[CA11] Es78 w/audio system multiple questions

[Jimmorock]

Excuse me for the newby questions , been trying to find the answers without success. I recently bought a 2004 maxum 4200sy, with no radio and an outdated garmin 3210 installed. I want to refresh the electronics and I have bought a es78, seems to be perfect for my needs and price was good enough to try it without too many questions. Now I have few questions i hope you guys can help me with!

I don’t fish at all, I will travel mostly on lake Champlain and the Great Lakes during the summer, plan to head to Florida during the winter.

1- unit bought new without a transducer. I guess it’s inoperative without one? I planned to use the unit primarily for charts, do I need a transducer? I already have a working depth finder with the garmin.

2- would prefer not making holes in the hull, but if I have to do one, which transducer should I buy? Is there any that can give forward vision/detection?

3- I see they can pair to my audio controls, I was looking for either a clarion cms4 or a fusion head, I saw on raymarine website the Rockford fosgate seemed to be prefered, but I haven’t found any distributor for them, and frankly, the product doesn’t appeal to me. Any suggestions? Should I go fusion or something else? If fusion is the good choice, do I have to invest in the Apollo série or the regular units are easy and friendly enough?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Jim,

Q1a. unit bought new without a transducer. I guess it’s inoperative without one?
A1a. Incorrect. However, without being interfaced to a compatible fishfinder transducer or compatible fishfinder sounder module w/compatible transducers the MFD's Fishfinder application features would not be supported by the product.

Q1b. I planned to use the unit primarily for charts, do I need a transducer? I already have a working depth finder with the garmin.
A1b. Negative. However, many in similar situations will elect to remove any currently installed instrument depth transducer from the vessel and replace the transducer with a CPT-S transducer which would in turn be interfaced to the MFD's Transducer socket. In addition to fishfinding capabilities, the resulting system would provide information concerning bottom hardness and provide better information on bottom trending. Depending upon the communications interfaces of the third party depth finder, it may be possible to interface the third party depth finder to the MFD to repeat depth determined by the MFD.

Q2a. would prefer not making holes in the hull, but if I have to do one, which transducer should I buy?
A2a. Noted. Most instrument transducers are installed within a 2" circular [censored] ... this is the same [censored] size required by CPT-S transducers.

Q2b. Is there any that can give forward vision/detection?
A2b. Negative.

Q3a. I see they can pair to my audio controls, I was looking for either a clarion cms4 or a fusion head, I saw on raymarine website the Rockford fosgate seemed to be prefered, but I haven’t found any distributor for them, and frankly, the product doesn’t appeal to me. Any suggestions?
A3a. Should the eS-Series MFD be operated with LightHouse II v19.03 software, then the MFD will support integration with Fusion or Rockford Fosgate marine entertainment system. It is also possible for eS/gS-Series MFDs operate with LightHouse 3 software. MFDs operating with the latest available LightHouse 3 software will support integration with Fusion, Rockford Fosgate, and JL Audio marine entertainment systems.

Q3b. Should I go fusion or something else?
A3b. It is recommended that one purchase a Fusion, Rockford Fosgate, and JL Audio marine entertainment system which has the entertainment system features being sought. The LightHouse II Release 19 Operating Instructions and LightHouse 3.8 Advanced Operation Instructions provide lists of specific marine entertainment system models which have been tested with LightHouse II and LightHouse 3 software.

Q3c. If fusion is the good choice, do I have to invest in the Apollo série or the regular units are easy and friendly enough?
Q3c. The previously referenced documents do not list Apollo series among the supported Fusion marine entertainment systems. If considering a model of Fusion, Rockford Fosgate, and JL Audio marine entertainment system other than those specified within the previously referenced documents, then it would be recommended that the product/technical support team of manufacturer of the marine entertainment system be contacted for verification of compatibility.

[Jimmorock]

Received and installed my es78. So now i need to buy charts, but there is a ton of them... which one i need, what is the difference between them. I have been using Navionics for years in my iPad so i guess it would give me the same feeling, but there is few available with the same coverage but totally different price. Can someone diffect me?

I need st lawrence and great lake, east coast down to florida

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Jim,

Generally, such questions would be referred to the third party cartography manufacturer (Navionics or C-Map) to ensure that the most accurate catography choice is made for ones needs. As you're already comfortable Navionics nautical charts via the Navionics Boating app, we would typically recommend a Navionics NAV+ US and Canada chart card for the waters to be navigated.