The PiranhaMAX 4 DI is one of the newest fish finders from Humminbird for 2017. It’s also one of the most affordable units that have Down Imaging. However, as the title suggests, this is NOT a combo unit. Thereby it does not have GPS, charts or any other navigation functions. It’s a standalone fish finder.
Like most Humminbird fish finders, this PiranhaMAX 4 DI does come with a transducer. The box includes the XNT 9 DI T transducer, which is also temperature capable, as it integrates a temperature probe. This transducer comes with a transom mount, and can only be placed outside of the boat’s hull. In order to place it in-hull you will need to do some improvisations, which are not recommended; or simply replace the transducer.
This unit is capable of two frequencies, 200/455 kHz. It has two types of sonar, DualBeam (2D) and Down Imaging. For DualBeam, with the supplied transducer, the system can use two conical beams, with a coverage of 28° for 200 kHz, and 16° for 455 kHz. This unit does not have CHIRP technology like the HELIX 5 CHIRP DI GPS G2, therefore the sonar pulse uses only one frequency. Also, the 2D sonar is only DualBeam, not DualBeam Plus, therefore, the unit can only use one frequency at the time; it cannot use both 2D beams simultaneously.
For Down Imaging, with the included transducer, the unit can use one frequency, 455 kHz, and one razor-thin beam, not conical like for 2D. This beam, however, offers a wider coverage, as it has an angle of 75°.
This fish finder system offers a depth capability of 600 ft for 2D and 320 ft for Down Imaging. It can maintain a bottom reading at a boat speed up to 20-30 MPH, but the recommended speed for clear images and a maximum of fish targets is up to 6 MPH.
This unit offers several other useful fish finding features. Among them, we can count the Fish ID+ function, Real Time Sonar, Fish Alarm, Depth Alarm and Bottom Lock.
The unit itself is not a large one. It has a 4.3″ display, with a color spectrum of 256, and LED backlight for better reading even in direct sunlight. Its pixel layout is 480V x 272H. It doesn’t have a microSD card reader, nor NMEA or Ethernet connectivity. And finally, it comes with a classic tilt-swivel mount.
