Best For Experienced Users
Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP Review
Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP is a well-known fish finder/GPS combo with an excellent track record. In spite of its age, it is still one of the top models in its class, both when it comes to its fish-finding and navigational capabilities and its price.
Note that this model comes with preloaded Insight basemaps and not Navionics Gold cartography, which is reserved for Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP Gold. It is also important to differentiate between these two models and Elite-7X CHIRP, which is just a standalone fish finder.
Keep reading this Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP review to find out all about this fish finder’s implemented features and determine whether it fits your personal needs and preferences.
Pros & Cons
- 7” VGA screen with a pixel matrix of 800 x 480 and 16-bit color
- Adjustable backlight
- Broadband CHIRP sonar with DownScan
- 1,000ft with CHIRP; 300ft for DownScan
- Transom transducer included
- Built-in 10 kHz GPS with 16 channels
- 3,000 waypoints, 100 routes, 100 tracks
- Not beginner-friendly
Specifications
| Specifications | Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP |
|---|---|
| Type | Down Imaging |
| Sonar | Broadband CHIRP and DownScan |
| Transducer | Transom, number 000-10976-001 |
| Display (size, resolution, backlit, color) | 7″ diagonal, 16:9, 800H x 480V pixel matrix, 16-bit color TFT, with adjustable backlight |
| Dimensions | Product Width 9.26 in \ 235 mm Product Depth 3.0 in \ 76 mm Product Height 5.95 in \ 151 mm |
| Weight | 2.3 lbs |
| Batteries | Not Specified |
| Depth Capability | 1,000 ft (305 m) for the CHIRP sonar, 300 ft. (91 m) for DownScan |
| Frequency | 200 kHz (20°) / 83 kHz (60°) for standard CHIRP 455 kHz for DownScan, fore to aft. 4°, port to starboard 57° 800 kHz for DownScan fore to Aft 2°, port to starboard 38° |
| Power Output | 500 Watts (RMS) |
| Power Input | 10-17 VDC |
| GPS | internal |
| Maps | Navionics Gold |
| Routes, Waypoints, Tracks | 100, 3,000, 100 (10,000 points each) |
| Waterproof | IPX7 |
| Wi-Fi Connectivity | yes |
| MicroSD card slot | yes |
Display/Screen
Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP comes with a 7” VGA SolarMax display with a pixel matrix of 800 x 480 and 16-bit color. The screen features an LED backlight, which makes it a perfect option for observing readings in direct sunlight.
Users who own the device claim that it is waterproof, but the manufacturer provides no information about its waterproof rating. We presume the unit should be able to handle rain and accidental water splashes as well as submersion in 3.3ft of water for up to 30 minutes.
The unit also allows you to observe different readings in the split-screen mode.
Sonar & Transducer
As the name of the unit suggests, Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP features a CHIRP sonar, which is much more powerful than regular single-frequency sonars due to its pulse modulation over a wide range of frequencies. Unlike traditional sonars, CHIRP is able to differentiate between targets and show you each fish separately instead of treating them as a single target and merging the readings.
The unit itself is capable of covering all CHIRP modes, including low, med, and high (50 kHz, 83 kHz, and 200 kHz, respectively). However, the included transom transducer cannot hit the low frequencies, so you will have to upgrade this model with a 50/200 kHz transducer in order to reach the maximum depth.
Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP utilizes Advanced Signal Processing (ASP) to reduce excess clutter and other unwanted signals. In other words, this feature allows you to generate much clearer imaging without adjusting the noise manually.
Apart from this, the unit offers DownScan Imaging, which gives photo-like quality to your underwater scans. It also allows you to separate fish from vegetation and better understand the contours of specific structures under your vessel.
You can merge DownScan with CHIRP thanks to the DownScan Overlay function, which allows you to better gauge the positioning of the fish in relation to underwater structures and basically equips you with a CHIRP sonar while in the DownScan mode.
This particular bundle comes with an HDI Skimmer transducer (000-10976-001), which is one of the best options on the market. Its maximum reach is 1,000ft (300ft for DownScan), but the unit can go up to 3,000ft with a 50 kHz capable transducer. It also comes with a built-in temperature sensor.
When it comes to standard sonar functions, Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP provides you with Fish ID, Flasher mode, Split Zoom, Sonar Recording/TrackBack, and more.
Navigation
As we already mentioned in this Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP review, the unit comes with a built-in GPS mechanism. We are talking about a 16-channel GPS with EGNOS, WAAS, and MSAS. This particular bundle comes with preloaded Insight basemaps but is also compatible with numerous charting options like Navionics Gold, Lake Master, Fishing Hot Spots PRO, and others.
The unit supports up to 3,000 waypoints with 100 routes (100 points per route) and 100 retraceable plot trails (up to 10,000 points per trails).
Networking
Insight Genesis is an online app that allows you to customize your maps with fishing spots and points of interest based on your sonar recordings. Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP comes with a microSD card slot, which allows you to save the maps on your microSD and load them onto the device whenever you choose.
What's In The Box
- Lowrance Elite 7 chirp
- Mounting bracket
- Installation hardware
- Transducer
- Documentation
Verdict
Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP is a medium-sized fish finder/chartplotter combo that provides excellent value for the price. However, it is a very complicated unit, so we do not recommend it to beginners without ample experience with fish finders or sonars in general.
It comes with a broadband CHIRP sonar with DownScan as well as a pretty potent transom transducer. Out of all traditional sonar functionalities, the recording/TrackBack feature seems like the most useful one, especially paired with the functionality offered by Insight Genesis.
In conclusion of this Lowrance Elite-7 CHIRP review, the unit is ideal for inland and off-shore fishing trips (especially if paired with a better transducer) but can also hold its own during ice-fishing expeditions.