Lowrance 67c ice machine questions

[Kodiak]

I have some questions on the new lowrance 67c ice machine. I have a fl-8 genz right now that i am happy with but would not mind trying out that new lowrance. Has anyone used one or heard anything about them? can you use one next to another vexilar (in the same shack) without problems? tell me what you know before i go buy one and maybe make a mistake???

thanks,

Jason

[Northlander]

Most guys I know that had them for icefishing brought them back and went to a Vex or Marcum. Your graph is fine but if your looking at going new I recomend the Marcum LX-2 or LX-3.

If your looking at maybe putting it on your boat the Lowrance is a good way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. A few guys I know run them on the bow of their boats in the summer. I still like a good flasher in the winter. Of course the Lowrance has the flasher mode. The lowrance will slow down when its cold outside. In a house it should be fine and if it slows down put it up on a bucket in the house.

If I were buying a new flasher it would be the new LX-3 with the true color. Very bright and crisp display and more power and bottom seperation than the Vex. Plus you can zoom in anyplace in the water column.

[markkstanley]

I use a x67c and have had no problems with interference around Vexs or Marcums. The flasher screen has been just as realtime as the FL18 and with more colors I have found I am able to "see" things a little better. I also use the unit a lot in the regular graph mode something you can't do with a flasher. Kind of cool to have the history visible on the screen. The unit is my bow mount graph during open water. Some question has been raised about performance in -20 weather but I haven't had any problems to date and I've been out in some nasty temps. It's a good all around versatile unit.

[blacksheep]

i use the m68c, and i also have a new vex fl-8. after using my m68c all year last year these are my thoughts.

Quote:

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The lowrance will slow down when its cold outside.

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that is not true, it has never slowed or anything like that for myself. i think you may be thinking that because lcd's slow when cold it is not an lcd. it is TFT. and for the record the m68c still has the BEST seperation of any ice unit on the market at a 1/2".

i will admit it did take a while for me to get used to the lowrance but so did the vex when i first got one. if you are looking for a round rotating flasher type unit i would not go with the lowrance. i used it and did not care much for it as a flasher, but then started to use the graph mode. i use the graph mode all the time now and it is great, i can tell which fish are bigger and where fish are in terms of distance from the center of the cone, much better than that of a rotating two or three color unit imo.

as far as interferance - fishing in another house next to a vex, no problem. fishing next to 4 other vex's and everyone is pushing the int button's, it will not cancel that out, but niether will any other unit. i haven't ran next to any marcums though so i don't know what that is like.

[862]

I have had the x67c for 2 years now and no complaints from me. I use it all summer on the boat and in the house in the winter. Have also fished with vex in the house a few feet away and works just fine. The colors are very easy to read.

[glendam]

I have the m68c and couldnt be happier. Two thumbs up!

[HuskersRule]

I like my 67c. I use it on my boat and on the ice.

[Kodiak]

keep em coming good and bad...thanks for the help so far...i am on the fence, would it be worth it ditching my fl8 for one?

[Northlander]

Blacksheep I have seen the Lowrance slow down when cold. It is true. Maybe they did some improving this year but I dont think so. Like I said when in a icehouse odds are it will never get that cold but out in the open it can.

Lowrance makes great products. I love all my Lowrance graphs on my boat and Lowrance service has been great. Im just not a believer that this machine is any better than a good flasher. IMO thats all.

[Quickstrike]

bought one this winter and have already returned it. it worked fine when i was fishing alone in a heated shack.....but that was about it. jumped in a buddy's shack who has a vex and my screen lit up with interference. the computer also crashed that day and i was stuck on the ice all day without a flasher. Another downside is the transducer arm is very poorly designed, it is sometimes hard to get the transducer to shoot straight down the hole and the arm feels weak and unstable, the wire bracked going down the hole also gets in the way more then other ducers. It defenetly has a lot of nice features and i am sure that is a great open water unit, but for ice fishing i returned it and got a lx2 and could not be happier. good luck with whatever unit you choose!!!

[crappace]

I just purchased the kit to turn my 332c into an ice unit. The arm for the ducer seems cumbersome to me as well. Has anyone used a float instead??

Also, the battery is placed on its side with the terminals pointed to the rear of the unit. Having the ultra pack for my vex has spoiled me when charging it. Has anyone rigged something up making reaching battery for charging easier?? Leads to hook onto or something?

[HateHumminbird]

I would second Northlanders comments. Although I have no experience with them myself, from page 4 of the M68 product manual, and I do quote:

Quote:

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NOTICE!

The storage and operation temperature range for your unit is from

-4 degrees to +167 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees to +75 degrees

Celsius). Extended storage or operation in temperatures higher or

lower than specified will damage the liquid crystal display in your

unit. This type of damage is not covered by the warranty. For more

information, contact the factory's Customer Service Department;

phone numbers are listed on the last page.

---

Granted, for most situations this isn't a problem when in a heated shack. However, last winter alone i was out 3-4 times when the temps hovered around -5.

