The modern fish finders currently available in the market have made fishing easier for serious enthusiasts. They can locate various areas of the water that might not be visible to the naked eye and notify you if you are close to fish or need to move to another location to catch some. Different kinds of fish finders are currently available on the market. The Garmin Striker 7SV is one of the best ones.
The Garmin Striker 7SV is renowned for its impressive sonar. In simple words, if you are on the market for a fish finder with the best sonar, you won’t find anything better than the Garmin Striker 7SV. However, the sonar isn’t the only thing great about this fish finder.
Specifications and Details
Display Size: 7 inches
Weight: 24 oz
Screen: 800H v 480V pixel resolution, backlit, WVGA color
GPS: internal with high-precision
Transmit Power: 500 W (RMS)
Waypoints: 5,000
Maps: None
Depth Capability: 1,100 ft saltwater, 2,300 ft freshwater
Frequencies Supported: Traditional: 50kHZ/77kHZ/200kHZ
CHIRP SideVü: 260kHz/455kHz/800kHz
CHIRP DownVü: 260kHz/455kHz/800kHZ
GPS System
The main focus of the Garmin Striker 7SV is on the sonar but it still boasts a GPS system. Although the system is basic and doesn’t feature a chart plotter, it will come in handy for tracking the boat’s speed and determining your current location. The option of marking waypoints is there and the GPS offers a number of suggestive icons. A maximum of 5,000 waypoints can be stored. The waypoints can also be transferred between the unit itself and the echoMAP units.
Control Unit and Display
With a 7” display, the control unit has ample real estate to offer impressive details for side imaging while providing comprehensive space for a 3-panel, split screen view. The display of the Garmin Striker boasts an LED adjustable backlight, a WVGA color screen, and an 800 x 480-pixel matrix. Even in dark conditions, you won’t have any problem seeing what’s on the screen thanks to the bright backlight.
The rugged and compact design of the 7SV makes it ideal for outdoor use. You’ll be glad to know that the unit is IPX7 waterproof. A cover has also been included in the box to keep your unit safe.
Sonar and Transducer
If you aren’t impressed by what you have seen so far, hold your horses as we are now getting to the most impressive part – the sonar and transducer of the 7SV. For traditional sonar, the Striker 7SV is capable of 50kHZ/77kHZ/200kHZ and, for SideVü and DownVü, it manages 260kHz/455kHz/800kHz. However, this isn’t the limit for this unit as you will gain a lot more thanks to the CHIRP technology and the CHIRP GT52HW-TM transducer that comes with the 7SV.
For example, the Striker 7SV don’t just use the 455 kHz frequency or 800 kHz to generate a continuous pulse; instead, it’ll use the transducer to moderate each pulse between 425 kHz and 485 kHz and 790 kHz and 850 kHz respectively. Due to this reason, you will see a much clearer view on the screen and targets will be contoured a lot better.
CHIRP DownVü and CHIRP SideVü are both great sonar technologies that help observe structure. Fish targets will appear on the screen of the 7SV. The CHIRP DownVü will help you better understand the shape of the target and see how far up it reaches in the water column while the SideVü will help you better understand the position of the target in relation to your boat or other targets. The maximum range of SideVü is 750 ft on two sides of the boat.
For both DownVü and SideVü, thin beams are used by the transducer. These are 30° wide for 800 kHz and 50° for 455 kHz. The DownVü looks directly under the fishing boat while the CHIRP SideVü uses two beams to look on each side of the boat.
For traditional sonar – with the transducer – only one beam is used by the Striker 7SV. Each pulse is modulated between 150 kHz and 240 kHz. 2D sonar is better at observing targets so it’ll assist you a lot in distinguishing between targets, get a better idea about the size of the fish and even help you determine whether you are looking at a school of piranha or guppy.
The 2D sonar has several functions that you can use during your fishing adventure. The vertical flasher function is a good option to use during ice fishing. Other extra functions include A-scope, split zoom, fish symptoms, and bottom lock.
In the specifications, you will see that the maximum depth of this unit is 1,100 ft for saltwater and 2,300 ft for freshwater. However, this figure can only be achieved when you use a 50 kHz transducer. With the supplied GT52HW-TM transducer, the maximum depth that you’ll be able to scan with DownVü and SideVü is 500 ft while the 2D can manage up to 800 ft.
The supplied transducer boasts a temperature sensor so the Striker 7SV can help you determine the top-water temperature. The temperature graph function is also available in the unit which you can use to check temperature variance over a particular area. Another important thing to mention about the supplied GT52HW-TM transducer is that it has a 12-pin connector, while the main 7SV unit boasts a 4-pin connector. This isn’t a major concern since a cable adaptor comes with the unit. However, it will be a problem if you lose the adaptor.
The Garmin Striker 7SV cuts back on a bunch of additional features that many people don’t want in their fish finders. Instead, it has focused on providing the best sonar by including CHIRP 2D, DownVü and SideVü technologies. So, if you want to a fish finder with impressive sonar but without all the bells and whistles, the Striker 7SV could be a great option for you. It is also reasonably priced so it won’t break the bank.