Garmin Striker Vivid 7sv is a new addition to the brand’s evergrowing arsenal of feature-rich yet budget-conscious fishfinders. I confidently call it one of the best fishfinders under $500 because the fish in my boat on every trip doesn’t let me call it otherwise.
Fellas at Garmin have upgraded the transducer to mingle Chirp, Side and Down viewing, which allow it to exhibit excellent performance in several fishing categories. Moreover, its bright and coloured screen, high-sensitivity GPS with waypoint recording, built-in contour mapping and wi-fi connectivity are some other embellishments that allow you to hunt fish and enjoy the terrain at once.
Read further to learn in detail about this hotshot. I would advise you to buy it if you’re after a value unit that is both feature-packed and relatively affordable.
Table of Contents
What Makes Garmin Striker Vivid 7sv Stand Apart?
High-end sonar technologies and a large and coloured display are responsible for making this unit stand apart. Alongside that, its affordable cost and overall great value further make it an exceptional case.
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Garmin Striker Vivid 7sv Review
Garmin Striker Vivid 7sv is a younger brother of 73sv and Echomap 93sv due to similar sonar capabilities. I am saying that because of the upgraded GT52HW-TM transducer that accompanies it. This all-in-one piece is capable of Chirp sonar, Side and Down Imaging to ensure you don’t miss even minute detail. As a result, you get quite comprehensive and crisp images of the things swimming by and floating underneath, including fish and structure. What I find more attractive is the colour palette for sonar. Sonar readings in different colours make it ridiculously easy to determine whether it’s a fish or a structure.
True to its name, the 7” screen with rich colour display and high resolution exhibits a striking and vivid view of the underwater terrain. Neither blinding sunlight nor a gloomy cloudy environment will hinder your screen readability due to backlit formatting. Hence, you can fish from dawn to dusk without any issue, given that you’ve got the stamina for it.
The only glaring disadvantage is the omission of onboard maps and SD card storage. But, they’ve inserted GPS with waypoints recording and DIY contour mapping to fill the void. Thus, you can get regular updates about your vessel’s speed and current coordinates while storing key waypoints and routes.
The addition of Wi-Fi connectivity makes navigation easier as it lets you dig into the ActiveCaptain app and Contour Community. You can seek help from the cartography inventory present there.
All in all, if you need a value unit that is also powerful and feature-rich, look no further and buy this 7SV model.
Display
The display of Vivid 7SV was one of the most compelling reasons why I bought this unit. The WVGA colour display with the 7-inch size is undoubtedly the most attractive asset of this model. It entertains you with enticing visuals of the underwater realm.
Thanks to the backlit mode, you won’t experience even an ounce of trouble while discerning the information. In other words, sunlight or lack thereof will not prevent you from accurately decoding the displayed facts.
Chirp Sonar (ClearVu & SideVu)
It all boils down to the accurate detection of fish, and Vivid 7SV doesn’t make mistakes here. The credit for precise detection of fish and structure goes to its wide 2D chirp sonar. Besides, the GT52HW-TM can also tackle ClearVU and SideVu to track everything floating beside and beneath your vessel. Meaning, you have got eyes almost everywhere in the surroundings to ensure not even the smallest fish passes by without your notice.
The addition of new colour palettes allows you to label side and down scans in distinctive colours. Well, the images pop up on the screen with such clarity that people with vision issues can also see them clearly.
Navigational Guidance
Its biggest shortcoming is the absence of onboard maps and storage, but I have yet to meet anglers who have missed fish due to this flaw. That’s because built-in GPS and do-it-yourself contour mapping compensate for the loss. The former gives you updates about your craft’s speed and coordinates after a regular interval. On top of that, you can keep a library of hotspots and routes. This knowledge will help you revisit productive spots without wandering around.
The latter, i.e. QuickDraw Contours software, is your digital sketch board where you can compose 1’ contour maps of a vast selection of territories you visit. You will not suffer, at least not because of mapping, because the in-built wi-fi connectivity lets you approach Contours Community and Active Captain app for extra navigational guidance.
Pros
- Solid built.
- Upgraded transducer supports more than Chirp sonar to enhance performance in various environments.
- Large and coloured display offers a vibrant view in all lighting conditions.
- GPS helps you highlight hotspots and routes leading to lucrative fishing zones.
- Built-in contour mapping and wi-fi provide additional navigational help.
- Simple controls and quick installation.
- Reasonable pricing adds to the overall value of the unit.
Cons
- No preloaded maps or charts.
- Lack of SDcard space limits storage capacity.
Why Should You Buy Garmin Striker Vivid 7sv?
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- The biggest advantage of the unit is its generous display having a split-screen setting to let you observe multiple sonars side by side.
- The upgraded transducer supports some of the finest and most advanced chirp technologies to express knowledge of fish and structure quite in detail.
- At the moment, it is among the most affordable GPS combo fishfinders that houses top-end sonar technology along with custom mapping.
Final Words
Garmin Striker Vivid 7SV is absolutely worth buying despite lacking mapping functionality. There’s hardly any other fishfinder that’s affordable, yet includes high-end sonar features and a wide colour display. If you really need a fishfinder that can give you a taste of both low-end and high-end units along with a great user experience, then you should definitely consider buying this piece.
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