How To Set Up Humminbird Helix 5

Last Updated on March eighteen, 2022

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Fish finding technology is e'er advancing, companies are doing more and more than to make it easier to find fish, and the cease result always trickles downward to us in the course of dollar signs. The point of our Humminbird Helix v reviews is to look at a standard fish finder that doesn't come up with a one thousand thousand bells and whistles but gets the job done.

Reliability, performance, accurateness, and simplicity are important to me and I don't ever recall we need to get and then fancy with all these unlike features. The goal of a fish finder is to discover fish and the Humminbird Helix v does a nice job at it.

After testing countless fish finders, spending years on the water, and hooking plenty of bass, we've decided that this device was worth a full review. Stick around and see if y'all find anything y'all similar!

1. Humminbird Helix 5 Reviews: The Best and The Worst
   • Brandish/Screen
   • Sonar/Transducer
   • Side Imaging
   • Down Imaging
   • GPS
2. Humminbird Helix 5 Review: Standout Features
   • SwitchFire Sonar
   • SmartStrike
3. Last Thoughts

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Our Take on the Helix 5

• Durable and long-lasting
• Reliable and authentic readings
• Choice betwixt downwardly and side imaging
• DualBeam PLUS sonar provides more versatility
• Affordable cost tag

• No wireless networking
• Express mapping/cartography
• Smaller screen

If yous're reading this right at present wishing that you could find a reliable fish finder that really just helps you find fish.

Information technology's simple to use, easy to prepare up, and accurate, this is the one y'all want.

Yous're not going to go an advanced GPS system, you lot're non getting a ton of storage to chart upwardly every lake in the land, and you're not getting a ten-inch HD screen.

What you are getting is a device that won't break down on you, it'll hold up over time, it'll provide accurate readings, and it will assist yous spend less time tracking fish and more fourth dimension catching them.

All our Humminbird Helix reviews accept things that separate them and this one is all most simplicity.

Quick Facts

– Comes with side imaging, down imaging, dual sonar, and CHIRP options
– All models characteristic a five-inch color TFT screen
– Each model uses a button organisation rather than touchscreen
– Some of them come with a GPS chart plotting tool
– They all feature one microSD card slot
– ii.v-inch target separation across all models

Humminbird Helix v Reviews: The Best and The Worst

Now let's go into detail nigh everything you need to know regarding this fish finder. As I've said, information technology'due south designed to exist simple, straightforward, and affordable. Information technology's past far one of the all-time fish finders under $500 that yous can get.

Every bit a effect of the simplicity and affordability, you're not getting a lot of the premium features yous might find in the Humminbird Helix seven or Helix nine.

That's not always a bad affair though.

Brandish/Screen

If you lot've read any of our other fish finder reviews, you'll realize that the name of the unit refers to the size of the screen. And so, a Humminbird Helix 5 has a v-inch screen which is the smallest of their units.

Near anglers would prefer to accept a 7 or nine-inch screen but a smaller screen does have its place in the fishing globe.

If you lot're looking for the best fish finder for kayak line-fishing or fish finder for a pocket-sized jon boat, the five-inch brandish won't get in your way and it'south piece of cake to mountain portably as well.

That said, you're plainly sacrificing some ease of use in this area because yous'll accept a harder fourth dimension reading it and existence able to rapidly identify what's coming up as you lot're moving throughout the water.

The screen itself offers 480×800 pixel resolution with a 256-color display.

At this betoken, if nosotros saw anything less of Humminbird we would exist disappointed. All of their products accept a peachy color display with plenty of vibrant variations in contour to help you identify fish and structure.

It also has a backlight which is something nosotros weren't expecting for a fish finder in this price range. The light is nice because it helps reduce the amount of glare on the screen as a upshot of bright sunlight shining down on it.

While the screen is small, in that location's not much else that we could complain about. Notwithstanding features and components of the premium models are bachelor in a smaller packet with the Humminbird Helix five.

Sonar/Transducer

Depending on what model you choose, it will determine what type of sonar you go.

Virtually of them come with CHIRP and DualBeam sonar. CHIRP is the engineering that is used to create the images. It sends a consistent menstruum of waves down into the water and they bounce off anything they striking and that's what determines that something is there.

From that point, it'south up to yous to decide what that is. It could be a stone or it could exist the take hold of of a lifetime.

DualBeam zeros in on the clarity of the image for down and side imaging. You have control over what blazon of prototype you create based on how wide you spread out your sonar waves.

If yous are scanning a large area of water and aren't likewise worried about a specific location, you tin employ the 455 kHz wide beam sonar and cover a lot of water in a short amount of time.

