Furuno go 1971f vs fcd588 w TM260

[jsayko1@gmail.com]

I bottom fish for grouper in the Gulf of Mexico in 40’-175’, in the Tampa Bay region.. Needing a fishfinder to zoom in on the bottom and show “tails”, which correspond w the “swiss cheese” patchy limestone bottom I am looking for. I already have a Garmin unit w sidescan and medium chirp, which will supplement the Furuno I will be purchasing..

Have decided on pairing the Airmar TM260 (mix n match w furuno 10 pin adapter cable) w the Furuno sounder, but I am really struggling to choose between the 588 and 1971.. I understand the main differences regarding an older style purpose built unit w FF specific buttons/knobs (588) vs a touch screen w many additional features like charts and optional wireless radar and many other features(1971).. I am mostly ignoring all the extra features of the 1971 for this decision, as my main priority is to have the highest quality sonar processing in this price range, while zooming in to a 20’ range from 10’ above the bottom to 10’ below the bottom. The only other feature on the 1971 that carries some weight for me is the ability to pause the sonar on the 1971, and scroll back in the sonar history to mark a waypoint on a “Swiss cheese” bottom show. How well does this feature work on the 1971? How far can I scroll back to mark a waypoint? If I buy the 588, I will have to be quick at the trigger to mark waypoints w good bottom (as soon as they appear on the 588) on my Garmin.. or turn around, following my previous track, attempting to find the exact spot again at a very slow speed, and mark it on my Garmin.

The 58x series has many years of positive feedback regarding its quality as a sounder for this type of use. The 1971 has less feedback for this very specific use. And the 1971 is generally less expensive than the 588. That price difference makes me skeptical about the 1971’s traditional sonar capability.. (how can it be cheaper, have many more features, and yet have sounder hardware and processing as good as the 588?)

Was hoping for 2 things from this post, 1) some general guidance / opinion on which I should purchase for my use, and 2) a bit more technical deep dive into the hardware and software differences between the traditional side of the 2 Sounders, particularly the differences that will impact my planned use. I see specs on the 588 about pulse length/ expansion range / range phasing, not sure how these and other details might compare to the 1971, and how much they matter..? Or maybe some other technical difference I have not identified will impact my use?

Thank you for this forum and the awesome customer service I have alway received from Furuno. - Jamie

 

[kicker]

Hello,

You need to compare both units and see what one fits your needs and wants more. The FCV588 is just a fish finder and that is all the unit does, the GP1971F is a fish finder and a chart plotter out of the box.

When it comes to features and options both units are very similar function wise on the fish finder but there are some differences, as you pointed out with the history view on the GP1x71F. Both units are great at what they do but since the FCV588 is just a fish finder, the processing of the data is going to be little quicker and better but I don't think most people will notice even if you have the units side by side staring at the FF. I think you might be able to notice more at greater depths but not at the depths you are going to fish in. Both units have software engineered by Furuno which makes us great.

For comparing price and assuming one is better than the other based of that I don't think is smart. Sometimes things are too good to be true and I believe that is why it is hard for us to keep the GP1x71F on the shelves.

Hopefully my 3 cents helps answers some of your questions.

 

[Rjmurphy4142]

I was just in the same boat and what I’m about to explain may help you decide.

I have two Garmin 1243xsv that I run chirp and sidescan on but I wanted a traditional Furuno sounder to fire my SS264N for locating cheese (classic west coast GOM move right) More importantly, I wanted the ability to mark a waypoint on my furuno and have it pop up on my Garmin. I bought a 588 and found a product called Markfish. The Markfish integrates the Garmin and Furuno. I wired them up, hit MARK on my 588, and up comes a waypoint directly on my Garmin right where it should be.

 

[jsayko1@gmail.com]

Thanks! Can you scroll back across the screen in the sonar on the 588 and mark a waypoint at a specific point in the sonar history? Or only mark the current location on the 588?

 

[kicker]

Jsayko1,

You can only mark the current location on the FCV588.