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So You Want An Active Sonar Unit: Garmin LiveScope / Lowrance ActiveTarget / Humminbird MEGA Live

Jan. 28 2022 Technology By Mason Strother

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Intro


Debuting in 1957 with Lowrance’s “Little Green Box”, commercialized active sonar gives anglers a live representation of what lies beneath them. Depth, depth changes, brush, floor hardness, fish, and many other objects can be detected in live time. The tech was a little primal back then, but it has taken tremendous strides into the modern day.

First, we need to understand how sonar works. Active sonar units emit an acoustic signal or pulse of sound into the water. If the sound pulse reaches an object, it bounces off the object and echoes back to the transducer. That data is then relayed to your screen. All of this is done in real time, producing new images as your boat - and the objects beneath you - move. 




Today, the three active sonar units that are all the craze are: Lowrance’s ActiveTarget, Garmin’s LiveScope, and the new competitor, Humminbird with their MEGA Live. Psst… we carry all three. Each unit features three view modes: Front, down, and perspective* (may require additional mounts or equipment). 


There are many factors to consider when deciding between these units, including: image quality, range, beamwidth, frequency, shallow water imaging, deep water imaging, compatibility, and price. If you want to learn more about these factors and how they may work, check out this video we made. 



Lowrance ActiveTarget



Let’s begin by discussing Lowrance and their ActiveTarget unit. 


  • Range: 200 feet, forward + downward
  • Beamwidth: 135x18 degrees
  • Frequency: 500-1100 kHz
  • Compatibility: Lowrance HDS Live, HDS Carbon, & Elite FS fishfinders/chartplotters

Its image quality is incredible, providing more detailed images with a noticeably crisp resolution. Visualizing smaller objects in water is easy with ActiveTarget, as you can see bait, debris, and smaller fish quite well. Now, Lowrance had deep water imaging in mind when developing ActiveTarget: it’s incredible. Their scout mode trolling motor head mount is angled down 20 degrees (compared to the standard 15-18 degrees), resulting in a more clear deep water image. ActiveTarget comes priced at $1,649.99. Some pros of ActiveTarget include: 


  • One-time purchase: ActiveTarget comes equipped with all you’ll need to start fishing. The kit includes all three trolling motor mounts, so you don’t have to worry about ordering one separately. There is an optional - and additional - mount on your transom if you do not want to mount the unit on your trolling motor. 
  • Ease of installation: Many ActiveTarget customers have noted that it was easy to set up and connect to. It’s a great sonar unit for beginners and offers some simple customization options.
  • Deep imaging: Like we said, Lowrance’s deep water imaging is superior, giving you a clearer picture of what’s further away. 


Garmin LiveScope



Next up is Garmin's LiveScope. Since its flagship release in 2018, LiveScope gives great reason as to why they are many anglers’ first choice, with outstanding, crisp, and quick imagery. 


  • Range: 200 feet, forward+downward
  • Beamwidth: 135x20 (widest of the three)
  • Frequency: 530-1100 kHz
  • Compatibility: Garmin EchoMap and GPSMap

LiveScope’s image quality makes a drastic improvement from the Panoptix units, with a substantial clarity increase and a wider field of view. Garmin’s shallow water imaging is simply amazing, giving you the most clear image of the waters beneath you. Their deep water imaging is great as well, although ActiveTarget may take the cake. LiveScope is priced at $1,499.99. Some pros of the LiveScope are:


  • Great for upkeep: Updating software with LiveScope is simple+painless
  • Great picture quality: The resolution and image clarity with LiveScope is great, especially if you have a newer model fishfinder. 
  • Attitude heading reference system: This prevents distortion of the imagery from the pitch, roll and yaw of the boat. It constantly adjusts the sonar beam to compensate for boat motion and to stabilize the image.


Humminbird MEGA Live

Last but not least is Humminbird's MEGA Live. Although it is the newest addition to the lineup of active sonar units, there are still some great and unique things about MEGA Live. Let’s talk about image quality first. As this is Humminbird’s first entry into the “active sonar” sphere, their imaging is good, but maybe not quite as good as their competitors. However, their target separation is great, and you can easily distinguish between things such as fish and brush. 

  • Range: 150 feet, forward+downward
  • Beamwidth: 120x20 
  • Frequency: 1050 kHz
  • Compatibility: Garmin APEX, MEGA-capable SOLIX, and G3N or higher MEGA HELIX models

MEGA Live comes in at $1,499.99. Pros of MEGA Live include:

  • Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of the MEGA Live is its compact and seamless integration with your boat's electronics. 
  • You can also add Humminbird 360 to your setup, which is not yet available with Lowrance and Garmin. 
  • You can also fully network MEGA Live with MinnKota trolling motors, another great way to integrate your boat electronics.  


Conclusion

In conclusion, there’s no wrong choice to be made between these three units. Choosing your active sonar unit largely comes down to how you fish and which components matter to you the most. I was very excited to learn more about this technology and am even more excited for what’s in store for the future of fishing!

Give our parts department a call at (828) 439-9022 to purchase your active sonar unit today. We've got some in stock and can get them to you faster than most major retailers!