If you feel like there is a detail area that you want to focus on you tin can zero in on that expanse with the 800 kHz narrow axle and go the clearest prototype possible.

These features are available on pretty much all the Humminbird Helix fish finders.

Overall, the accurateness of the sonar is state-of-the-art as we would expect from this premium brand. Information technology too offers ii.5-inch target separation which is a fancy way of proverb they guarantee accurateness in inches.

Side Imaging

If we take a look at a Humminbird Helix 5 SI review, the SI refers to side imaging. This is the only model of the Helix 5 that comes with side imaging and when you get SI you lot virtually always get down imaging likewise.

Side imaging allows y'all to scan the h2o around the boat which is corking if y'all're trying to see what fish are closer to the shoreline than you tin can go. This imaging is never every bit authentic as down imaging and when y'all're dealing with a small 5-inch screen, that doesn't make it any meliorate. SI fish finders are likewise more expensive but this 1 is worth the added expense.

Down Imaging

If y'all decide to go with the down imaging fish finder y'all'll get a highly reliable unit that provides imaging of everything that is happening underneath y'all up to a certain depth. One of the biggest complaints I accept nearly this fish finder is how hard they arrive to find information about depths and ranges for the sonar.

Thankfully, we found it for you. It has a max depth of up to 1,500 feet but we would never conceptualize it would be accurate at that depth. Most fish finders starting time losing accuracy dramatically afterward 250 feet and we expect the same for this upkeep-friendly model.

GPS

The GPS in the Humminbird Helix 5 is pretty basic and the unit doesn't come with a ton of storage so you're limited with what you can practise. It gives yous upward to ii,500 waypoints with 45 routes and you lot tin sync it with AutoChart Live Navionics but all of that comes with an additional cost if you want to download maps and the unit will fill pretty quickly too.

In that location are a lot of boosted things yous tin do like LakeMaster which allows yous to utilise satellite imaging to go an idea of what blazon of vegetation is in the water so you can determine some of the best fishing spots. This is a great feature but information technology also comes at a premium cost and you might desire to save something like that for when you get a unit with a bigger screen.

Humminbird Helix v Review: Standout Features

Here are some of the features that stand up out to united states of america the most about this fish finder. Yous'll find all of these features in the premium models too.

SwitchFire Sonar

I of the nearly notable features of the Humminbird brand is their SwitchFire feature which allows yous to customize how you lot want to use the sonar technology. As we mentioned above, you tin can naught in on a target and get a clear motion-picture show if y'all know exactly where yous want to cast or spread it out wide if yous desire a larger view.

The SwitchFire feature makes things even simpler by non requiring users to play effectually with frequencies if they're not tech-savvy. It'south all based on the frequency and this feature uses two modes; ane being max and the other clear. Max mode allows you lot to spread the sonar wide so you tin can scan a large area of water. Clear fashion focuses on specific targets when yous think you found an surface area where yous desire to drop a line.

It also uses a colour-coded organisation where everything is colour-coded based on how close they are to you. Orangish means close, blueish ways far away. These settings are fully customizable if you're familiar with the applied science as well. If y'all're non, you can get out them alone and use information technology as-is.

SmartStrike

For the SmartStrike characteristic, your GPS collects data based on what season it is, where you're angling, what the weather is like, and what type of fish are typically found in the water. It'll and so analyze all of these conditions to help you identify the best surface area on the lake to fish.

Of form, for this to piece of work your lake needs to exist available with chartplotting technology and if it's non you'll likely have to pay a premium price to get it on there or map it out yourself. It's an advanced feature and then it also requires you to possess a little bit of cognition on how to use the technology.

The one complaint I take is that I wouldn't similar to exercise this on such a small screen. Existence that it's only v-inches wide, it'll be hard to become an accurate depiction of where the device is actually telling you to go. Still, yet a cool characteristic for a fish finder of this toll range.

Terminal Thoughts

The goal of these Humminbird Helix five reviews is to assist y'all empathise that even though this is a basic model, information technology doesn't have but basic features. Information technology'southward even a piffling strange that Humminbird pretty much keeps everything the aforementioned only only changes the size of the screen. Where the differences in features come is when you're shopping between the SI, DI, or basic FishID applied science models.

Overall, if you're looking to save a few bucks and don't mind a smaller screen, this is the way to go. Humminbird is my favorite brand when compared to Lowrance, Garmin, or any of the other manufacturers. Plus, information technology's also a solid portable fish finder if y'all need something y'all can store and travel with.

No thing what pick y'all brand, I promise this guide helps y'all. Proficient luck out in that location!

Source: https://yourbassguy.com/fish-finders/humminbird-helix-5-reviews/

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