Lowrance announces HDS Gen2

FOLLOWING the success of the Lowrance High-Definition System (HDS) series of multifunction displays, HDS Gen2 is on its way.

With double the memory and twice the processor speed, Lowrance HDS Gen2 delivers enhanced responsiveness, faster start-up and menu operation, along with lightning-fast chart panning and zooming speeds.

Check out some video of the new unit here.

The new HDS Gen2 also features StructureMap view – a powerful tool that allows users to overlay and save StructureScan sonar images on a chart for review on and off the water. Paired with the LSS-1 sonar-imaging module, users can scan images directly on a chart in real-time, or create StructureMap charts of their favourite boating, fishing and diving areas.

HDS Gen2 incorporates Broadband Sounder technology, which delivers great echo clarity, sensitivity and target separation to help anglers find more fish. Lowrance’s unique TrackBack functionality also allows users to scroll-back in the sonar history to review structure or fish targets and pinpoint locations with waypoints – all of which is recorded to ensure valuable data is not lost.

Featuring an internal, high-sensitivity GPS+WAAS antenna, HDS Gen2 also offers remarkable mapping functionality, including support for the full-range of Navionics cartography. The built-in graphics engine, TurboView, delivers seamless zooms and 2D-3D chart displays, striking depth views in 2D and 3D, plus high-speed panning/zooming with aerial views.

Available in fully sunlight-viewable HDS5 (12.7cm), HDS7 (16.3cm), HDS8 (21.3cm) and HDS10 (26.4cm) screen sizes, in several configurations, the HDS Gen2 series can be easily networked throughout the boat via high-speed Ethernet cabling for real-time data sharing.

Along with StructureScan, HDS Gen2 also accommodates Broadband 3G Radar and the new Broadband 4G Radar, SonicHub marine audio server, and NMEA2000 networking for fuel, engine and boat-operations management solutions.

Combining true high-definition sonar, charting and radar in a best-in-class display and interface, the flexible HDS Gen2 – as with its predecessor – protects against obsolescence to ensure future expansion capability for next-generation Lowrance technologies.

The Lowrance HDS Gen2 series will be available to consumers early in 2012. RRP from AU$899 for the HDS-5x Gen2 (including 83/200kHz transducer).