Simrad GO7 XSE Fishfinder Review – Our In-depth Thoughts
The Simrad Go7 is something really special when it comes to a high-quality fish finder. It has a beautiful, tablet-esque touch screen with one of the most intuitive user interfaces that you have seen on a fish finder. This model takes the same touchscreen technology that we use on our smartphones and tablets and has integrated it into this model to make it even easier to use and navigate. It comes loaded with a quality 10 hertz GPS and a powerful sonar system to give you a crystal clear view of the water and the fish around you.
The built-in memory on this model is great for marking all of your favorite fishing spots. It comes with hundreds of maps of US bodies of water, including the coastline. This unit also comes with a lot of additional features that make your fishing experience even more enjoyable like Wi-fi connectivity for updates and Bluetooth connection for playing music while you fish.
Table of Contents
Cool Display
The display on this model is really something special. The engineers at Simrad wanted to make the navigation and user interface of this model as intuitive as possible. They created a touchscreen fish finder that has the same feel and similar design to the tablets and smartphones that you are so accustomed to using. It makes it really easy to select, zoom, drag, drop and navigate around your screen without having the steep learning curve that many other fish finders have. You can do this all on a beautiful seven-inch multi-touch display that gives you great backlighting and vibrant colors. The interface is totally customizable from the menus to the choice of wallpaper that you want on your screen.
GPS and Sonar
A fish finder is only as good as the hardware and software that is built on. Thankfully, this model comes with a powerful GPS and sonar that will make your entire fishing experience even more enjoyable and easier. The mapping system and the sonar on this fish finder work as an extension of the angler, and give you a clear view of the area around and beneath your vessel. The GPS receiver and the built-in mapping system give you hundreds of maps so that you can always track where you are when you are fishing. The chirp sonar, DownScan, and StructureScan give you the clearest view and best definition when it comes to identifying fish in the vicinity of your boat.
Mounting System
This unit even comes with a Transom transducer mount so that you can mount your transducer anywhere on your boat. This gives you the versatility to mount your transducer in the most optimal and most convenient spot for sonar use.
Wi-fi Connection and Updates
Some fish finders will have to be plugged up to your computer in order to update the maps and the software. This fish finder has total Wi-fi connectivity so that you can update your fish finder wirelessly, anytime that you are connected to the internet. This makes it even easier to get all of the latest maps, GPS updates, new maps and software updates for your device.
Other Fun Built-in Features
Another huge added bonus to this fish finder is that it comes with a lot of enjoyable added features. What took us off guard when we started reviewing this model is that it comes with Bluetooth connectivity for the music device. You can easily connect your smartphone, tablet or computer to this device so that you can listen to music through your fish finder. It even has a port for a zip drive so that you can listen to music on that, while you are fishing.
Things We Liked
- This fish finder features a beautiful seven-inch multi-touch display that is really easy to use and even easier for the user to navigate through
- This fishfinder comes with a mount that gives you plenty of versatility. You can either mount it flush, flat or bracket it virtually anywhere on your fishing vessel
- If you know how to use a touchscreen on a smartphone or tablet, you will have no trouble using this fish finder. The touchscreen and the user interface bear striking resemblance to that of your traditional smartphone or tablet, so you should have almost instantaneous familiarity and ease-of-use with this model.
- This unit has a built-in 10 hertz GPS that gives you visibility and access to countless US lakes and bodies of water, as well as the coastline on either side of the country.
- This model also has built-in Wi-fi, which gives you a huge advantage when it comes to updating your maps and charts. Anytime that you can connect to Wi-fi, your unit will update itself with all of the most recent and relevant maps and charts.
- This fishfinder comes with a total scan transducer and chirp sonar so that you always have a clear view and precise location of the fish that are around your boat. This unit gives you the ability to mount the transducer in a variety of places on your vessel so that you can get the best possible use out of it.
- With the chirp sonar, you are going to get vivid and clear images of the fish around you, the floor beneath you and anywhere that the fish may be hiding.
- The sensors on this unit have the ability to give you the depth of the water that you are in, and also the water temperature. This gives you an added advantage when you are searching for the perfect fishing hole.
- This high-tech model also gives you the ability to view your previous fishing history so that you can revisit any of your favorite fishing spots. It also provides detailed information about the history and performance of your boat
- This unit even has Bluetooth connectivity so that you can stream music from any other Bluetooth device. You can even connect a zip drive to your fish finder and play music files off of that. Or you can simply listen to AM or FM radio.
Things We Didn’t Like
- One thing that we noticed about this fish finder that as a little odd is that it takes a couple of minutes to update around your area when you accelerate quickly and then stop abruptly
FAQ
Question: Is the transducer included with this model?
Answer: Yes, the transducer is included with this product.
Question: Can this unit calculate speed on the water?
Answer: Yes, this fish finder has a built in the speedometer.
Final Verdict
Overall, this is an awesome, high-tech fish finder that is really easy to use. We really enjoy the intuitive multi-touch controls on this model and all of the additional features it as. The Wi-fi connectivity for updates makes it really easy to maintain, and the built-in Bluetooth is a nice added feature for entertainment.
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