Joel

[King-fish]

To whom it may concern: I consider myself somewhat of a guru when it comes to Lowrance's on the ice. Generally speaking I have witnessed some slow down with graph's in cold weather, it is due to low voltage and a cold battery. (cures) Handwarmers, keeping the bat. warm, and of course keeping a full charge. I've witnessed frosty, iced up screens perform outstanding with warmed up bats. (TFT) Thin Film Transistor screens r not (LCD)liguid crystal screens of old. Take advantage of Scrolling screens with "memory" which will help u to interact with a fish more frequently, fine tune presentations and replicate actions easily with a reference to what has previously happened.

"Technology"

[King-fish]

Why use an arm, why use a float? drape it down the side of the hole less interference when pulling a fish up! just make sure that trans. is picking up ur lure.

[markkstanley]

I'm like Kingfish most of the time. Just throw it down the hole. If you really want a float by a Vexilar replacement float (thorne Bros.) Carry a clothespin or two to use as a stop. I did that for awhile but switched to just dropping in it. I check how much cable I need to get to the bottom of the hole and run it thru the unit's transducer arm but I don't have the arm out over the hole. That arm design is by far the weakest design I have ever seen.

[Kodiak]

i guess the only thing i dont have a clear answer and is keeping me from purchasing one of these is the.

Interference issue....can you, or can you not run this thing near vexilars or marcums efficiantly without a ton of interference.

So is it a problem or is it not, i have heard from it is wayyy bad and then not a problem at all. Is that due to the adjustable tranducer, i read you can adjust it to 60degrees, now i can see that can be an issue with interference if you have it covering 60degrees, arent vex's like 9degrees of coverage?

thanks,

Jason

[augernaut]

I'm not trying to hijack the thread - but I really can't understand the use of the Lowrance in graph mode on the ice. I have a history built into my head of my jigging motion and what triggered the last fish - much more accurate than looking at a display screen when you are talking about the micro movements that trigger fish. When I look at my LX-3 - the entire dial is what is currently happening. Looking at a graph style display shows me what is currently happening as literally a vertical line on the right side of the display. The history, is well, history. If a fish swims through at 50mph, I don't care if I can see it for 30 seconds afterward - IT'S GONE!! To me, a flasher style display is so much more representative as to what is actually happening. Of course, that's my opinion :-) I will say I have not fished with a X-67, but I have a friend who bought one - I'm looking forward to seeing/trying it out.

[King-fish]

Kodiak, Interference is an issue with all machines sending out frequencies. Adjustments with Lowrances can be done in 2 ways. First, there is a noise rejection screen giving u 3 options. Second, ping speed. adjusting ping speed helps in a couple ways. 1st, it sets u up sounding at a different rate then the ordinary ping, ping, ping. U can adjust it to a ping-ping-ping, or a ping...ping...ping. These adjustments also help when in heavily pressured areas.

"Technology"

[King-fish]

Kodiak, Interference is an issue with all machines sending out frequencies. Adjustments with Lowrances can be done in 2 ways. First, there is a noise rejection screen giving u 3 options. Second, ping speed. adjusting ping speed helps in a couple ways. 1st, it sets u up sounding at a different rate then the ordinary ping, ping, ping. U can adjust it to a ping..ping..ping, or a ping...ping...ping. These adjustments also help when in heavily pressured areas.

"Technology"

[markkstanley]

Are you planning on fishing a lot in the same house with other units?? All flashers/graphs are subject to interference in that situation. You just need to adjust your unit. Transducer cone angle is 12 degrees on the x67 with the ice transducer and you can't adjust that without getting a different transducer FYI. You might need to adjust ping speed and/or gain. I haven't had to and I fished a couple of times with a FL18 in the same house. Haven't fished with a Marcum in the same house yet. This isn't going to be a slam dunk choice. My finalists were the MArcum LX3 and the x67. Opted for the x67 for the ability to use the graph mode, more colors and more open water flexibility. If you aren't concerned about open water use the LX2 or 3 is a great unit. Some guys like Ford others like Chevy.

[Kodiak]

and i like nissan and my vex,,,but this lowrance intrigues me bigtime, it looks like a nice unit. yeah my brother has a vex and we both use them at the same time everytime we are out.

[trapperdirk]

Well I'm a Marcum LX-3 owner and have no intention of changing other than to add an LX-5 but I did have numerous opurtunities to fish beside and with a few of my friends X67c icemachines and in all truth they were a tidy unit that performed well even at -20 F temps and and never saw any problem with them in the cold . Mind you we keep our batteries topped up always but even at the end of a long day the X67C performed well . BUT the X67c suffered from interference issues with my Marcum around where my Marcum didn't even know there was another sonar around . This interference issue is and would be my main concern before purchasing one but the x67c or x68c for being a single unit has its pluses and will suit many just fine . We also found that it had interference from an FL-18 and yes we changed ping speeds etc but regardless it still showed interference and if the vex and marcum were both on and in range of the x67c it became frustrating to operate .

