Lowrance Elite 4 HDI Install

[Grilled]

I just finished installing my new Lowrance Elite 4 HDI. I wanted the HDS because I like the idea of having DSI, regular sonar and GPS all on one unit. The screen is actually taller than the older elite 4 models. For anyone that is planning on buying the he HDI units, these units have two cables with a total of three wires. There is one cable for power and another cable for the transducer. The ends of these cables are 3 times the size of the regular dsi units. The one problem I ran into was that the combination of all three wires was way to big for the hobie through hull insert. After some squirming I realized that the only solution was to add another through-hull fitting and put one cable-end through each of them.

[Runnin]

Nice. I'm working on installing an Elite 4 on my Skimmer. I'm using the Tallon Elite Mount . I'll post pics when I get it done. Drilled a bunch of big holes in my boat last night. Feels creepy but no worries, it's going well.

[FRED driver]

the HDI is such a sick unit for the price. unfortunately draws 3x the power that the Elite 4 does. more pixels, DSI is money as well as the GPS. As you mention the huge gauge wires are a hassle.

[Reelaxin10]

Looks good Mike. I've had the Elite 4x dsi for a year now and really like it. I do wish I had the gps feature though so that will be next on the list to upgrade. One question: is that two batteries in your picture or what is the setup with the one short wire running from the black to red male prongs?

[daddyg]

the HDI is such a sick unit for the price. unfortunately draws 3x the power that the Elite 4 does. more pixels, DSI is money as well as the GPS. As you mention the huge gauge wires are a hassle.

If you need to run another battery just let me know. Your set up looks nice.

[Grilled]

^ thanks. thats the battery you gave me last year at CBKA

[Grilled]

Looks good Mike. I've had the Elite 4x dsi for a year now and really like it. I do wish I had the gps feature though so that will be next on the list to upgrade. One question: is that two batteries in your picture or what is the setup with the one short wire running from the black to red male prongs?

they are two 6v batteries connected in series giving me 12v.

[Shady]

Sorry to revive a somewhat old thread, but how many amp hours is that battery setup giving you? I just upgraded (thanks to BassPro gear guard) to that same unit after my Elite 4x died at Jay Bay. The 12v 5ah battery that was powering my old unit for an entire day plus seems to be only giving me 2-3 hours with the Elite 4 HDI...

[Cowpokey]

Your battery might be loosing the fight. I've got a 7 amp hour battery and it has run for 14 hours between charges, not sure how much longer it would have gone it wasn't dead yet.

[Cowpokey]

Where did you get the screen cover?

[J.A. Veil]

Sorry to revive a somewhat old thread, but how many amp hours is that battery setup giving you? I just upgraded (thanks to BassPro gear guard) to that same unit after my Elite 4x died at Jay Bay. The 12v 5ah battery that was powering my old unit for an entire day plus seems to be only giving me 2-3 hours with the Elite 4 HDI...

Ryan -

I used a 5 amp-hr battery with my old black and white FF -- it worked fine. After I upgraded to a color FF/GPS, the 5 amp-hr battery did not provide enough power to last 4-5 hours. I upgraded to a 7 amp-hr battery which worked fine initially. After 6 months, it would not charge up to full capacity. I am running a 12 amp-hr battery now -- it has plenty of juice but is noticeably heavier. The color units and those with multiple capabilities tend to draw more power.