LiveScope review

[Allen]

Just a quick update. I am not always the swiftest when it comes to jumping to new tech, but Livescope is the bomb.

As you may recall, I bought the Black Friday Scheels offering of a 10 inch screened Garmin Echomap with the LVS-34 transducer. Wanting to make sure I went the right direction the first time, it took me a little while to select the HD Innovations carbon fiber ice-fishing pole to mount the transducer on, and I went with the FishArmor Pro Extreme shuttle. A couple of notes, while I like the HD pole, it comes with zero instructions. WTF? So, you will find yourself searching for videos on how to mount the transducer. Horseshit customer service, IMHO.

The FishArmor shuttle is good, but it also comes with pitfalls. 1. The battery storage area is limited in size to about the 30 AH Amped Outdoors battery (at least, it seems designed around it). I originally bought a larger 50 AH battery from a different manufacturer and it didn't fit well because it rested against one of the toggle switches, so I ended up picking up the Amped Outdoors 30 AH battery. 2. The FishArmor shuttle, while overall pretty nice, is NOT setup nice to recharge the battery. If you were planning on hooking up a charger after every fishing outing, it will annoy you to learn that you will need a 1/8 inch Allen wrench to remove the back panel to hook up the charger.

I eventually modified the shuttle to hold an Amped Outdoors battery charger on the exterior of the shuttle to avoid having to remove the back panel on each outing. That too was a problem in that the Amped Outdoors charger has an indicator light for battery voltage, so I also had to add a toggle switch to control the circuit so the damn charger doesn't drain the battery when storing the unit.

Also, the FishArmor shuttle's manufacturer sells accessories to enhance your fishing experience. I bought the top mounted pole holder, it seems OK...but makes the setup kind of wide with the pole laying sideways, but the other mount with a vertical holder and transducer protecting box would make it really tall. Oh well, choose your poison, I guess. Their accessory LED lights are great though, although it wouldn't take a genius to find lights for less.

I should have (and probably will) added the rod holders to the shuttle. I think it would be nice in the house, and on the ice when hole jumping.

So, here's the rough total damage for the setup I have"

Advertised 10" LiveScope with LVS-34 transducer ~ $2,600 and change including tax.
FishArmor shuttle with pole holder and LED light accessories ~ $450
HD Pole ~ $150 plus tax from Scheels
30 AH Amped Outdoors battery plus charger ~ $260 including tax (again from Scheels)
Toggle switch to separate charger from battery ~ $30.50 from Mac's in Bis (including velcro straps, etc)

In the end, I am far more invested in LiveScope than I anticipated, but the son and I really enjoyed the hell out of it the other day as we watched the fish come in on a small pothole lake. Good times!

I am thinking it will probably cost me at least $500 to get a pole and mounting system that will let me use the LiveScope on my boat and pontoon for the upcoming open water season.

 

[Allen]

Note, I put the charger on the exterior of the shuttle because it gets quite warm when in use. Didn't think it was a good idea to put it into an unvented shuttle. The charger isn't sealed against water, but it also is not overtly vented, so I "sealed" it against water splash by smearing a little silicone along its seam. So, I am hoping it lasts for a while.

 

[ndfinfan]

Great insight Allen - thank you for sharing!

 

[Jiffy]

I'm still waiting for them to come down in price. It may happen in about 5 years.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I'm still waiting for them to come down in price. It may happen in about 5 years.

wouldnt hold my breath

 

[Kurtr]

Got to fish with a group this weekend there were 6 of them . They are pretty cool especially for finding where to fish. Hopefully win one next weekend or just going to have to stick with the flasher for a while

 

[Rowdie]

IF you win one it sounds like you'll need $1k worth of accessories. LOL

The Mobridge Chamber is giving 25 of them away in the tournament, and they got them for $57K

 

[stever58]

HD is coming out with a mount for there pole that works in the boat
Should be out in a couple months

 

[Tikka280ai]

The fish armor pro extreme shuttle is, in my opinion, the best shuttle available for an all in one livescope. I ended up using the vertical pole/transducer storage on mine and while it is bulky it seems the most secure and protected option I have seen. I went with a 32ah norsk battery and still had a fair amount of room to go with a larger battery if I need to in the future.

