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Raymarine A78
Raymarine A78 Review Facts
Fishing is a great leisure time that many people participate in. Some go as far as to fish competitively which can be an impressive sport considering the variables outside of the fishermen's control. There are tools that can assist fishermen with their competition like viewfinders that will show the fishermen (and women) what is beneath the surface of the lake. A Chartplotter/Fishfinder (the name of the device itself) can see where fish are and where they were even hours before. If used in combination with each other these tools can assist any fishermen with their technique. A fishfinder is basically a GPS device used to find fish under water. It uses sonar technology in order to see where fish are under the surface. It also uses GPS technology to show the fishermen where they are and where they've been. Fish appear as round marks or clouds under the surface of the water. Larger fish can show as a solid color on the radar screen. There is a cone that is in the water that sends out signals in order to determine what is under the water and communicate with the fishfinder in order to show the fisherman if it's worth stopping or moving on.
This article focuses on the Raymarine A78. This is a popular fishfinder and chartplotter combo from Raymarine. We looked at consumer reviews in order to determine what consumers liked and disliked about this product. We also looked at the technology offered versus the price of the unit, as well as the effectiveness and usefulness of the technology. We also looked at the materials used for the product, as well as the products construction in order to determine the products reliability, durability and quality. This is our in-depth review of the Raymarine A78. We hope that this article serves you in your next fishfinder/chartplotter purchase.
Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
- This product is both easy to use and easy to install
- This product is quite durable
- This product has lots of great features
- This product is reliable
Cons
- This product's system instructions are hard to understand
- This product's customer service team isn't very helpful
ACCURACY
The Raymarine A78 comes with a whole wack of features that require accuracy in order to work. These features are described in this article more below but those who purchased this product said that the accuracy of the features of this unit is pretty good. One individual went as far as to buy this product in search of a sunken boat. They said that they found the boat with a crystal clear image of it via the view finder. They said that they could see really specific details including the stern of the boat through the view finder. Another reviewer also confirmed the accuracy of this product saying that the bait balls, fish hooks, and thermal lines were all defined perfectly which would help assist in fishing explorations. Those who really praised this product purchased the extra transducer which seems to be quite necessary in order to get the full advantages of this product. Overall, this product is quite accurate and its features are also fully functioning, similar to its description on the website.
ADVANCED FEATURES
The Raymarine A78 has DownVision (sonar) technology as well as Digital Sonar support. The transducers are sold separately, though, and should be considered before relying on these features. This product offers enough storage to hold up to 70 icons and up to 100 waypoint groups. This also allows for about 3000 waypoints per each grouping. It also offers Raymarine's bundled Navionics+ which can cover more than 18,000 lakes in Canada and the United States. It offers 1' HD contours and a guide for nautical charts as well. The SonarChart offered through Raymarine is HD and offers bathymetry mapping as well as community edits which comes for the first year. This product is also WI-FI and Bluetooth capable which keeps it up to date. Those who purchased this were quite impressed with the numerous features offered with it and found them to be quite useful. Reviewers state that they would highly recommend this product despite the cost of it (probably due to all its features), saying that it works really well and did the job that it claimed to do which is positive.
BASIC FEATURES
This fish finder offers a simple design, meant for boating and angling. It works as both a navigation system for boating too which makes this product multi-purpose. The screen offers a multifunction display and offers smart placement of functions in order to make the screen user-friendly. This product also offers additional apps that can be used on smartphones and tablets. They are discussed in a little more detail below. This product also offers a chartplotter that helps fishermen identify where fish are located. It has a 7" display that has bright LED technology. It is easy to see even in daylight, which stops eye strain when in areas that are a little brighter. It has a 5 Hz fash acquisition GPS and built-in sonar technology. This fish finder is compatible with NMEA 2000 and offers mapping upgrades through a microSD card. It is loaded with features. Those who purchased the Raymarine A78 liked all its features but did have issues reading the instruction manual which made some of the features unusable. It was unclear based on the reviews if this was an issue for those with technical experience or whether the users may have been a little less familiar with newer technology.
