When it comes to fish finders, Garmin is one of the most well-known names in the fish finder and general fishing technology industry. Founded in 1989 and previously known as ProNav, Garmin has taken the fishing technology world by storm.
Their fish finders and other electronic products can be found in more than 40 countries worldwide, with both beginning and professional anglers making use of a variety of Garmin technology for ice fishing, freshwater fishing, and even some saltwater fishing.
The Garmin Panoptix Livescope fish finder is an outstanding option for any angler looking to find almost real-time imaging with a variety of features for their display unit. You’ll find more pros than cons with the Garmin Livescope, making it one of the best options when you’re ready to upgrade your technology.
Garmin Panoptix Livescope: What Is It?
When it comes to high-quality live imaging of fish in your favorite fishing spot, the Garmin Livescope fishfinder technology is made to provide constant feed from real-time scanning sonar pings. For most average anglers, knowing the ins and outs of how live sonar works is of very little interest. They simply want a fish finder that works and delivers accurate and easy-to-read imaging.
When using a constant sonar feed, like that from the Panoptix Livescope technology, you get a real-time feed to your monitors, giving you detailed views on fish movement without any lapse in time. In fact, the visual feed is so constant on the display unit that some users have compared it to an underwater camera more than a fish finder.
Features of the Garmin Livescope Fish Finder
Real-Time Imaging
While many other fish finders will advertise real-time imaging, it is normally delayed by a few seconds at best. With the Garmin Livescope transducer, the live imaging is almost as good as watching an actual underwater video to see fish moving freely.
You’ll be able to clearly see the movement of fish, including the school size and direction the fish are heading. You’ll be able to get a clear view of underwater structures and heavy cover areas where fish like to hide, as well as see where your bait has landed in the water.
When adjusting your fishing techniques and trolling motor direction or speed, having a real-time view of exactly what the fish are doing under the water can mean the difference between an average fishing trip and an outstanding fishing trip where you haul in that next trophy fish.
Three Modes
The Garmin Livescope fish finder offers you a range of viewing options depending on your current fishing location or the fish you are targeting.
You’ll get a detailed side can view, which shows you everything around your boat in crisp and vivid sonar images. If you’re trolling around in murky water near the shoreline, having a good side scanner can help you determine exactly where fish may be holding undercover.
You’ll also get a high-depth down view scan which shows you exactly what is happening under your boat. It’s the more traditional fish finding view and is great for staying on course when you are following different contours on the bottom of the lake.
In addition, you’ll also find a perspective mode that ultimately combines both the side and down scan views to give you comprehensive all-around imaging. While perspective mode does best in water less than 20 feet deep, it can give you some incredible sonar images of fish swimming, right down to the exact fish species shown on display.
Exceptional Range
While the quality of the imagery you are able to see on your Garmin Livescope system will depend on a few factors, including the murkiness of the shallow water you are scanning from the boat, the usable fish finder range for highly detailed sonar views are around 200 feet.
Even with some slight distortion that may appear once you pass the 100-foot mark, the quality of sonar images you get back with the Garmin Livescope at such long distances will probably be more than even a professional angler will need.
Image Stabilization
There are a few ways Garmin has addressed image stabilization with their Garmin Livescope fish finder. For one, they make use of an AHRS system to stabilize the view on the unit even with trolling motor vibrations on the boat.
AHRS stands for attitude heading reference system, and it is one of the ways Garmin has used to combat low-quality imaging due to a variety of factors you may experience on the boat as well as in the water.
With other fish finders, murky water, heavy vegetation, trolling motor or other boat vibrations, and inclement weather can all have a negative effect on the quality of the sonar image you have displayed on your monitor. This can also alter your chartplotting accuracy and make staying on the course more difficult with a variety of transducer models.
With the attitude heading reference system Garmin uses, however, a lot of these issues are bypassed to deliver a clear and highly accurate view of more fish, lakebed contours, underwater structures, thick vegetation, and more.
Customizable Views
When it comes to customization, the Garmin Livescope offers a long range of options for you to choose from. There are options for adjusting the main user interface layout and grid angle on the transducer, as well as being able to hide or display the features that are most useful to you.
You can also split the screen to display multiple scans at once so you get the whole picture at a glance and know exactly where fish may be hiding.
While you may need a specific Garmin monitor or an adapter cable in order to utilize all of the customization features, the Garmin Livescope is very versatile and works well with a wide range of display models and other required technology.
Vivid Color Palettes
Having bright and vivid colors can help you determine exactly what you are viewing, speeding up the process it takes to find fish. Instead of trying to discern between various shades of gray on other fish finders, you will instead see a range of different color contrasts on the Garmin Livescope, which can make viewing and understanding the current water conditions and different species of fish much easier.
