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Side Imaging

It’s all in the details. Gain a 180 degree side-to-side perspective on the world below the surface with remarkable Humminbird® Side Imaging®. In an instant, the ultra-thin beam scans the area up to 240 feet to the left and right of your boat location—for total coverage of up to 480 feet. The return image for each slice is then added to the images taken immediately before and after to build an incredible view of the lake bottom. You can then magnify the detail of the image with the zoom feature or mark the GPS location of promising cover or structure directly on the screen.

Side Imaging's high-frequency beams reveal structure, cover, and contour changes with crystal clarity. The images are so real you might think it’s a camera, but it’s not, so it doesn’t matter how murky the water is.

How to Read Side Imaging

Understanding a few simple concepts will help you grasp the detailed images of Humminbird Side Imaging and make you a master of the lake or sea bottom. Compare the screenshot and diagram to help visualize how Side Imaging works. We’ve included several callouts to explain what you’re seeing. Remember, Side Imaging is a history of what you’ve already passed by.

A- Boat Location
The position of your boat in relation to the on-screen image. The on-screen image is a history of what you have passed over.
B- Water column
The dark blue area shows structure, cover and activity between the surface and lake bottom.
C- Bottom Profile
Reveals depth and terrain directly beneath the path of your boat.
D- Flat Terrain
Neutral shades of blue represent flatter terrain.
E- Descending Terrain
Dark shades of blue represent descending terrain.
F- Rising Terrain
Lighter shades of blue typically represent terrain rising from the bottom. Sometimes, very hard bottoms appear as a whiter shade.
G- Fallen Log
The shortened horizontal shadows indicate cover very close to the bottom of the lake. The angle of the shadow gives away the orientation of the log.
H- Standing Timber
Objects standing off the bottom directly below the boat will appear in the water column. Structure to the left or right of the boat will appear as a clearly defined bright shape with an adjacent, dark sonar "shadow." This shadow is not caused by light; rather it's the lack of sonar return because the object has already reflected the sonar energy. Generally, long shadows indicate the object is tall, and small shadows indicate something is short. It's important to note the shadow will often tell you more about the object than the primary sonar reflection.

Visualizing Side Imaging

Visualizing Side Imaging

Reading the image produced by Humminbird Side Imaging is easy. Simply visualize the screen folded in half down the middle (behind the boat). Then, fold the image again at the lowest point of the water column. The dark blue area provides a visual representation of the water column and lake bottom directly below your boat.

Understanding the Beam

Understanding the Beam

Humminbird Side Imaging Sonar uses a razor thin beam to take a “sonar snapshot” of the area up to 240 ft. to the left and right of your location. The return image for this slice is then added to the images taken immediately before and after to build an incredibly detailed view of the lake bottom.

Bridge Pilings

Bridge Pilings

Submerged bridge pilings on lake bottom.

Finding Bait

Finding Bait

Side Imaging reveals balls of bait that you can use when targeting where fish are feeding.

Mark Waypoints

Mark Waypoints

See something interesting like the sunken sailboat shown here? Save its exact GPS location as a waypoint on your Humminbird Imaging screen for easy return trips.

Zoom

Zoom

Enable the zoom mode to hone in on the tiniest details. Here, we’re able to identify predators feeding on baitfish in the water column.

Split Screen

Split Screen

View multiple Humminbird sonar technologies at once for a complete picture. Here, we’re able to see this wreck from several angles for optimal lure/bait presentation.

Range Lines

Range Lines

Enable range lines to judge the distance between your boat and underwater objects. Here, we can easily see the main hull of this wreck is 27 feet from our starboard side.

Contour Mode

Contour Mode

Use Contour Mode to remove the water column. Note how this submerged railroad track now appears as though we’re looking straight down at it from our boat.

Color Palette

Color Palette

Adjust color palette, sensitivity and sharpness to match conditions, enhance detail and target fish species. Changing color schemes helped shed new light on this cover.


Mega Imaging

Look closely. You've never seen anything like new MEGA Imaging™. Delivering nearly 3X the output of standard Side Imaging®, this groundbreaking technology takes fishfinding into the megahertz frequency for the very first time. It's indisputably the clearest, sharpest sonar image ever-brought to you by the undisputed leader.


MEGA Imaging has you covered from multiple angles. Choose MEGA Side Imaging for an incredible view to the left and right of your boat. Opt for MEGA Down Imaging® for a crystal clear picture below your boat. Both technologies are built into HELIX® 12, 10 and 9 CHIRP MEGA SI GPS G2N models.

higher frequency means greater clarity

Some of the best fishing happens in depths less than 125 ft. And that's where the high frequency beam of MEGA Imaging shines brightest. In MEGA Side Imaging mode, you'll have coverage out to 125 ft on either side of your boat. For depths in excess of 125 ft and coverage out to 400 ft to either side of your boat, the blended beam gives you traditional Humminbird Imaging clarity.

higher frequency means greater clarity

Zoom in to reveal a single fish and its shadow.

Note the individual stones surrounding this bridge.

