is it not working


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## Dillusion (May 21, 2012)

> > ...They claim lowrance has control of what is on these chips and that lowrance is just using "some of" navionics gold data to populate the chips.  Bottom line is they are not updatable.
> 
> 
> So today, out of the blue, after almost two weeks had passed since I’d last been in touch with Navionics about the chip update issue I was having, I got an unexpected email from them. I thought the matter was done with, but apparently they wanted to rub a little more salt in the wounds.
> ...


You got a $300 nav unit with a free chip, not a $200 chip and $100 nav unit. The bundled chip is a specialty item and is not required by navionics to be allowed to be updated.

Can the chip be updated? Of course it can. It's being blocked by their software everytime the card checks the navionics servers, the server says 'NOPE! this was a free card bundle, not a fully paid for seperate chip, sorry!"

My Garmin Oregon400c came with buncled coastal charts too isntalled on the GPS's memory. It too can't be updated besides what it came with in 2010. 

If I was running their business, I would do the same thing.

Edit to add: I'm not meaning to chastise you or rub 'more salt' in, I'm simply siding with navionics since there's so much disdain for them in this thread due to this issue.


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## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

Thanks for the useless insight Matty.  : Difference is, your Garmin charts aren't a separate add-on chip like ours, and no where on the Lowrance packaging or even in the included documentation does it say that the chip is any different than the stand-alone Gold chips. It just says it includes the Navionics Gold chip.

Like I said in my earlier post, if you bothered to read it, the chip updated once, showed me lots of other download options and said I had 364 more days of updates, then it didn't. That's what started this whole thing. 

_Just saw your edit - This isn't my first go around with Navionics. They are one of, if not the worst companies to deal with in my opinion. Side with them all you want, I still disagree._


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## Bob_Rogers (Oct 14, 2009)

Where are you reading that the Elite 5 DSI Gold (or any of the Elite series Gold bundles) comes with a Navionics Gold card? From my reading of the adverts, the Elite 5 DSI Gold is bundled with a special Navionics card, not a Navionics Gold card. Big difference, as you've discovered.


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## suhmoszetaetatheta (Jun 23, 2013)

> Where are you reading that the Elite 5 DSI Gold (or any of the Elite series Gold bundles) comes with a Navionics Gold card?  From my reading of the adverts, the Elite 5 DSI Gold  is bundled with a special Navionics card, not a Navionics Gold card. Big difference, as you've discovered.


I read the same thing, but Lowrance knew that folks would read as gold card---marketing ploy for sure.


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## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

Look at the ad from West Marine, which is where we all got these. Yes, in the description it does use the words "custom" and "special-issue" but it also clearly states Navionics Gold microSD in two places. 

A simple little disclaimer "*" explaining the chip limitations would go a long way, don't ya think?

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...0001&storeId=11151&productId=750070&langId=-1

There's also a gold-colored sticker on the Lowrance box itself, that says it includes the Navionics Gold chip. I could snap a pic of it later if necessary.


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## Bob_Rogers (Oct 14, 2009)

O I quite agree, the $299 offer was a slick little piece of advert - it got me checking on the Elite Golds. A bit of browsing on THT confirmed that the Navionics custom chip for the "Gold" packages was not the same as the Navionics Gold chip. The Navionics Gold chip shows more detail and depth contours, the "Gold" package chip does not show depth contours. Caveat Emptor.


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