Used Lakemaster chip from my old Elite in the new Elite, it would power up and then lock. No response to any keystrokes, couldn't even shut it off. Took the unit and chip to the experts at Reeds in Walker, they tried the chip in two units, one the exact same as my Elite, both worked fine. He tried the chip in my new Elite, it locked up. He said he has no explanation. However, the chip is not needed as the new Elite has lake contours already in it.The unit worked fine for me but there are several settings I want to change when I figure out how.

5 stars for Lowrance and 1 for Cabela’s

This is a review for Lowrance’s customer service!!So within 4 months of me receiving the Lowrance hook reveal 7 from Cabela’s Canada the mount chipped away and broke off on both sides and the fish finder unit its self developed a crack somehow at the mounting point. Well I contacted Lowrance. They told me to give them serial number, date of purchase and place of purchase and they would see what they could do. So the next day they messaged me and told me that the warranty with a Lowrance product that is sold through Cabela’s is handled by Cabela’s and see what they say first and then to get ahold of Lowrance to let them know what they can do. So Cabela’s basically told me that after 90 days they won’t do anything. So I got ahold of Lowrance again and they told me ... MoreThis is a review for Lowrance’s customer service!!So within 4 months of me receiving the Lowrance hook reveal 7 from Cabela’s Canada the mount chipped away and broke off on both sides and the fish finder unit its self developed a crack somehow at the mounting point. Well I contacted Lowrance. They told me to give them serial number, date of purchase and place of purchase and they would see what they could do. So the next day they messaged me and told me that the warranty with a Lowrance product that is sold through Cabela’s is handled by Cabela’s and see what they say first and then to get ahold of Lowrance to let them know what they can do. So Cabela’s basically told me that after 90 days they won’t do anything. So I got ahold of Lowrance again and they told me to give them a bit to see what could be done dealing with their local distributor. The next day they told me to ship both parts to them at my cost (55$ with tax and insurance) and they would see what they could do. So LOWRANCE received the unit and mount 3 days later. They then sent me a message that they had received o the damaged units and replaced those damaged units and have mailed me a new unit and mount. Well 2 days later it arrived and the company was good enough to send me an entirely new unit with all the parts. So not only did they replace the damaged parts but they also gave me a new transducer, screws, transducer mount and electrical wiring as well. So even though I didn’t purchase this particular unit I just thought I’d let folks know that LOWRANCE is a respectable company with great customer service. Thanks to Steve (Lowrance Customer Service centre) again for all your assistance!

Complicated, but works great so far.

Quite complex. Came with graphs off as a default. Needed to figure out how to turn them on to get images working. GPS seems accurate. It helps to change the icon to a boat on the chart screen to know where u are on the water. Still learning a lot. Thank gosh for U Tube. It was easy to mount the transducer to my troller using the transom mount bracket by just bending it a bit and running a hose clamp through the screw slots. It works great. Don't need to buy a special attachment.

Excellent

I had the HD 5 but it died on me so I replaced with Elite7 and couldnMy HD5 died on me so I replaced with the Elite7 and couldn't be happier. Take time to read the manual and watch the videos and you'll have no issues. If you are not able to see it in the sun you did something wrong with the contrast/brightness. You also need to look at it straight on if you have polarized sunglasses on because that's an issue with polarized glasses and any electrical screen (phone screen). I purchased a second one for my trolling motor and love it. This isn't a plug and play mouse people. Take 15 minutes to understand the features of this advance electronic device. If not, why are you even looking at it. Oh and sitting in the driveway you can connect to your Wi-Fi and update the ... MoreI had the HD 5 but it died on me so I replaced with Elite7 and couldnMy HD5 died on me so I replaced with the Elite7 and couldn't be happier. Take time to read the manual and watch the videos and you'll have no issues. If you are not able to see it in the sun you did something wrong with the contrast/brightness. You also need to look at it straight on if you have polarized sunglasses on because that's an issue with polarized glasses and any electrical screen (phone screen). I purchased a second one for my trolling motor and love it. This isn't a plug and play mouse people. Take 15 minutes to understand the features of this advance electronic device. If not, why are you even looking at it. Oh and sitting in the driveway you can connect to your Wi-Fi and update the system and get more map data.

Good Warranty

I recently had a warranty issue with my Elite Ti2. I called Lowrance and got a very nice person on the phone. We talked about the issues the unit was having and it was determined that I needed to return the unit to be tested. I tracked the shipment, and the day it was received they tested it found it was bad and sent a new unit the same day. What else can you ask for? I have read a lot of nasty reviews and comments about Lowrance having bad customer service. My personal experience has been has been great. I have owned Lowrance products for over 30 years. They have addressed every problem I've had over the years. I think some of the people that write nasty comments were probably just as nasty when they called Lowrance to begin with. Be nice and work with the ... MoreI recently had a warranty issue with my Elite Ti2. I called Lowrance and got a very nice person on the phone. We talked about the issues the unit was having and it was determined that I needed to return the unit to be tested. I tracked the shipment, and the day it was received they tested it found it was bad and sent a new unit the same day. What else can you ask for? I have read a lot of nasty reviews and comments about Lowrance having bad customer service. My personal experience has been has been great. I have owned Lowrance products for over 30 years. They have addressed every problem I've had over the years. I think some of the people that write nasty comments were probably just as nasty when they called Lowrance to begin with. Be nice and work with the technician and they will take care of you. It's always worked for me.

Good gps/sonar

Great unit. The screen viewing angle was a big improvement from my old unit. The negatives was the confusing setup and attempts to link with Vessel View mobile. The Cabelas expert i called before buying said it was compatable. Its not.