A bicycle is seen here on the edge of a submerged swimming pool.

Observe the school of fish holding over this debris pile in zoom mode.

Humminbird Down Imaging

Sometimes, to catch fish, not only do you have to think like one, you've got to see like one. Get a fish-eye’s view of what’s happening below your boat with Humminbird® Down Imaging®. These incredible images are created with high frequency sound waves emitted in ultra-thin slices. The sonar returns from these waves produce a “portrait.” As you patrol the water, you’ll watch fish, reefs, timber, brush, bridge pilings, rocks, and any other structure or cover pop with stunning detail.

Understanding Down Imaging

Understanding Down Imaging

The detailed images of Down Imaging are created with high-frequency sound waves emitted in ultra-thin slices. The sonar returns from these waves produce a "snapshot" of what's below your boat.

SwitchFire / Down Imaging

SwitchFire / Down Imaging

This view provides complete understanding of what exactly is going on below your boat. Quickly identify cover and structure with Down Imaging, while using SwitchFire® to locate and target fish. Together, they take the guesswork out of sonar fishfinding.

Down Imaging / Side Imaging

Down Imaging / Side Imaging

Get a complete 180 degree view. Down Imaging provides incredible detail directly below your boat while Side Imaging® extends 240 feet to either side of your boat. These two detailed images are unlike anything you've ever seen.

Down Imaging / Charts

Down Imaging / Charts

Use the split screen feature to view you lake charts with the Down Imaging sonar simultaneously.

Down Imaging / SwitchFire / Side Imaging

Down Imaging / SwitchFire / Side Imaging

Don't miss a thing with these three Humminbird technologies working together. Use SwitchFire and Down Imaging together for a stright down view, while Side Imaging reaches out to both sides.

CHIRP Sonar Technology

Conquer the Full Spectrum

Only Humminbird lets you view low, medium and high CHIRP ranges, either individually or all at once. Dial in a specific kHz, search a defined range or cover the entire spectrum—it’s up to you. Because it uses a broader range of frequencies, Humminbird CHIRP also delivers extreme target separation, lower noise and richer, higher-resolution images and the power to reach depths of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).

Your fishing arsenal isn’t limited to one or two lures. No sir. It’s filled with options. Imagine your Humminbird® as a tackle box. You have a wealth of tools at your fingertips, each with its own job. And think of Humminbird CHIRP as yet another lure, with a specific task: showing you fish that other forms of SONAR cannot.

Improved Fish Detail

Improved Fish Detail

Nothing fishy here. With CHIRP, you can tell the difference between a sport fish, a baitfish and a weed based on the finely detailed arches.

Greater Clarity

Greater Clarity

Don’t miss a thing. Thanks to the precision of CHIRP, you can clearly identify subtle structural details, like bridge cables, that can clue you into where the fish are.

More Target Separation

More Target Separation

No more “blobs.” In traditional 2D SONAR, it can be difficult to tell where one object begins and another ends. That’s not the case with the target separation of CHIRP.

Reduced Noise

Reduced Noise

Filter out the nonsense. CHIRP sweeps multiple frequencies to eliminate confusing noise and interference. For example, see separation between fish and brush.

Unmatched Precision

Unmatched Precision

Dial it in. CHIRP allows you to select individual frequencies, enabling you to see the smallest details. For instance, monitor your jigging action on screen.

Increased Depth

Increased Depth

Get to the bottom of it. By blasting more energy below the surface, CHIRP SONAR can take you to extreme depths with greater accuracy.

All forms of CHIRP are not created equal. While competitors were flooding the market with technologies that barely qualify for the term, Humminbird was developing and perfecting a true Broadband CHIRP worthy of its innovative legacy. We did not cut corners—with full broadband capabilities built into our HELIX™ 12 Series CHIRP models. And while our competition picks just a few frequencies for you, we give you full spectrum capability, plus the power to select your own start and end frequencies.

Superior Data Processing

Superior Data Processing

Unless you have a PhD in SONAR interpretation, raw CHIRP information is meaningless without the right software to connect the data points. Humminbird’s CHIRP Processing Engine uses proprietary algorithms to more efficiently compare and crunch CHIRP data, instantly drawing an easy-to-understand image.

More Pulses

More Pulses

Traditional transducers put you on hold, wasting valuable time “charging up” before each SONAR pulse. Humminbird CHIRP transducers are engineered to minimize charge time, firing off more pulses in a given period of time. More pulses mean more information and improved target separation.

Greater Power

Greater Power

By bouncing more energy off the bottom, Humminbird CHIRP is able to provide more detailed returns, especially in deep water.

Ultra-Wide Broadband

Ultra-Wide Broadband

Some so-called CHIRP SONAR products only sweep a narrow range of frequencies, giving you a very limited view of the underwater world. By comparison, Humminbird CHIRP unlocks your transducer’s full CHIRP capability, scanning its widest possible band of frequencies. With more frequencies to compare, Humminbird’s CHIRP Processing Engine can more effectively filter out noise, delivering a clearer, more precise picture