For charging I figured out what size barrel connector my charger had and Amazon'ed a thru mount connector the same size and mounted it above the battery on the right side of the shuttle. I'll get pics of it if someone needs visual explanation.

 

[DirtyMike]

Allen, I got nabbed by the same deal as you. I went with the HD shuttle, however. I wanted to find a less expensive option but it came down to quality along with scheels having them on hand. You're correct, the pole/transducer mount turned me into a caveman as I hit things together expecting them to fit. All in all, I absolutely love it after my two trips with it. I don't know how much I'm into it but at least I have plausible deniability when the wife asks.

 

[Tikka280ai]

Just a quick update. I am not always the swiftest when it comes to jumping to new tech, but Livescope is the bomb.

As you may recall, I bought the Black Friday Scheels offering of a 10 inch screened Garmin Echomap with the LVS-34 transducer. Wanting to make sure I went the right direction the first time, it took me a little while to select the HD Innovations carbon fiber ice-fishing pole to mount the transducer on, and I went with the FishArmor Pro Extreme shuttle. A couple of notes, while I like the HD pole, it comes with zero instructions. WTF? So, you will find yourself searching for videos on how to mount the transducer. Horseshit customer service, IMHO.

The FishArmor shuttle is good, but it also comes with pitfalls. 1. The battery storage area is limited in size to about the 30 AH Amped Outdoors battery (at least, it seems designed around it). I originally bought a larger 50 AH battery from a different manufacturer and it didn't fit well because it rested against one of the toggle switches, so I ended up picking up the Amped Outdoors 30 AH battery. 2. The FishArmor shuttle, while overall pretty nice, is NOT setup nice to recharge the battery. If you were planning on hooking up a charger after every fishing outing, it will annoy you to learn that you will need a 1/8 inch Allen wrench to remove the back panel to hook up the charger.

I eventually modified the shuttle to hold an Amped Outdoors battery charger on the exterior of the shuttle to avoid having to remove the back panel on each outing. That too was a problem in that the Amped Outdoors charger has an indicator light for battery voltage, so I also had to add a toggle switch to control the circuit so the damn charger doesn't drain the battery when storing the unit.

Also, the FishArmor shuttle's manufacturer sells accessories to enhance your fishing experience. I bought the top mounted pole holder, it seems OK...but makes the setup kind of wide with the pole laying sideways, but the other mount with a vertical holder and transducer protecting box would make it really tall. Oh well, choose your poison, I guess. Their accessory LED lights are great though, although it wouldn't take a genius to find lights for less.

I should have (and probably will) added the rod holders to the shuttle. I think it would be nice in the house, and on the ice when hole jumping.

So, here's the rough total damage for the setup I have"

Advertised 10" LiveScope with LVS-34 transducer ~ $2,600 and change including tax.
FishArmor shuttle with pole holder and LED light accessories ~ $450
HD Pole ~ $150 plus tax from Scheels
30 AH Amped Outdoors battery plus charger ~ $260 including tax (again from Scheels)
Toggle switch to separate charger from battery ~ $30.50 from Mac's in Bis (including velcro straps, etc)

In the end, I am far more invested in LiveScope than I anticipated, but the son and I really enjoyed the hell out of it the other day as we watched the fish come in on a small pothole lake. Good times!

I am thinking it will probably cost me at least $500 to get a pole and mounting system that will let me use the LiveScope on my boat and pontoon for the upcoming open water season.

I think fish armor sells a charge port that used the SAE connector that is on the amped batteries.

 

[Rowdie]

If I had one on the boat I'd like it on the trolling motor like those pro bass guys have it.

 

[Eatsleeptrap]

Great information, thanks.

 

[Smuscha]

Holy smokes, the HD pole comes with the mounts for all transducer's and 3 various turn bolts and you guys are complaining about figuring out which bolt and 3 cord clips. Hands down probably the nicest pole setup for winter. Don’t think it will out do a brew city in the summer.