CONNECTIVITY
This product offers a 5 Hz Acquisition GPS unit that updates (WAAS/EGNOS/MSAS) every second in order to offer proper directional awareness all throughout the fisherman's travels. It has a built-in sonar which offers both DownVision and Digital Sonar which is all navigated by the swipe of a finger via a digital screen. The microSD card seems to work well for most users and contains storage for mapping upgrades. The mapping software also seems to be a crowd favorite which offers renowned mapping of 18, 000 lakes in Canada and the United States as mentioned earlier in the article. Those who used this product didn't find that this product was hard to set up unless done via the instructions, the instructions seem to be a little complex. They also found that the WI-FI and Bluetooth connectivity suffered as a result of the lack of clear instructions as well. Once connected, though, it sounds like both features worked fairly well and didn't disconnect easily even when the device was moved around. Most devices only offer about 200 feet into the water, however, this product can go to a depth of 600 feet which is positive.
EASE OF USE
This seems to be a point of contention for some consumers. Some consumers found that setting this product up, despite its long list of additional features, to be quite easy but some found that it was a little confusing to set up especially when done so through the instruction manual included with the package. The screen of this product is quite large which makes seeing what your doing easy. It also has an HD display which smooths lines a little better and, again, making it easier to see. This product comes with all the cables required in order to set it up which is good. The screens are also customizable which would make it even easier to use due to its easy customization for those with individual preferences. Some reviewers did complain that the screen is hard to see. Some also had issues with connecting theirs to their Android which is a common concern with a lot of technology due to the fact that most of these products are more focused on iOS technology (the operating system that is associated and comes with the iPhone and iPad). Again, based on consumer reviews it seems that those with less technological skill struggled more than those with higher.
SCREEN
The screen of this product offers a multifunction display with a Chartplotter. It has an innovative LightHouse user interface which is completely customizable for those looking for a more personalized device. It has easy-to-use operational navigation which is similar to that of a smartphone. Some reviewers did find that the screen was hard to see and hard to maneuver around but it seems that if it is customized, that it can be much easier to work with. It offers a clear 800x480 resolution which most reviewers found was quite attractive in design. It also has a 7" display which offers multitouch capability. Those who used this product liked that it offers bright LED technology which makes this product easier to use at night. Overall, there were some complaints about the functionality of the product, however, it also sounded like if those who used this product had it set-up be someone that has some technical experience that it could be useful to them. There were a few complaints that despite the website saying that the screen is easy to see in the sun, that they still had issues seeing it in areas of high light and brightness.
PRICE
This fish finder is definitely not cheap. This product compared to other similar options on the market is quite expensive. It is pretty much in line with comparable products though. It offers a huge line of unique technologies that help those who are looking for either a GPS navigation system or a fishfinder (or both!). It also offers a smart design that is similar to phones and tablets today. It is versatile in that it can be used as either a navigation system or a fishfinder as well which helps justify the price. The product does seem to be quite reliable, however, there seems to be a fair amount of issues with the ease-of-use due to instructions that are a little complicated to figure out. The customer service team also seem to be poor at Raymarine unfortunately. The fact that the product updates frequently in order to keep the maps up to date, as well, is handy. This fish finder is reviewed as being quite durable and the website does note that it has INX6-rated water resistance which would keep it functional even if splashed with water. It also comes with a 2-year warranty which would add some ease to a buyers purchase. Overall, this product does seem to be worth the cost but may require assistance setting up and installing.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This product does seem to be a pretty good one. There are some mixed reviews about it which usually consist of the ease-of-use above anything else. Those who purchased this fish finder were quite impressed with its functionality and additional features. They were also impressed by its durability and water resistance. Of course, water resistance is required with a product like this due to it being something you use on a boat. The sonar technology does seem to work quite well along with the GPS technology. There were some users that struggled a little bit with the setup and installation. This isn't really an issue if it can be set up by someone with some technological experience though. This fish finder has advanced features like an HD screen, LED lighting, WI-FI and Bluetooth as well. A point of contention with this product might be that the price is a little high. Though it is comparable in price to those competing in the market, this option will set the buyer back by a little bit. Some reviewers went as far as buying two units to install on their boat for even more coverage of the area below. The fact that the product updates continually with assistance from the community is also a nice feature. Overall, the primary issue with this fish finder seems to be the set up due to the complicated instructions and the fact that the customer service team might be lacking a touch. Otherwise, this seems to be quite useful to most users and there weren't too many complaints about its functionality which is positive. With the 2-year warranty, this product is definitely worth consideration.
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