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The Garmin Echomap UHD 94SV is a fully-stocked fish finder. It comes with features that will allow you to see below your boat with incredible detail and to navigate the waters with ease. It’s also compatible with different upgrades, such as Pantomix sonar, that can help you take your fishing experience to the next level. You can learn more about the existing and optional features in the Garmin Echomap UHD 94SV review below.
Garmin Echomap UHD 94SV Features
Display Unit
This fish finder comes with a WVGA display that offers 400 x 800 pixels resolution. It has incredibly clear image quality, offering high contrast vivid colors, so you can easily distinguish between fish and structure. Moreover, you can choose different color palettes.
The front of the display features a touchscreen, button controls, and a microSD card slot. You can also adjust the brightness of the screen to make it easier to read in different light conditions. It’s also very bright, which makes it easy to read in direct sunlight. The interface is very easy to use with an easy-to-navigate menu.
The 9-inch size of the screen gives enough space for wide viewing of up to four applications at the same time. You could view traditional sonar and ClearVu imaging, ClearVu and SideVu, or you could have all three sonars on one screen. Moreover, in the split screen mode, you could view two different frequencies side by side or a combination of sonar and charts.
Garmin has also really thought through the mounting design of this fish finder. All the wires come through the mount and the display simply snaps in and out of place, without any mess with the wires. This also makes it easier to take it off and remove it for storage.
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Sonar Features
This fish finder is packed with lots of awesome features that will help you take your fishing to the next level. However, to access those features, you will need to separately buy a GT56 transducer, as it’s not included in the package. Or, alternatively, you could get the Panotix LiveScope sonar system for the most advanced sonar technology.
The GT56 transducer is an all-in-one transducer that offers a combination of traditional CHIRP sonar, Ultra High Definition ClearVu, and SideVu. So you get the versatility of three different sonar frequencies, allowing you to scan different depths and to different sides of your boat.
High-wide CHIRP sonar operates in the range of 150-240kHz and it delivers good target separation and definition, reaching up to 800 feet in depth. As for ClearVu and SideVu, their sonar frequencies include 455kHz, 800kHz, and 1000kHz. So you can choose the right frequency depending on the waters you’re fishing in. And as for their maximum depth, it’s 400 feet for ClearVu and 500 feet for SideVu.
Both ClearVu and SideVu offer ultra high definition scanning sonar, which provides brilliant image clarity and shows targets and structure in vivid colors, making it easier to distinguish them from each other. This image quality and the level of detail it offers make finding fish easier and faster.
You could also use the traditional sonar, which supports two frequencies of 77kHz and 200kHz. Using these frequencies, the sonar can scan depths up to 2,300 in freshwater and 1,100 in saltwater.
If you will opt for the Panoptix LiveScope system, you will get the latest in sonar technology. It offers crystal-clear image quality, allowing you to view the fish and structure below and around your boat in real time.
Moreover, it allows you to see all around your boat in 3 dimensions. The transducer is adjustable, so you can point it either forward or down, depending on if you want to see around or below your boat. On top of that, you could additionally get a Perspective mode mount, which would provide you with the overhead angle for fishing in shallow waters.
Chartplotting
The unit includes the Bluechart G3 charts with integrated Navionics data, which covers the entire coast of the US. The charts are very detailed and they also provide shading for depth range and shallow water. This allows you to view designated target depth or the shallow water depths that you should avoid.
However, keep in mind that the charts don’t include lakes. If you would like to additionally have lake charts, you have to purchase the LakeVu G3 or LakeVu G3 Ultra charts. And if you would like to have only lake charts, then consider getting the Garmin Echomap UHD 93SV fish finder instead.
Another useful feature of this fish finder’s GPS system is the Quickdraw Contours. This feature allows you to create personalized fishing maps, which can help you make your fishing trips more productive. You can also join Garmin’s Quickdraw community to share your fishing maps or view other’s data.
Network Capabilities
The Garmin Echomap UHD 94SV also comes with great network capabilities. First of all, it has NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 ports. and Secondly, it has a built-in antenna for wireless connectivity.
With the NMEA 2000 or NMEA 0183, you can create a system of connected electronic devices on your boat. This would allow you to view different types of information on one display. For example, on your fish finder, you could also view wind speed, barometric information, engine data, or data from any other device that has NMEA 2000 or 0183 connectivity.
Using the Wi-Fi connectivity, you could pair the fish finder with your smart device for access to the free ActiveCaptain app. Through the app, you can upgrade existing or purchase new charts, get software updates, connect with the community of fellow boaters, and get other useful features.
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Pros and Cons of Garmin Echomap UHD 94SV
- Ultra high definition quality.
- 9-inch display.
- Quick-release mount.
- Key assisted touchscreen.
- Displays up to 4 applications simultaneously.
- Offers high wide CHIRP, UHD ClearVu, and SideVu (wide optional transducer).
- Compatible with Panoptix sonar system.
- Preloaded with Bluachart G3 maps.
- Quickdraw Contours.
- NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 network compatible.
- Wi-Fi connectivity.
- Transducer sold separately.
- Expensive.
Bottom Line
The high price of this fish finder might be discouraging for beginner anglers. However, it is an easy-to-use and setup chartplotter/fish finder combo and its features can make it considerably easier and faster to locate fish. Its image clarity allows seeing everything with stunning detail. It offers detailed charts, which can also be upgraded to even better ones. And it offers other useful features, such as Quickdraw Contours and network connectivity. The only thing to keep in mind that you will have to additionally purchase a transducer, such as Panoptix or GT56, which would add to the already high price.
If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to this fish finder, we recommend checking out the Garmin Echomap UHD 73SV model. It comes with similar features, but with a small 7-inch display.