Thanks for the shuttle review, haven’t seen that one yet. Still have yet to find a shuttle to pull the trigger on.

 

[johnr]

I have some rich friends that cover that expensive stuff for when I fish with them. I am stuck on my FL18 for the reasonable future.
I fish way less than I used to, and it pains me to even buy bait at $4.00 a scoop. ( I call it frugal, mrs johnr calls me cheap)
When retirement hits in a few years, that's when I will try to suit up with some fancier shit, as time will be on my side. Hoping it drops 30% or better in price by then, or worse, the next fancy fucking ordeal will be out, and I will have to work a part time job to keep up.

Great review Allen

 

[JUSTWINGNIT]

I also built a whole setup a couple years ago. Went with the summit shuttle and aluminum pole. So far no complaints. Can't remember what battery i put in it but its a good sized one anyways. Still looking for the perfect open water pole setup that I can switch between the boat and the pontoon.

 

[gonefshn]

The prices on today’s stuff will go down. Problem is there’s always something better coming out and it usually costs even more.

 

[luvcatchingbass]

I have some rich friends that cover that expensive stuff for when I fish with them. I am stuck on my FL18 for the reasonable future.
I fish way less than I used to, and it pains me to even buy bait at $4.00 a scope. ( I call it frugal, mrs johnr calls me cheap)
When retirement hits in a few years, that's when I will try to suit up with some fancier shit, as time will be on my side. Hoping it drops 30% or better in price by then, or worse, the next fancy fucking ordeal will be out, and I will have to work a part time job to keep up.

Great review Allen

(In the industry I work in) Unfortunately technology doesn't really get cheaper typically unless there is a major upgrade but companies tend to make little improvements and keep the price up, sometimes new designs or certain improvement jumps are made due to manufacturing or part availability from the outsourced company. Now if you want to trade in then your equipment is next to worthless, how many have ever seen trade in programs for their technology for their boats or trade up deals on a Vexilar. Apparently the FLX-30 problems and complaints I have are fixed in the FLX-35 from what the Vex Rep at Scheels Ice Fest told me, I asked about doing a trade up deal and I would go get mine and be back, nope no dice but I could get another FLX-30 for like $200-300 off.
Technology dealers/salesmen are like crack dealers, get someone hooked on your product and try to keep them just happy enough and they will eventually keep coming back.
@johnr, maybe you and I could start a Go-Fund-Me or some sort of Poor B@st@rds Fund for Technology. It would be for fish research and teaching underprivileged blue collar folks how to use technology in everyday fishing scenarios.

 

[johnr]

(In the industry I work in) Unfortunately technology doesn't really get cheaper typically unless there is a major upgrade but companies tend to make little improvements and keep the price up, sometimes new designs or certain improvement jumps are made due to manufacturing or part availability from the outsourced company. Now if you want to trade in then your equipment is next to worthless, how many have ever seen trade in programs for their technology for their boats or trade up deals on a Vexilar. Apparently the FLX-30 problems and complaints I have are fixed in the FLX-35 from what the Vex Rep at Scheels Ice Fest told me, I asked about doing a trade up deal and I would go get mine and be back, nope no dice but I could get another FLX-30 for like $200-300 off.
Technology dealers/salesmen are like crack dealers, get someone hooked on your product and try to keep them just happy enough and they will eventually keep coming back.
@johnr, maybe you and I could start a Go-Fund-Me or some sort of Poor B@st@rds Fund for Technology. It would be for fish research and teaching underprivileged blue collar folks how to use technology in everyday fishing scenarios.

Now this is an idea I can get behind.
Problem is my fishing comes with some beer drinking, and we would need a supplemental Go_Fund for that too. Lets get this ball rolling, I will even bust out for the bait, just one scoop though.

 

[luvcatchingbass]

Now this is an idea I can get behind.
Problem is my fishing comes with some beer drinking, and we would need a supplemental Go_Fund for that too. Lets get this ball rolling, I will even bust out for the bait, just one scoop though.

I can be good for 1 scoop and a container of waxies every other trip. I suck at catching walleye so we aren't going to go through that many minnows. Quite drinking 23mo ago so you can take my share on that