SI-TEX ProFish II
A welcome addition to any serious angler's arsenal
The new SI-TEX ProFish II,
built to survive in the harsh environment of offshore fishing, is designed to satisfy even the most dedicated fisherman. It displays boat speed and water temperature; records your track; shows you any fish
beneath the boat; records the precise position where you hooked The Big One and commands your autopilot to take you back there after it gets away.In a small, beautifully cast, waterproof aluminum housing,
the ProFish II combines a differential GPS navigator, chart plotter, powerful depth sounder/fishfinder, and readouts for hull speed and water temperature. A sunlight-readable LCD conveys a wealth of
information, and operation is largely intuitive for anyone familiar with menu-organized computers. The built-in simulator, supported by a well-written instruction manual, aids the learning process.
The
ultimate value of a chart plotter or fishfinder depends on the viewing quality of its screen. The ProFish II uses a 240-by-320 pixel, 5 3/4" diagonal, QVGA Transflective Bi-refringent LCD. Adjustable
intensity backlighting helps at night, and the screen displays seven color in addition to its background. The first two adjustments on the first menu screen allow control of color/contrast and night
lighting. The screen is fully visible under all conditions, including in direct sunlight while you're wearing polarized sunglasses, but it does not provide the vivid hues of a color CRT.
The ProFish II
can operate independently as a DGPS, chart display, digital sounder or fishfinder, or as any combination thereof. Control is via 12 push-button function keys and four cursor keys. Four of the five function
keys below the display—MAP, NAV, ZOOM and MENU—serve also as soft keys, their secondary function dependent on the program and page in use. Chart information comes from either of two C-MAP cartridges plugged
into a rubber-capped receptacle on the front.
After you turn on the ProFish, pressing any key calls up the depth sounder/fishfinder display, operating in the SEARCH mode. With the ProFish's companion
DGPS-11 antenna/receiver connected, the vessel's position in latitude/longitude appears in a window at the top left of the sonar screen, accompanied by a display of water temperature and the DC voltage being
supplied to the unit. Assuming the system was operated at or near the location where it is turned on, the 12-channel GPS receiver usually provides a position fix in less than one minute. The trnasducer's
beam width and a digital display of water depth appear along the left side. The primary depth scale is on the right margin, and a graphic presentation of depth and fish sonar data progress from right to left.
The MENU key sequentially accesses six menu screens. The first provides control settings for color/contrast and night lighting, followed by ON/OFF setting choices for fish symbols, beam display,
dual/single transducer, SSP mode, speed filter, log reset and an excellent simulator mode. Navigating through the menu choices and selecting the desired on/off setting is via the four cursor keys, and is
intuitive. The next four menu screens deal with various presets and choices of navigation units and chart data display. The sixth screen provides a display of GPS satellite information, which will be useful
if the GPS information is suspect.
In addition to the initial SONAR screen, ProFish gives you four ZOOM screens with choices of full- or split-screen data display at 2X or 4X magnification. You call up
the separate menu screen by pressing the ADJUST key, providing access to the 12-item sonar menu, which allows fine-tuning of the sonar functions. The DEPTH key adjusts the depth scale in five steps displayed
as feet, meters or fathoms, your choice.
The MAP opens three MAP-PLOTTER screens and two PLOTTER screens, all of which permit a choice of full-screen for the navigation information or split-screen;
depth/fishfinder information is on the right third. The ZOOM key operates conventionally, with rapid screen redraw.
ProFish II stores a maximum of 250 events (waypoints), each showing an alphanumeric
identifier, lat/lon and one of five user-selectable symbols. The automatic storage of water depth and temperature as a part of the event reinforces the fishing influence on the design. The STORE key
functions identically to the man-overboard key on most GPS/chart plotters.
The STRIKE key (with the pictogram of the fish on it) automatically activates the plotter function and records the coordinates of
the vessel's position as the singular STRIKE event in the event library. The plotter depicts the position of the strike event and an arbitrary 200 yard-diameter fish probability zone, centered on the strike
coordinates. Steering commands provide bearing and distance back to the strike location.
An antenna dome of about 7" square and 5" high houses the DGPS sensor. You have a choice of depth transducers,
transom mount or through-hull units. The most capable transducer combines a dual-beam sonar transducer with a hull-speed paddle wheel and water temperature sensor.
ProFish II interfaces with GPS and loran
navigators, particularly attractive for fishermen with a library of favorite spots denoted in loran TDs.
In all, the ProFish has three navigation screens, each sharing display space with the sonar data.
The data is referenced to an event (waypoint) and shows bearing, distance, cross track error and, in the case of the first nav screen, COG, SOG or STW (speed through the water), and battery voltage. The
first navigation screen also presents a graphic water temperature plot for the previous five minutes, plus a digital display of current water temperature. The second screen displays present position in
lat/lon. The first and second screens provide a graphic CDI (course deviation indicator) at the bottom of the display. The third NAV screen shows BRG, DIST and LOG, plus digital and analog boat speed. The
distance log remains active even when the nav screen is not in use. It retains accumulated log data when the system is powered down. Prices start at $800.
Contact: SI-TEX www.si-tex.com