Great Device

As far as Cabelas goes, from inventory, to help in-store, to subsequent online order fulfillment, everything was great. The Elite FS7 is working nicely after the initial setup struggle explained below. Expect to drill a 1” hole through the back of your boat for the transducer, unless you plan to drape the cable over the edge of the boat. They don’t mention that hole anywhere so be prepared to have some way, preferably with some sort of grommet or something, plus sealant, to seal that penetration. You’ll also need stainless steel screws and cable clips to secure the cable on the transom from the transducer up to (as high as possible above the waterline) the 1” hole.The manual for this is literally 3/4” thick so expect a learning curve. Here’s the biggest point of ... MoreAs far as Cabelas goes, from inventory, to help in-store, to subsequent online order fulfillment, everything was great. The Elite FS7 is working nicely after the initial setup struggle explained below. Expect to drill a 1” hole through the back of your boat for the transducer, unless you plan to drape the cable over the edge of the boat. They don’t mention that hole anywhere so be prepared to have some way, preferably with some sort of grommet or something, plus sealant, to seal that penetration. You’ll also need stainless steel screws and cable clips to secure the cable on the transom from the transducer up to (as high as possible above the waterline) the 1” hole.The manual for this is literally 3/4” thick so expect a learning curve. Here’s the biggest point of advice, and you would think that with all the booklets, manuals and addendums they would tell you this up front… I struggled to get readouts on the sonar, downscan and sidescan “panels”, as they call them. The charts panel worked fine. I finally ended up calling tech support. I would never have thought that these three major features you buy this thing for are turned off when you start it up. What??? Yup. You have to go into the settings for each of these panels individually, under “more options”, and turn them on. Then I still was directed to do a soft reset (neither that process or a hard reset, to my knowledge, not explained anywhere in the manual) to get the sonar panel to work. It was all pretty ridiculous and avoidable if they simply threw in one more tidbit of information in the pile of paper explaining that turning those on was necessary. Beyond that it’s reading, using, reading, using…. I do love it. More features than you’ll ever use!!

This is the least part of the expense

I bought this based on an in store demonstration where the fellow showed me active imaging. I was initially looking for a Ti2 7" to mount to my bow to match the Elite Ti2 12" on my console but they didn't have any. So this is what I bought based on the guy saying words to the effect of "This is what you can do with it" and showed me a demonstration of the live imaging. What he failed to say, or if he did say it, it was not clear, that I would need double the cost of the unit to buy the Lowrance ActiveTarget Live Sonar at an additional $1499.00 plus tax. Lowrance owns some of this too, they use very techie descriptive but non-committed words to imply that the unit comes with everything you need but fails to state clearly that it you want the active imaging, whip out ... MoreI bought this based on an in store demonstration where the fellow showed me active imaging. I was initially looking for a Ti2 7" to mount to my bow to match the Elite Ti2 12" on my console but they didn't have any. So this is what I bought based on the guy saying words to the effect of "This is what you can do with it" and showed me a demonstration of the live imaging. What he failed to say, or if he did say it, it was not clear, that I would need double the cost of the unit to buy the Lowrance ActiveTarget Live Sonar at an additional $1499.00 plus tax. Lowrance owns some of this too, they use very techie descriptive but non-committed words to imply that the unit comes with everything you need but fails to state clearly that it you want the active imaging, whip out your wallet again. So the reality is that I now use it with pretty much the same features as my Elite Ti2 12" at a slightly higher price than I would have paid for a Elite Ti2 7" but no active imaging, thus the 3 stars. But In my mind, the way this is described by both Lowrance and BPS it was all deceptive. Perhaps it just the way of the world today but I expected more.

Waiting to install

I have the Elite FS 9 installed on my trolling motor and like it. In my dash is a small Hook graft and a few months ago the transducer got broken from the boat. Been wanting a good 7 inch graft in the dash and decided to get the Elite FS 7 to install in the dash as I am familiar with the display adjustment on the 9 inch. Now it's just a matter of doing the install if this on and off rain will stop as my boat sits outside covered and I hate starting and stopping when doing something. Looking forward to having a clearer graft at the helm for sidescan while idling around.

Waste of money. Regret buying this product.

Bought the FS7 2 years ago. After only 1 year, the screen died (had lines running across it and was totally unreadable). Went to Bass Pro Shops (where I bought it and who has great customer service) and they told me I had to connect with Lowrance. Ended up having to ship the unit to Lowrance for repair. Rather than repair, they sent me a new unit. I appreciated this aspect of their customer service. One year later and the unit is not working again. After turning it on, the unit automatically goes to sonar mode. When you press the menu button to get to the screen to select sidescan, instruments, graph/lake map, etc., nothing happens. Can't get to the main menu. If you continue to press the menu button, the entire unit shuts off. Total waste of money. If I could give ... MoreBought the FS7 2 years ago. After only 1 year, the screen died (had lines running across it and was totally unreadable). Went to Bass Pro Shops (where I bought it and who has great customer service) and they told me I had to connect with Lowrance. Ended up having to ship the unit to Lowrance for repair. Rather than repair, they sent me a new unit. I appreciated this aspect of their customer service. One year later and the unit is not working again. After turning it on, the unit automatically goes to sonar mode. When you press the menu button to get to the screen to select sidescan, instruments, graph/lake map, etc., nothing happens. Can't get to the main menu. If you continue to press the menu button, the entire unit shuts off. Total waste of money. If I could give zero stars I would. I called Lowrance customer service. When I called, the recording said, "Your position in the queue is 28." After 47 minutes (I'm still on hold), I'm now number 15 in the queue. At this rate I will waste over 2 hours on hold. Can only imagine how many people must have problems with their products.