TD

[Kodiak]

looks like i might just be keeping my trusty fl8se.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

last year i had issues with mine (67c) around a marcum and FL18, and this summer my unit craped out on me, (i fried it or somethng) so i sent it back, and lowrance sent out a new one to me. was out last weekend and was right next to an old school FL5 and near by (no more than 50 ft) was at least 3 marcum units. NOT ONE PROBLEM AT ALL!! my interference regection was only set to medium too. i think there may be a few bad machines running loose out there(they probably were built on a monday or friday) but over all they are the Shizznit! go buy one! of course no one is going to promote them too heavily on this site. what is the first thing you see when you log on to FM, a huge ad for Marcum. all the units on the market are great. but there are so many options on the lowrance units and i think having the graph mode is much better than a flasher. IMO! plus you can use the graph in the summer, and you can easily get a set up to make it a very lightweight portable unit. great for the BWCA trips! i dont think you will be dissapointed if you buy one, and if you are, simply return it and buy something different.

[Swimmer]

Diito on what Bruledrifter said. I received some good advice from federline on another post. He is an IT guy and sent his unit in to the Lowrance Tulsa shop to get the latest software and tweeks. So, I did the same since I had some very minor interference issues last winter (the tweeking is free, but my machine better get back here this week!). The Ice-machine is great, especially with the graph mode and all the crap you can fiddle around with. In graph mode I could see perch seperate from the bottom when you couldn't see this on my buddies flasher.

[SCONASOTAN]

I bought an x67c last year and brought it up to WInni with an annual fishing trip with 3 other buddies who use vexes. We started fishing in a warm permanent and I got nothing but interference. I asked the other guys to turn their's off and it worked. I then took it outside to drill holes and check depths and do some portable fishing. It absolutely slowed down and stopped completely at times. If you fish in a warm house with no other electronics you are fine especially if you use it on your boat in the open water season too. Oh ya if you want to do all the other adjustments, that these other guys said to get it to work in every other kind of fishing environment, then this is the one for you. For me it was an absolute piece of s---. I returned it for a FL-18. To me its a no brainer the FL-18, Fl-8, LX-3, and LX-5 are far better machines. my 2 cents

[King-fish]

Auger, u do understand what a pixel is? My units detect minnows dancing, a horizontal-vertical difference in maggots, buzz stix movements in the tiniest jigs, and when ur fishing without bait. Have u ever needed to tie a line? What r u looking at? Have u ever seen a fish slightly break the bottom and disappear? While ur tying a line? That memory helps u to pick up on that when ur having to do something. Go ahead, glue urself to a screen and fish without bait.

"O" Technology?

[slick814]

I LOVE THIS THING!!!

I've got an M68C. NEVER a problem with interference, if you get some, then tweak the ping speed & sensitivity. It'll go away.

I used it last winter at around -15, had noo problems with the screen freezing up or anything like that. Just make sure that the battery is charged, and it'll work great for you.

I also like the "extras" on the flasher portion of the unit. The ability to change colors, the split screen, the different backgrounds, it just has more choices than a regular flasher that, in my opinion, make it better and easier to use.

The sonar is awesome, and my kids like the "fish with numbers thing", as they like to call it. (You can set the sonar to show a fish-looking icon with the fish's depth above it. Fun toy, if not a good tool at times)

I also used it this past summer in the bow of my boat. My only problem was getting the transducer set-up on the trolling motor (OLD Minn-kota, the fin is in a bad spot to add a high-speed transducer) to show the whole fish arch. Once I got it right, it was awesome there too!

My ONLY, and I stress ONLY complaint on this unit is the GPS maps.. no depth contours... water is basically a blue patch on the screen...

I'd say go for it.. best bang for your buck, IMHO.

SWIMMER - what exactly does Lowrance do for updates? If it's a GPS update, that'd be AWESOME!!!!!!

[castindad]

mark stanley or any help avaliable. i have a lowrance 67c on my pontoon for summer use. befor i tear it out what is needed to run it in the winter. how muc $ are we talking to compare to a vex for instance ? thanks castindad!!!!!!!!!!

[slick814]

If you got the ice transducer, all I'd think you'd need would ba a 12V battery and a place to put the darn thing. I know that mine came in a carrying bag, with a mounting tray that has a spot for the battery. What all do you have for your unit, and maybe I could help you with better info.?

[augernaut]

Quote:

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Auger, u do understand what a pixel is? My units detect minnows dancing, a horizontal-vertical difference in maggots, buzz stix movements in the tiniest jigs, and when ur fishing without bait. Have u ever needed to tie a line? What r u looking at? Have u ever seen a fish slightly break the bottom and disappear? While ur tying a line? That memory helps u to pick up on that when ur having to do something. Go ahead, glue urself to a screen and fish without bait.

"O" Technology?

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Wow, I seemed to have struck a nerve... Chill out there buddy :-)