Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170 Waterproof FishFinder Review

Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170 Waterproof FishFinder: After going through my list of fish finders I’m doing research on, I came up with a select few that I thought would fit most of the needs of the fishermen out there.

There is not just one type of fish finder that will fit everyone’s needs as we are all fishing in different environments such as types of waters, depth of the water, lakes, oceans but there is the best fish finder to fit each of those needs.

Let’s start with one I really like a lot, and that is the Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170.

What I really like about this unit is the battery is like a small car battery that recharges very well and lasts a very long time.

Check Price on Amazon

Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170 Features

• Dual-beam sonar
• Fishfinder with four-inch, eight-level grayscale display with 240 x 160-pixel resolution
• Fish ID+
• Programmable fish and depth alarms
• Transom-mount transducer
• Humminbird 170 Easy set-up
• Waterproof Fish Finder

Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170 Sonar Options

Dual-beam sonar with 200/83 kHz (20 degree/60 degrees) beams and 1600 watts PTP power output.

I really like the Dual beam sonar with 200/83 kHz that gives you a 20 degree plus an additional 60-degree beam with 1600 watts PTP power output. This is great if you just want to zero in on a narrow area or expand that area using the 60-degree option.

Another awesome feature of this unit is called the Fish ID+ that interprets sonar returns and displays fish symbols when requirements are met.

What the Fish ID feature allows you to do is choose how discovered fish are displayed on the screen.
If you set this to OFF, fish are shown as basic arch like figures. With the fish ID set ON, any fish returns on the sonar will be interpreted as fish symbols and optionally will also show the depth they are at.

Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170 Transducer

Transom-mount transducer is included with a nice 1-year warranty.

Mounting Methods

Your Hummingbird fish finder comes with everything necessary for installation and operation on most boats.

However, there are several situations which may require a different type of transducer. Inboard boats, wood or metal hulls, and sailboats create unique transducer mounting needs. Alternate transducers and mounting methods are detailed below.

Portable Mounting

The standard transducer can be adapted for portable installations with a portable mounting kit available from Humminbird. This accessory adapts your transducer to a suction cup mount for temporary installation on the boat hull or other surfaces.

Trolling Motor Mounting

The standard transducer can also be adapted to mount on most trolling motors using a different accessory kit. This accessory includes a bracket and hose clamp that allows mounting the transducer to the body of most trolling motors.

Thru-Hull Mounting

Thru-hull transducers install through a hole drilled in the hull of the boat. Larger boats or boats with inboard motors create turbulence that makes transom mounting ineffective. Also, hulls that are very thick or are double layered, or made from materials such as wood or metal, (which do not conduct sonar signals) make inside the hull mounting inadvisable

Humminbird 170 Depth Capabilities

It is advisable to leave the depth range at automatic because setting to manual will not show the bottom of the depth is greater than the manual range set. Maximum depth is 800’

Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170 Display

This fish finders comes with a large four-inch, eight-level grayscale display with a 240×160 Pixel resolution. The large display is great for me as I don’t have to be fumbling with reading glasses every time I want to be looking at the display.

Another thing to remember is an eight-level grayscale gives a very clear display with excellent clarity for white line and fish identification.

Check Price on Amazon

Let’ s not forget that this unit also includes a backlight on the display, great for these old eyes…The backlight has 6 settings from 0 to 5.0=off and settings 1through 5 are for variable increased backlight settings for night fishing or low light conditions.

Be careful when using the high settings as they will use the battery power much quicker.

Other features include a sensitivity option… The sensitivity features show how much detail is displayed on the screen. Increasing the sensitivity will increase more objects such as small bait fish or suspended debris, but the screen may become cluttered.

The sensitivity is adjustable between 0 and 10. For clear water try turning the sensitivity higher, but in murkier or muddier water you may need to adjust the sensitivity lower.

And if that was not enough how about this Zoom feature? When the zoom feature is set to Auto it will magnify the area around the bottom to show structure and fish that may not be visible in normal view mode. Depth ranges are automatically adjusted in zoom mode to display the area above and below the bottom.

This along with the Chart Speed which determines the speed at which the sonar return information is displayed on the screen and therefore how much detail. The settings are between 1 and 5.

The preferred speed by most anglers is a fast chart speed as this displays more detail on the screen however the information move quicker on the screen. A slower chart speed will retain information on the screen longer, but the bottom and fish details become compressed and become harder to distinguish

Controls

Ready for this…One touch…Now that is my kind of set-up as I don’t want to be wasting all my time on the water just setting up my unit and this one fits my criteria perfectly to be able to access all the advanced features with a one-touch operation.

Frequency, Watts, Power, and Cables

• The Frequency (kHz) is 200 with 1600 Watts PTP Power output.
• Another thing I really liked about this unit is that the unit comes with a small battery similar to a car battery that recharges very well and the charge will last you a long time.
• The transducer cable length is a generous 20Ft.

Alarms and Alerts

This unit comes with so many advanced features it is what makes this a great buy in my opinion. One great feature I really love is the programmable fish and depth alarms while the fish alarm works in conjunction with the fish ID.

When the fish ID is switched on the corresponding fish sizes will sound a signal. The settings are OFF, Large, and Large/medium, All…I love this feature as it allows me the advantage to not have to be constantly watching the display every second.

Mounting System

The mounting is a convenient Tilt and Swivel mount for ease of installation. The portability of this unit is great for me and a big selling point as I usually rent boats when I go fishing so I can’t have a permanent mount with my fish finder.

Dimensions

The dimensions of this unit are 16 x 6.2 x 11.2 inches and weigh an easy 2 pounds for transport if necessary.

In the Box

• Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170 Waterproof Fish finder
• Mounting Bracket
• Transom Mount Transducer
• Installation Hardware/Cables
• PiranhaMAX 170 Owner’s manual

Operating Manual: Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170 Waterproof Fish Finder Manual

Brand

Humminbird

Series

Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170

Humminbird PiranhaMAX 170 Fish finder Pros & Cons

Humminbird 170 Pros

• Easy install
• Portable
• Dual Beam
• Waterproof Fish Finder

Humminbird 170 Cons

• One user did mention that it was hard to read the display when temperatures went above 90 degrees but I don’t think that would be a big issue for most fishermen as I know I do most of my fishing early mornings or near sunset when the temperature is usually cooler.

Check Price on Amazon

Customers commented they liked the versatility of the unit such as the portability to be able to use it from boat to boat. Also, the Dual beam was a big selling point