Garmin Panoptix Livescope Review
The Garmin Panoptix Livescope is considered as the most amazing sonar technology ever with its highly detailed, easy-to-interpret Live scanning sonar images of structure, bait and fish swimming below and around your boat in real time, even when your boat is stationary.
It can easily adjust the transducer to fit your fishing techniques; point forward to see around your boat, or point down to see directly below your boat.
Features:
- Incredibly sharp real-time scanning sonar images up to 200’ down and away
- Attitude heading Reference system (airs) stabilizes sonar view on chart plotter screen, even in rough conditions
- Simple plug-and-play Garmin Marine network connector makes it easy to install and seamlessly integrate with your compatible Garmin chart plotter
Factors to Consider Before Buying the Garmin Panoptix Livescope
Compatibility
With the Garmin Livescope, you will need to have a compatible Garmin brand fish finding display since this setup does not include it. However, finding a compatible display may be much easier than you think since the Garmin Livescope is very versatile.
It pairs exceptionally well with almost every version of the Echomap Plus, Echomap UHD, and Echomap Ultra, including the 7Xcv, 7Xsv, and 9Xsv. It also works well with a wide range of GPSMap Plus and GPSMap Touch displays, including the 8400 and 8600 multifunction displays, the 7×2 and 9×2, as well as the 7400 and 7600 models of chartplanner and sonar combos.
While having to locate and purchase a compatible display adds to the overall cost of this setup, many anglers find it to be well worth the investment.
Ease of Use
While the Garmin Livescope is not made to be a quick plug-and-play model, it still offers a relatively easy installation process. If you aren’t comfortable installing your own electronics that are a bit more involved than plug-and-play, or if you aren’t confident in your tech-savviness, having the Garmin transducer installed by an expert is a simple alternative you can consider.
Saltwater
As with any other traditional fish finder from Garmin or other companies, saltwater can be much more difficult to get accurate transducer results in. Due to the higher density saltwater has when compared to freshwater, the Garmin Livescope transducer may struggle to provide detailed and accurate results.
In this case, if you plan on spending the majority of your time fishing in saltwater, the Garmin Panoptix Livescope system may not be the best transducer for your electronic needs. Instead of getting the full 200-foot scanning range as you would in freshwater, you will be struggling to see any detailed views in anything more than 50 feet deep with salt water.
Install
Physical installation of this fish finder is not challenging for average anglers, especially if you’ve ever installed other electronics on your boat before. You’ll find the Livescope transducer has a standard transom mount and includes an attachment for your trolling motor, which makes everything usual.
You can also easily find other styles of transom mount for your boat or can contact Garmin to find a trolling motor mount that may work for your boat. When it comes to compatible Garmin chartplotter options, a motor shaft mount and motor barrel mount are potential options you can consider.
Lowrance and Humminbird Competing Live Sonar Technology
Competition between scanning sonar is good. It keeps manufacturers looking for new ways to make better fishing technology. Like Garmin, both Lowrance and Humminbird are extremely well-known names in live sonar technology. But how do they stack up to each other?
Humminbird was founded in 1971 and quickly became a well-known name in the fishing world. They offered small-town charm while still focusing on some of the best real-time scanning sonar technology in the industry regardless of your fishing style and unique needs.
Over time, Humminbird offered a wide range of fishing electronics, including various 360-degree sonar kits, HD displays, ice fishing transducers, single and dual boat scanners, and more. Many anglers that have dealt with Humminbird directly have said their customer service is top-notch and their warranties are always honored.
Lowrance, on the other hand, was created in 1957 and rose to the top of the shore and boat fishing electronics industry in short order. They were the flagship company offering key features such as split-screen multifunction high-definition screen resolution displays and covering a wide range of fish finders and sonar technology.
Lowrance was also one of the first companies to deliver CHIRP scanning sonar to the mainstream market and continues to lead the field when it comes to new fishing technology.
However, while their transducer and other electronic products may remain in the top 3 of best brands worldwide, many anglers have reported issues with their customer service and warranties being honored.
Final Thoughts on the Garmin Panoptix Livescope
In short, the Garmin Livescope fish finder transducer is a very worthwhile fish finding technology to purchase if you are willing to spend the cash. The initial investment may be considerably high to some, especially if they are just entering the world of fish finding technology, but the increased amount of fish you will catch can make it feel worth it.
If you’re a person that loves fishing either as a hobby or as a profession and wants to stay on top of the best tech to take your fishing to the next level, the Garmin Livescope may be just what you need to make your next fishing trip more enjoyable.