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Marc Murrell: Touch technology finds fish-finders [Topeka Capital Journal (KS)](Topeka Capital Journal (KS) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Until recently, fish finder technology has followed the lyrics of MC Hammer's 1990 signature hit "You Can't Touch This." It has always been a hands-off approach, at least when it came to the actual screens of many fish finders. Fingers and their prints were reserved only for keys lining the outside and pressed to manipulate screens and choose settings and menus. And it's all worked well, too, but now Lowrance has brought the hands-on features popular with smart phones and other electronics to the fishing world with their latest lineup of HDS Touch models. "It's everything from people expecting new innovation and new technology, to people having their iPhones and smart phones and they're constantly looking for ways they're used to using products like that, whether it's computers or marine electronics," said Chris Stratton, national retail sales manager for Lowrance's parent company, Navico. "Innovation is always changing and always evolving." Lowrance has come a long way since its first fish finder introduction familiar to anglers, often called the "Little Green Box," in 1959. It became the cornerstone for Carl Lowrance and his two sons, Darrell and Arlen, just two years after their family's namesake company's creation. In 1957, commercial sonar units were selling for more than $2,000. The first Lowrance unit sold for less than $150. The "Little Green Box" became the most popular portable sonar in the world and more than 1 million were produced between 1959 and 1984. Over the next several decades, research and development were crucial to new designs, features and innovations anglers' prefer. Flashers gave way to paper graphs and in 1987 Lowrance's X-16 was selected by a team of scientists to be used in Operation Deepscan, an expedition to explore Loch Ness in Scotland. Paper graphs gave way to liquid crystal displays and more and more automated features. Global positioning systems were incorporated with mapping capabilities built-in. Technology advanced and units became smaller, with more features, and eventually followed the way of television going from black and white to full- scale color units with a multitude of options. And Lowrance technology shows no signs of slowing down. The new HDS Touch fishfinder/chartplotters were released in three screen sizes, a 7, 9 and 12. The Lowrance HDS-7 and HDS-9 Gen2 Touch units were released last fall and the Lowrance HDS-12 Gen2 Touch started shipping this spring. They operate just like an iPad or most smart phones with the "touch," "drag and drop" and "swipe" features familiar to even preschoolers these days. Old school ways of thinking meant keeping your hands and fingers off the screen of your fish finder. Not anymore. "The biggest thing is how easy they are to use," Stratton said of their instant popularity. "You take out so many more key presses that you had in a key unit versus the Touch that the time to be able to find menu items and manipulate the screen to make changes have been the biggest things people like." The new Touch units all have the Structure Scan module built in now (you still need an LSS-2 Structure Scan transducer), rather than a separate box as before. Structure Scan allows three-dimensional viewing and increases target separation and makes fish and structure identification easier than the traditional 2D sonar. It also allows anglers to search wider areas of the water column with the Sidescan feature looking out both sides of the boat. Technology comes with a price but it's really no different than the latest, greatest brand of other electronics like cell phones, computers or televisions. The HDS-7 Gen2 Touch unit has a retail price of about $1,500. The HDS-9 Gen2 Touch unit sells for about $2,500 and the HDS-12 Gen2 Touch unit sells for about $3,500. Anglers of all kinds are embracing the changes and adding one, two or even three new units to their boats. Lowrance's Touch screens are intuitive with a wide ranging appeal in today's angling world. Stratton said the new HDS Touch units are selling well as the word spreads about their ease of use and functionality. GOOD NEWS FOR BOAT OWNERS Boat owners with their boats registered in Kansas got a bit of good news last week. Governor Sam Brownback signed SB 83 presented by the 2013 session of the Kansas Legislature, a portion of which focuses on lowering the rate of taxation on watercraft. Kansas has one of the highest rates of taxation on boats compared to surrounding states. The rates on watercraft are much higher than on automobiles and other recreational vehicles. The change came about as a result of 54 percent of voters approving a measure last fall that allowed a change to the Kansas Constitution regarding the rate of watercraft taxation. A bill was introduced to lower and even eliminate taxes on watercraft but it was reworked and added to another bill. The final version lowers the rate of taxation on boats and other watercraft. Currently, boats are taxed at 30 percent of their appraised value, multiplied by the mill levy. This level will remain in effect this year but drop to 11.5 percent in 2014. In 2015 and beyond, the tax rate assessed will be 5 percent. The minimum amount would never fall below $12 for any watercraft subject to taxation. (c) 2013 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |