On The Water
reprinted from THE FISHERMAN
 By Capt. John N. Raguso

SI-TEX PROFISH II
MAP/SOUNDER PLUS

SI-TEX engineers are usually proponents of the old "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" axiom, especially when it pertains to a popular and proven performer like their PROFISH II color echo sounder/track plotter that was introduced two seasons back.  However, consumers have been clamoring for a "new and improved" version that incorporates the addition of a functional chart plotter, so the SI-TEX design team has heeded the call with the introduction of their new PROFISH II Map/Sounder Plus, the subject of this week's OTW review.

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE
I spent some quality time with SI-TEX's Marketing Manager Dave Church at this past IMTEC Trade Show a few months back, getting some hands-on field experience with the PROFISH II Map/Sounder's convenient built-in simulation program.  The PROFISH II Map/Sounder Plus gets high grades, with numerous dedicated "one-touch" keys that allow the operator to get to the desired function fast, without having to scroll through endless pages of menus.  The waterproof keypad features dedicated soft-touch keys for the mapping, navigation, sonar, zoom and menu functions, arrayed across the bottom of the LCD screen, where they are easily reached, especially when underway.  One of the most interesting functions is the "Strike" key, which is appropriately identified by a small fish symbol.  When activated, it's really like a "man-overboard" feature, providing steering information (when connected to your GPS or Loran) on how to bring the boat back to the original point of hookup, which is an especially useful feature when trolling for schooling pelagic species like bluefish and tuna.  Other one-touch keys included on the unit's keypad are Store, Go, Event and Screen adjust buttons (with eight dimming levels), in addition to Depth up/down and four-arrow cursor pad for use when navigating the various menus.  The PROFISH II Map/Sounder Plus offers dual C-Card slots for C-MAP NT cartography, which depending on the size of the area covered, will set you back anywhere from $99-to-$199 apiece.

The sounder component of the PROFISH II Plus offers a full 300 watts of RMS transmit power, which combined with its proprietary 120 kHz dual beam frequency (15 and 40 degree transducer cone angles) will enable you to reach out and see what's under your boat, either along the beach, fishing a reef or wreck, or when working the canyons, with a range up to 1,500-foot depths.  The Nav memory stores 1,000 points of track, 250 named hotspots with depth and temp info, plus 10 reversible routes.

UNIQUE COLOR LCD SCREEN
Although I currently operate a competitive sounder that features a fairly bright 6.5-inch TFT active matrix color LCD screen, there are those times when just the right angle of direct sunlight does a fairly thorough job of washing away that beautiful color display, no matter how I change the background colors or contrast.  With SI-TEX's advanced bi-refringent display screen technology that is incorporated into all PROFISH series depth sounders, this problem is a thing of the past.  The transflective, bi-refringent, backlit color LCD screen on the PROFISH II Map/Sounder Plus is unique in that unlike the TFT Active Matrix Panels found on the other color LCD fishfinders, which can look great in some light conditions but will still wash out in strong sunlight, the SI-TEX fishfinder actually gets brighter as the sun shines down upon it.  Direct sunlight seems to energize the color and contrast of the transflective pixels in the LCD screen, making it come alive with information on the whereabouts of baitfish, predators, structure and the seabed floor.

When comparing this unit's pros and cons to the typical TFT active matrix color screen, it's really a trade-off, in that the backlit TFT screens will provide more contrast at night or in low light conditions, but the SI-TEX colors really shine through when direct sunlight are at their worst.  These qualities are very similar to the way that a typical monochrome LCD performs in similar conditions, but with the added benefit of the color contrast.  In my opinion, there is no clear winner with one type of color LCD being superior to the other and it's simply a matter of user preference and the amount of direct sunlight you experience at your fishing boat's helm.  Either type of thin LCD color screen is clearly superior to the older and more cumbersome CRT (cathode ray tube) displays, which take up three times the amount of physical space at the helm and are allergic to rough treatment and saltwater spray.

With an MSRP of $1599 with a transom mount speed/temp transducer (and a street price of under $1,000), the PROFISH Map/Sounder Plus is reasonably priced, considering its user-friendly capabilities and heavy-duty, waterproof die-cast aluminum housing.  If you've ever owned a color sounder, but could never see the colors clearly due to too much direct sunlight aboard, then the PROFISH Map/Sounder Plus should be at the top of your "must see" shopping list.  For more information, you can visit SI-TEX on their web site at www.si-tex.com or call them at 727-576-5734.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Case Dimensions- 7.8 inches wide, 5.8-inches high, 2.4-inches deep
Case Construction- Aluminum, waterproof to USCG CFR-46 standards
Transmit Power- 300 watts RMS – Transducer Frequency- 120 kHz
Transducer Beam Width- 15 degrees, 40 degrees
Depth Ranges- user selectable in 5-foot increments
Display Size- 3.46-inches high by 4.6-inches wide (5.7" diagonal)
Display Resolution- 240 (V) by 320 (H) pixels
Display Type- QVGA, Transflective, bi-refringent color LCD
Nav Memory- 1,000 track points, 250 named waypoints, 10 routes