Humminbird Matrix 97 GPS/FF/Chart Poltter

Bought on ebay, new in box for $745 w/gps module.
I installed this week in about 2 hrs. I temporarily mounted the transducer with silicon in the bilge at the back of the boat to see if an inside mount would work. It does, so it will get a proper epoxy mount.
I had originally bought a Lowrance LMS-335C GPS/FF/Chart plotter from Boaters World and the brand new unit would not power up, so they sent me another one. That one would not recognize the GPS module.
I decided to switch brands after that.
I have to say that I really like this unit. The display is bright and clear. Menus are not absolutly the best but are easy to navigate. The built in maps work reasonable well but I have ordered the Navionics gold chart for the west coast to obtain more detail.
One of the extras you can get for this unit is the Smart cast system, it is a wireless transducer that you cast with a fishing rod. It will transmit back to the boat up to 100'. A plug and play barometric weather station is another option that I think I will end up getting.
Transducer options include a side scanning and wide scan system.
One of the things I really liked is the scroll speed of the screen in the FF mode. You can set it up to scroll quite fast so you can get a good bottom picture while running at planning speeds. Another is the ability to set up trolling grids around a waypoint.
If you are considering a new all in one system be sure to check this one out.
Just as a side note, when you are shopping be sure to find out if the system you are looking at includes things like the transducer and GPS module :o. Many of the systems I looked at did not include one or the other.
Most of the ads did not specify what exactly is included.

Happy shopping.

Cbuzz