Pros
- The portable sounder is small. The underside cover is soft and has a carabiner, both of which are useful for ice fishing in the winter. The app's implementation on mobile devices is cutting edge. There is software available, therefore there's no need to eat the firmware. In other words, by investing in a product now, you secure the right to upgrade your processors in the future at the expense of your mobile app. I took it out for a test run on the water and it passed with flying colors (paying customer, a plethora of fish, depths of up to five meters). Fascinating and entertaining to see.
Cons
- Not all of these met my high standards: The battery inside the deeper only supports 300 charge/discharge cycles, I learned after making the purchase. Given the rather high discharge rate, this is roughly equivalent to 300 outings with an echo sounder. Oddly, spending $20,000 on an echo sounder for 300 fishing outings. I'm crossing my fingers that 300 is the bare minimum the maker promises, and that, with proper care, the device will endure for many more years than that. The out-of-warranty deeper service is mentioned in the handbook as an option for replacing an old battery at your own expense, but I was unable to locate this service or its contacts in 2022 (maybe I was searching in the wrong places). Even though I have reason to believe the rubber gasket will keep everything as tight as possible, my concerns remain. The manual specifically states that the echo sounder should not be used in temperatures below freezing because doing so could be fatal. Still, the claimed range of -20 to +50 is good; although, I'd like that it go as low as -30, but we shall see.
