Lowrance recently expanded its HDS Gen2 range, with the new wide-format, touchscreen HDS Gen2 Touch. Gen2 Touch models incorporate new easier-to-use, wide touchscreens in 7-, 9- and 12-inch sizes. The new Lowrance lineup — an addition to the current HDS Gen2 series — also features Broadband Sounder and StructureScan HD fish-finding technology.
The Lowrance HDS Gen2 Touchscreen incorporates chartplotting capabilities and integration of Lowrance’s range of products including Broadband Radar, SonicHub marine audio server and LWX-1 Sirius satellite weather/radio receiver.
“The new HDS Gen2 Touch combines all the superior fishfinding and navigational technologies Lowrance customers love, in a sleek easier-to-use touchscreen multifunction system that includes our largest display ever, the new 12-inch HDS-12 Gen2 Touch,” said Louis Chemi, chief operating officer, Navico Americas. “The revolutionary integration capabilities of the Gen2 Touch paired with built-in Broadband Sounder and StructureScan HD help our customers get the most from each on-the-water experience.”
Touchscreen Control
HDS Gen2 Touch models provide the flexibility to customize and configure personal screen views with up to four panels at once, and have the added advantage of a new three-panel, vertical-page view. Touchscreen operation makes panning and zooming fast, responsive, and most of all, easy to learn with its intuitive icon-driven menu.
Fishfinding Technology
HDS Gen2 Touch fishfinder models feature a built-in Broadband Sounder and StructureScan HD. SideScan and true DownScan Imaging sonar signals offer full panoramic displays for picture-like views of underwater structure to the left, right and directly beneath a boat. The systems also feature Lowrance’s TrackBack functionality, allowing anglers to scroll-back through recorded sonar history to review and zoom-in for a closer look at bottom structure or fish targets, and pinpoint locations with a waypoint. The HDS Gen2 Touch continues recording through the use of TrackBack to ensure valuable readings are not lost.
All HDS Gen2 Touch fishfinder models are available with a 50/200 kHz Skimmer transducer for deep-water, coastal and Great Lakes applications, or a 83/200 kHz Skimmer option for inland fishing. The units are also compatible with Airmar in-hull or thru-hull transducers for up to 1 kW operation.
Navigation
HDS Gen2 Touch displays feature an internal 1 Hz GPS antenna with an external 5 Hz GPS antenna option, and are pre-loaded with Insight USA inland and coastal cartography.
All models include a standard SD card slot and are compatible with Lowrance Insight HD chart cards; Navionics Platinum+, HotMaps Premium and HotMaps Platinum with Freshest Data; and Fishing Hot Spots Pro. The displays provide an option to simultaneously view Lowrance and Navionics mapping data.
Now with a new 3D perspective view for built-in Insight USA, and optional Insight HD and Fishing Hot Spots Pro cards, the Gen2 Touch allows control of the viewing and rotation angle for customized views of a boat’s position and surrounding landmarks. Navionics Platinum+ and Hotmaps Platinum are viewable in 3D perspective, as well.
Also compatible with 3D perspective, a StructureMap display feature allows users to scan and overlay underwater StructureScan HD images directly on a chart in real-time — or create saved StructureMap views of their favorite boating, fishing or diving areas to display on or off the water — without the aid of a computer.
In addition, HDS Gen2 Touch works with Lowrance’s new Insight Genesis — a web-based application feature (scheduled for November 2012 release) that allows users to generate their own personal high-definition bathymetric contour maps from sonar log recordings.
Networking and Integration
NMEA 2000, NMEA 0183 and Ethernet compatible, the HDS Gen2 Touch series allows multiple displays to be networked and share all data. The 9- and 12-inch Touch models feature dual Ethernet ports for greater expansion options without the additional cost of a separate network-hub. They also feature two SD card slots, plus a video input for underwater or onboard cameras.
The Lowrance HDS-7 and HDS-9 Gen2 Touch are available from Lowrance dealers starting at $1,299. For more info, visit www.lowrance.com.
