For years, leading tech manufacturers have been in a race to be number one in their respective industries, pumping millions into research and development. This is no different when it comes to sport fishing technology. The pursuit to provide anglers the edge in finding fish has seen ongoing innovation in Sonar technology. We take a look at Lowrance’s latest tech, “The Lowrance ActiveTarget™ Live Sonar”.
Side-scan and Lowrance Technology
Side-scan isn’t a new technology. It was invented in the 1950s by Dr. Harold Edgerton at MIT. It’s a well known fact that military fund research and development into new land, air and naval technologies which eventually get passed on to consumer markets. This is exactly what has happened with side scan sonar.
Johnson Outdoors, acquired a company named Techsonic Industries in 2005 who had the first consumer patent for side scan technology. With the take over, Johnson Outdoors were able to market the product to a wider audience.
Following the introduction of 360-degree scans in 2012, it was only a matter of time until one of the market leaders came up with the next big thing. Could this just be the new Lowrance ActiveTarget Live Sonar.
What is the New Lowrance ActiveTarget™ Live Sonar
I actually never thought I would see technology like this for a long time. The wizards at Lowrance have produced a transducer generating live images where anglers can see both the lure and fish in real-time. This key feature allows anglers to see how fish are reacting to their lure. There is no doubt, this will assist in greatly increasing catch rates by allowing anglers to optimise their retrieve, action, lure choice and where to cast or drop.
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Let’s take a look at some of the new features which I’m sure will at the very least raise a few angler’s eyebrows.
| Ocean Blue Fishing Score: 4/5 ActiveTarget™ Live Sonar  |
| Get three views using one transducer: Forward view, Down view, and Scout view. Shows how fish are positioned in and around you High-resolution live images of fish activity, removing the guesswork from the fish hunt Compatible with HDS LIVE, HDS Carbon, and Elite FS |
Multiple View Options
The Lowrance ActiveTarget™ Live Sonar provides anglers three viewing options, the forward, down and scout views. This essentially gives anglers that extra advantage over their targeted fish.
The ActiveTarget transducer is conveniantly compatible with the HDS live, Elite FS and HDS carbon units.
Active Mapping
Active mapping is another real-time feature that allows you to chart your contours by creating an overlay on your chart of the depth contours based on your live sonar views. For those who fish un surveyed rivers and reefs, this feature is very useful.
“Lowrance Active Target is literally the only transducer i have on when i am fishing now. it has changed the way i fish, the way i look for fish and enables me to much better understand what mood fish are in. I can see what lures they are reacting to including what presentation i need to use to trigger a strike. I am as excited about this product as I am frustrated watching how many fish actually ignore what we are throwing. but at least now you are aware they are ignoring it and it gives you the opportunity to move on or change your lure without wasting too much time.”
Dean Sylvester – Pro Angler
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Active imaging
With the active imaging 3-in-1 transducer, anglers can see further with a crisper image, compared to its predecessor. Lowrance has also incorporated all imaging in one screen – structure scan 3D, down-scan and side-scan images. This allows anglers the use of two-chirp frequencies on the same screen which certainly adds an extra dimension to your fishing experience.
Upgraded high-performance processor
With the new transducers, Lowrance have made upgrades to a dual core processor to cope with the real-time active imaging and live sight transducers. It provides the unit with a smooth and responsive image without lag.
| Lowrance ActiveTarget™ Live Sonar (SKU: 000-15593-001) Specs (As Reviewed) Power Consumption max: 1.5A @ 13.8VDC Typical: 1.5A @ 13.8VDC Supply Voltage: 10.8 VDC – 31.2 VDC Shock Vibration: 100,000 cycles of 20 G Storage Temperature Range: -22°F to 158°F (-30°C to 70°C ) Recommended Fuse Rating: 3A Operating Temperature Range: 5°F to 131°F (-15°C to 55°C ) Humidity: 60°C, 95% relative humidity (RH) for 18 hours Interface: Ethernet to HDS Live, HDS Carbon, Elite FS Waterproof rating: IP67 |
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The Last Cast
The Lowrance ActiveTarget™ Live Sonar is a great addition to any anglers arsenal. You get high performance processors, three different view options and high resolution live images that show the fish and lure activity.
With these innovative advancements, Lowrance has definitely lifted the bar. Check out the demo video below.
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