# humminbird helix 5 - add side imaging



## sledneck22 (Feb 8, 2016)

I bought a boat this weekend. It came with a Helix 5 gps. 
Can I buy a side imaging transducer and use my current head to show side imaging or do I need an entire new unit?
Thanks,


----------



## onthewater102 (Feb 8, 2016)

I'm all but certain you need a new head unit.


----------



## Texas Prowler (Feb 8, 2016)

Call humming bird. I know the guys on Texas fishing forums that have the 9 and say send humming bird back the original transducerand trade it for the hd

Sent from the dust in front of you!


----------



## sunshine (Feb 8, 2016)

onthewater102 said:


> I'm all but certain you need a new head unit.



This is my first thought.


----------



## Johnny (Feb 8, 2016)

why not go straight to the source and contact Humminbird
customer service ?????
then, you get it right from the horses mouth, so to speak.

I have a Humminbird Helix 5 di/gps and love it.
I just don't have a need for the options right now.


----------



## onthewater102 (Feb 9, 2016)

You obviously haven't used side imaging Sr. Johnny 

My experience is with the 700 series, I have the 798cisi but when my unit was out for service we were using my friend's 788cidi but even when hooked up to my side imaging transducer it did not have the options to display the side imaging. No idea if you could crack the software & unlock the features or if it requires a different processor - humminbird is notorious for handling all their all service & support so there isn't really a 3rd party network that deals with their products.


----------



## sledneck22 (Feb 9, 2016)

Thanks for your replies everyone.
I just didn't want to call them up and sit on hold for ever if there was something I was missing with being able to just switch transducers or something. 
Its a pretty useful piece of technology for fishing and thought it was worth the question.

Edit. I did contact Humminbird and they said the same thing you guys did. The entire unit needs to be replaced. I was a little disappointed there wasn't a trade in program or even a transducer upgrade. They said the software can be upgraded via the web.... Yay. 
Someone want to buy a lightly used Helix 5 sonar/gps haha?


----------



## wmk0002 (Feb 10, 2016)

Unfortunately no lol. But the best deal I have seen on the Helix 5 with GPS and SI is $450 on Amazon. That's with free shipping and no sales tax. Gonna buy one myself but figure I'll wait until the spring since I won't use it a whole lot until then.


----------



## onthewater102 (Feb 11, 2016)

...save your money...buy the side imaging...you'll thank me later...

I was hesitant about it too but it is night and day different the amount of information available to you...ever float along in deep water casting out trying to hit the weedline without spooking all the timid fish waiting in ambush along it? A whole lot easier when you know it starts 67' from the side of your boat and you can close that distance slowly & quietly without ever encroaching on the target zone.

Following submerged roads is easy, at least in CT where our soil is half rock which had to be pushed to the side and piled along either side of virtually every old country road.

Random boulders scattered on an otherwise flat bottom out in front of a point...oh look...we're fishing the point and yet out behind us in 18' of water there is a chunk of rock the size VW Beetle...bet the fish that aren't on the point might have migrated over there...

Late fall I was fishing jerkbaits on a slow tapering point only to see the school of smallmouth I thought I was targeting were actually suspended out over the flat bottom of the deep section of the river/reservoir behind me. Pivoted my chair 180 degrees and caught fish on 3 successive casts away from any structure out into wide open water after working the point and every damn rock on it for 45 minutes and contacting nothing...

Don't get any of those chances with straight downward views.


----------

