If fishing is your hardcore passion, then there’s nothing better than applying technology’s latest advancements in this field. With the introduction of the Vexilar sonarphone T-Pod, you can easily find fish in the lake on a warm afternoon. The device is definitely a cool pick as it utilizes your existing smartphone or tablet, which acts as the view display when it’s hooked up to the transmitter that goes in the water. If you’re looking for a really cool, cost-effective method of identifying fishing spots, and are into new technology and making great use of your existing gadgets, this is a really awesome device that we think you’ll love.
Vexilar SonarPhone Features
Having a lightweight (4 oz) portable body, the Vexilar sonarphone is the ideal device if you want something that isn’t obtrusive, that’s simple, and that will get the job done. The concept of installing a fish finding application on your phone or tablet is definitely a kick start towards improving fishing techniques now and in the future.
Transducer
Built in a circular shape with the rough dimensions of 5.8 x 3.8 x 7.2 inches, the device is light, mobile and easily adjustable.
The Vexilar sonarphone makes use of a really innovative Wi-Fi transmitter system that basically creates a mobile hotspot that you can connect your phone to. That’s how it reads the data – no need for wires to be hooked up to your device. Like other finders, the transmitter calculates the depth and distance at which the fish is present (if they’re around). You can align it easily against the boat edges or it can be cast out for a greater range. It offers regular reports about the fish in the water, temperature, pH and several other factors.
It’s got a 125 kHz single beam that covers a 30-degree area, so it’s pretty standard and will give you a basic understanding of what’s immediately underneath it. Depth range is 120 feet, so this is definitely not a hardcore unit that you’ll want to take to find deep fish, but it’s just enough for most casual trips.
The application consists of 17 different languages and comes alongside an armband that secures your smartphone to your arm for easy viewing (and so you don’t have to hold it) while you’re fishing. The languages thing probably isn’t too important to you on the face of it, but we thought it was a pretty good sign that this company is serious about it’s products and is willing to go that extra mile to develop it for the future.
The lithium-ion battery is easily rechargeable – just plug it into the jack that connects to the wall, much like your phone charger. It can run for 4 hours straight per charge. You’ll get a few hundred charge cycles out of it, so somewhere between 1000 and 2000 hours out of the battery, total.
Speaking of the company looking out for it’s product, it comes with a one year warranty to give you peace of mind. It certainly looks and feels a bit like there’s not much there, but it has actually been designed to be used the way it’s intended (even cast), and is pretty well made. So, you shouldn’t worry about it being fragile, but in case anything goes wrong, you’re covered.
It’s also really handy that it mentions water temperature, depth, volume, etc. It can set off a built-in alarm that quickly lets you know if there’s a fish around you. The noise rejection asset is applied to make minimal sound such that the fish don’t get alarmed and swim away.
SonarPhone Application
The Vexilar t pod is not a separate device, but the name of the smartphone and tablet app that you will download (for free) to hook up and pair with the transducer.
Basically, it turns your existing iPhone, iPad, or Android device into the viewing screen that you’d expect to see on other fish finders. This is great because you’ll have a much higher quality screen than other finders at this price point (full color, higher resolution, etc.). Thea competitors at this dollar range usually have a grayscale screen that, while not bad, certainly doesn’t reveal everything that a nice, full color display will.
There are instructions for pairing the transmitter with the phone through the Wi-Fi signal the transmitter emits. After that, you put the small transmitter in the water and start reading the results.
Final
The Vexilar sonarphone is a small, circular portable fish finder that goes into the water and acts as the transducer. However, it also creates a Wi-Fi signal that your phone or tablet uses to receive data from it. You download a Vexilar app onto your smart device and that device turns into the view screen for your finder.
We were pretty impressed with the innovation we saw, plus the low price point and the dedication behind the product by the company. Definitely recommended for casual fishing trips!
