EAGLE FISHELITE 500

Eagle has really pushed the envelope in 2005 with the introduction of colour screens to their depth sounders, chart plotters and combination units.

The Eagle FishElite 500c is just one of the new models that will see Eagle stay well ahead of other brand sounders in the marketplace. Featuring a 256-colour, active matrix TFT (Thin Film Transistor) transflective screen for cracker sharp colour and clarity, displays are with 320 x 240 pixels offering second to none brilliance. A total of six different screens are available on this model. Low light conditions are well catered for too, with fluorescent cold cathode backlit screen and keypad.

Amongst other features, the Eagle FishElite 500c features a 256-colour, active matrix TFT (Thin Film Transistor) transflective screen, fluorescent cold cathode backlit screen and keypad, and a 200 kHz high-speed Skimmer transducer with built in temperature sensor

The 1500 watts peak-to-peak power (187 watts RMS) gives fish finding capability down to 244 m utilising Eagle’s 200 kHz high-speed Skimmer transducer with built in temperature sensor. While measured at an industry standard of 20-degrees, this model transducer is capable of fish detection out to 60-degrees, offering awesome fish finding capability. A variety of transducers are available to suit this unit in various mounting styles and low and duel frequency.

Other great fish finding features include FishReveal that allows the unit to detect fish secreted in structure such as weed beds, thermoclines or surface clutter, and clearly segregate them from their surroundings. Another is HyperScroll, which allows the user to alter the ping speed of the transducer. With the default ping speed at 50 per cent, manually increasing it switches the headset into HyperScroll, which greatly increases chart-scrolling speed. This is a boon to fast boat fish-finding, where in the past a screen could not update quick enough to show all the information passing under the transducer when that boat was on the plane.

And the list goes on! Surface Clarity Control allows the operator to reduce surface clutter to clear the screen without removing important fish finding information such as weak signal returns coming from bait and big fish on the edges of the beam. There are four levels of control for this feature.

ASP (Advanced Signal Processing) is yet another critical fish finding tool available on the FishElite 500c. Manipulating the four levels of control in the ‘Noise Rejection’ window in ‘Sonar Features’ on the menu, it is possible to reduce the sensitivity of the receiver closer to the surface and increase it as the depth increases. This allows for reduction of noise caused by other influences such as electronic or mechanical interferences and fully expose on the screen fish finding data on which to act.

Used in combo mode the screen is resize-able to suit the operator at the time with the push of a button.

A flush mounted door in the cabinet of the unit accepts MMC (Multi Media Cards) or SD (Secure Digital) cards — on which actual screen readings may be recorded, played back or downloaded onto home computers for future reference. Navionics charts may also be installed here via the same medium, giving the operator concise and detailed chart navigation capabilities with high speed screen updates.

The precision 12-parallel channel GPS antenna is compact for low profile cabin roof mounting, or may be mounted on an antenna base via a purpose-built cone. Backup memory will keep safe, the storage of up to 100 routes with up to 100 waypoints per route, up to 100 saveable and retraceable plot trails with up to 10,000 points per trail and 1,000 waypoints and 1,000 event markers and 42 usable icons.

The chart can be viewed in 38 differing ranges from .02 km out to 4,000 km and depth sounder information may be overlaid on the plotter screen and vice versa.

The FishElite 500c is without doubt another high flyer from Eagle and even the sky won’t be the limit with this compact and intelligent combo unit.