Electronics. Too many choices

[Todd j]

The best I’ve done so far is choose garmin.  I’ve been using lowrance hds stuff.  I want a local dealer/installer.  It happens that the shop where I bought the Suzukis is my garmin dealer. 
  So far I have the garmin autopilot for the main.  I think I’ve settled on the 1242 for a finder/plotter.  I will view the radar there as well.  I’m considering an iPad as a second screen to move about the boat as needed. 
  Does anyone have recommendations for a radome and transducer.  I’m getting crazy looking at all this stuff

[Grady300]

The best I’ve done so far is choose garmin.  I’ve been using lowrance hds stuff.  I want a local dealer/installer.  It happens that the shop where I bought the Suzukis is my garmin dealer. 
  So far I have the garmin autopilot for the main.  I think I’ve settled on the 1242 for a finder/plotter.  I will view the radar there as well.  I’m considering an iPad as a second screen to move about the boat as needed. 
  Does anyone have recommendations for a radome and transducer.  I’m getting crazy looking at all this stuff

I'm going with the same Garmin 1242, I got the Fantom radar dome

[Todd j]

Did you find a package?  Or source separately.  Is there a model number for the radome you could share?   What if anything are you doing for a transducer?

[json]

I went with the garmin 1243xsv, with an airmar 1k watt b175hw through hull transducer. I considered the 8616xsv but decided for now that I am happy only running the single transducer and 12" is enough screen for me. I am going to add radar and expand the system as I go once the boat is in the water, and it seems like that's easy with the garmin networking protocols. I am tempted to get a sidevu transducer to play with that some but for now I think that is going to be on hold. My 1243xsv also came with a rebate and free bluechart and lakev maps (I think a july promo or something).

[Todd j]

Thanks I’ll check it out

[barrelroll]

I went with a GMR 18 xHD radar, BOE recommended it over the 18+ for a semi budget radar. I bought a 743XSV and I'm thinking the screen is way too small so we will probably be piggybacking with an I pad or end up with a second screen. I believe it was BOE that said I needed a 24XD GPS antenna if I wanted to overlay radar over a chart and get my heading right. For a transducer I bought a Garmin GT56UHD-TM which is a step or 2 below an airmar though the airmar wasn't in the budget and should work well for our usual fishing in Alaska. My budget was a lot more limited than some though I still wanted radar and an auto pilot for our Tolman. My Tolman's roof is a lot smaller than a great Alaskan and we plan on keeping a dinghy up there so I didn't want the array spinning around.

We have a 5" and a 7" Lowrance in our alumaweld and I like the 2 display method. 1 is just strictly a fish finder, the other is used for charts and engine readout (we don't use it much though it's nice to check temps after running through a kelp bed). I'll get a better feel for the Garmin after using it though I feel like with the touch screen in rough seas I'm going to bump the wrong screen/ button. The Garmin 1022 is a non touch screen unit and it might be nice to have a 1022 and a touch screen unit (1022xsv has the sonar box built in). Possibly run engine data and fish finder on the non touch screen and radar/ charts on the touch screen. You also have some redundancy with the 2 screens.