Humminbird 385ci combo Fishfinder

The Hummingbird 385CI Combo is a great value for the money. It performs well and is relatively easy to use. Installation was simple with the (no drilling required) transducer. I purchased the kayak version that comes with the following: The 385cI Combo Kayak features a brilliant color 320V x 240H 3.5" display, advanced DualBeam sonar with 2400 Watts PTP power output, and GPS Chartplotting with built-in UniMap ‚ includes Kayak transducer Installation Kit, 12V/7Amp Hour AGM sealed battery & charger, Battery dry bag, Quick disconnect cap and unit cover. I also switch them from my Wilderness Tarpon 140 to Commander 140.

ADVANCED SONAR FEATURES:

Freeze Frame with ability to Mark Structure on Sonar
Instant Image Update
Real Time Sonar RTS Window
Selective Fish ID
Sonar Echo Enhancement
Split Screen Zoom
TrueArch Technology

USER-FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY:

Custom Digital Readout Selection
Custom View Selections
Large Digits View
Quick Disconnect Mounting System
Selectable Background
Temperature Alarm
Triplog
X Press Menu System

SPECS:

Display Size: 3.0" diagonal
Display Pixel Matrix: 320V x 240H
Display Type: 256 Color TFT
Display Colors/Grayscale: 256 Colors
DualBeam PLUS
Sonar Coverage
200 kHz / 20° @ -10db
83 kHz / 60° @ -10db
Target Separation: 2.5 inches
Power Output (RMS): 300 Watts (RMS)
Power Output (Peak to Peak): 2400 Watts (Peak-to-Peak)
Temperature: Included
Speed: GPS Speed Included
Backlight: Yes
Waterproof: Yes
Mount: Quick Disconnect
Unit Size: 5.25" W x 7.4" H x 4" D
Mount: Optional In-dash
Unit Size: 5.25" W x 5.12" H x 1.25" D
Transducer - Standard: XNT-9-20-T w/ Kayak Mounting Kit
Transducer Mounting: Inside Hull or Transom
Power Input: 10-20 VDC

I just bought my 385ci combo on EBay. And, I am just back from a Canadian wilderness ice fishing trip. The 385ci fishfinder worked just great. However, battery accessibility with the portable case are major source of my frustration! I "hate" the portable Humminbird case that came with the unit. It is an extremely tight fit, and was a royal pain to put it over the plastic frame (seems too high)...and to jam twenty feet of spooled transducer cable into the case is not easy either. There are zippers and pockets all over the outside of the case, but none that allow you to open the back and access the battery to hook up the battery to the unit, or charger leads to the battery. The only zipper to the battery compartment is so low that you can't get your fingers up to the top of the battery to attach the leads, or charger to the battery. Instead, you must remove the fishfinder head from its bracket in the front of the case and then get a flashlight to see what you are doing to hook up the battery or charger leads from the front. I find the case design to be total, annoying flop. Also, one of the nylon mesh pockets on the side of the case tore during the first weekend outing. How could nylon tear lose?? Definitely not workmanship designed for knock-about men, nor what I expected from Humminbird. Another annoyance was that I can't remove the transducer connector from the base without a pliers. I can't remove it by hand.

My Vexilar FL-20 has an excellent, lose fitting cover with no pockets, and clear plastic on the front to view it during rain or snowhfinder, and full access to the front and rear. I love Humminbird fishfinders, but BEWARE, this portable case has a lot of frustration and head shaking built into it. I will likely buy a Vexilar case for my Huminbird 385ci to simplify my life.

Wilderness Mike

Great product for the money. Depth numbers can be enlarged and read easily from anywhere in the rear of my 18ft boat without turning the finder. GPS is accurate as is the fish finder. The split fire technology is great for detailing fish under the boat separate from the fish out to the sides - especially helpful when downrigging. I would recommend this combo fish finder for the majority of fishermen with boats under 20 feet long. For the money, it was well worth the buy.

This thing is accurate as far as depth, temperature and gps goes. As for finding structure i haven't been able to use it much and the lake where i fish is bare on the bottom so structure is not readily visible. the screen is beautiful and the portability is awesome i would definately spend my hard earned money on this again. what a great product.

I saved about $150 on this purchase. If it works as described I will enjoy it,but have not got to use it yet. I have a hand held gps that shows mph but for this gps unit I had to purchase a separate speed sensor. hummingbird should use the same tech to read mph. Also the user manual is all on a CD it is hard to take a CD to the boat unless you take a laptop. It was easy to install and had plenty of cord. I have not used this on the water but the simulation worked. And it has a good warranty.