The raymarine a70d (visit the store and read customer reviews here) wonderfully combines both powerful fish finder capabilities as well as a state-of-the art GPS – navigation system.  Contrary to one of the most apparent shortcoming of many fishfinder/chartplotters available, the raymarine a70d allows for perfect readability even in (almost) direct sunlight with its high resolution vibrant – colors VGA display. The display-size of diagonal 6.4” allows for neat and proper arrangement of all important information at the same time. As a matter of fact, the 6.4” are – at the time of writing this article – the largest screen of the A-series fishfinder/chartplotter combos.

Fishfinder Maps included – if you choose so

When ordering the raymarine a70d, you have the option to go with one of the pre-loaded maps/charts, including U.S. coastal waters, U.S. mainland coasts, and the Great Lakes, or you can add your own e.g. Hot-Maps or maps from Navionics, allowing for greater flexibility with your charts. The pre-loaded charts are two-dimensional, while satellite carts as wall as three-dimensional cartography is available. Similar to e.g. Google maps, add-on cartography also includes e.g. port pictures or any other marine-related points of interest.

Digital technology incorporated

As for the technology incorporated in the A series, the a70d from Raymarine does not fall short on features. A patented HD digital technology allows the raymarine a70d to instantaneously react to any changes in water condition – in its clarity and reaction time way ahead of analog fishfinders. In addition to its superior technology, you can easily adjust the sonar settings by means of some rugged soft-keys that allow for adjusting e.g. depth, magnifying level / zoom, or gain.

The standard equipment shipped with the Raymarine a70d are the tilt and twist bracket that allows for simple yet powerful installation on SUV or Boat. The unit itself is rubber-rugged, built for the lasting experience. A separate sun-cover (included)

Upgrading your Raymarine A70D

If the standard a70d features and specs of the Raymarine unit are not enough – or for the ultimate fishing geek, the Raymarine A series 70D also has some upgrading capabilities. For example, you can marry up the unit with the transom transducer which utilizes the exact same technology as the DSM 300. As such, the sounder of the Raymarine A70D then is capable of 50 Watts RMS, dual frequency transceiver quality – a true powerhouse in the fish finder family.

Another way of upgrading your Raymarine a70D is to hook it up to the SIRIUS satellite weather receiver SR 50. As such, you will get instant information on temperatures, on sea levels, graphical visualization of evolving storm as well as live storm track, as well as weather forecasts from SIRIUS. Another nice feature hereby is the radio capabilities of the a70d when connected to the SR 50.

Some other specs of the Raymarine a70d include:

-          Display of  9.1“ wide, 6.7” high, less than 4” deep

-          500-watt internal sounder and GPS receiver

-          Choice of preloaded cartography (U./S. coastal/mainland coasts – expandable to coverage for Latin America, Southern Asia etc.)

-          Slots for Navionics Gold/Platinum cards

Ease of operation. One of the most problematic points brought up by customers of fish-finders  chart plotters combos is the difficulty of operating these highly complex and sophisticated units. However, the fairly large screen size and the good visibility together with five soft keys, several (six) function buttons and a track pad allow for great usability. This retailer here has a secure order site and ships fast and reliable. Check it out and get your own A70D here.

Filed under: Raymarine

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