Raymarine Dragonfly 4 PRO Navionics+

The Dragonfly 4 Pro is one of the Raymarine discontinued units. For reference, this is the Raymarine part number E70294-NAG. It is one of the Raymarine fish finder and chartplotter combos that come with the CPT-DVS transducer. But as opposed to the E70294-US that we’ve previously covered here, this unit features superior cartography; a Navionics+ chip card is supplied with it.

Key Features and Specifications

• Display: 4.3″ diagonal, color TFT, 480H x 272V pixel matrix, 16:9 aspect ratio, optically bonded and with LED backlight
• Sonar: 2D CHIRP and CHIRP DownVision
• Depth Capability:
  • CHIRP Standard: 900 ft (275 m)
  • CHIRP DownVision: 600 ft (183 m)
• Frequency and Coverage:
  • CHIRP Standard: 170-230 kHz / 25°
  • CHIRP DownVision: 320-380 kHz / 60°
• Transducer: Transom CPT-DVS
• Power Input: 10.8 – 15.6 VDC
• Power Draw: 9.4 W Max (full brightness), 4.8 W (PowerSave mode)
• GPS: 72 channel, internal
• Maps: Navionics+
• Raymarine Wi-Fish app compatible
• microSD card slot: x1

Sonar and transducer

The Dragonfly 4 PRO E70294-NAG comes with the CPT-DVS transducer, just as the Dragonfly 4DVS. This is a urethane transducer; it has a transom mount and incorporates a temperature sensor. Thus, the control unit can indicate the temperature of the top water layer, a function that can be quite useful if you’re looking for topwater currents. The cable length of this transducer is approx. 20 ft (6 m).

Similar to the other Dragonfly Raymarine fish finders, the Dragonfly 4 PRO features two sonar technologies: CHIRP 2D and CHIRP DownVision. It’s a dual-frequency unit, which means it can use both types of sonar simultaneously. The standard mode is best to be used when looking for fish targets which appear as arches. Conversely, the DownVision sonar is great for understanding structures and shapes. The fact that it uses CHIRP sonar and not regular sonar is quite a plus. The CHIRP technology modulates the sonar pulse over a range of frequencies rather than using only one frequency per pulse, which results in images superior in quality. CHIRP sonar imaging also has less clutter and provides better separation between targets.

The system uses two distinctive frequency intervals, 170-230 kHz in CHIRP 2D standard mode, and 320-380 kHz in DownVision mode. For the 2D standard sonar, the transducer uses a conical beam with a coverage of 25°. For DownVision, it uses a very thin beam (only 1.4°) fore to aft, but much wider side-to-side, with an angle of 60°.

With the included CPT-DVS transducer, the system can reach depths up to 600 ft (183 m) when using DownVision, and up to 900 ft (275 m) for 2D Standard CHIRP. Although the system can maintain a decent bottom reading at speeds up to 30 MPH, the recommended speed range for imaging of the highest quality is 1-6 MPH.

The unit also makes available several useful sonar applications. Among them, we can count A-Scope, Target Depth ID, Auto Range, Bottom Line, Depth Lines and more. The Target Depth ID, however, is different than the Selective Fish ID in Humminbird units such as the HELIX 5 CHIRP GPS G2, for example. It doesn’t assign fish icons to the targets, only displays the current depth of each sonar return which is considered a target. Also, the unit does not have Sonar Recording or Sonar Rewind, but it does allow the streaming of the sonar on a smartphone or tablet via the Wi-Fish App. We’ll get into detail about this in the control unit features section.

Navigation

As the title suggests, this Raymarine Dragonfly 4 PRO unit comes with the Navionics+ charts. This cartography software is not built-in the unit, though. It’s an extra microSD card included with the box, which you will have to install into your unit. Navionics+ offers detailed cartography for cruising, fishing, and sailing, with marine and lake charts in 1 ft/0.5 m HD contours. The US & Canada region includes marine charts along all coasts, plus the Great Lakes and a growing list of more than 18,000 lakes all-in-one.

The unit is equipped with a fast and accurate, 72-channel internal GPS/GLONASS. Needless to say, it shows the coordinates of each and every point of interest. Also, via GPS the unit can calculate the speed of your boat.

The unit can save up to 3,000 waypoints, and 15 tracks with 10,000 points each. Waypoints can be categorized; the unit can store 100 waypoint groups, with up to 3,000 waypoints per group. Saved waypoints and tracks can be imported and exported via a microSD card.

Control unit features

One of the best features of this Raymarine fish finder is the integrated Wi-Fi module. This particular feature gives you the possibility to sync it with your smartphone or tablet, in order to stream, record and rewind sonar. The unit itself doesn’t have sonar recording and rewind, but by using the Wi-Fish App (for IOS or Android), you can rewind or record the sonar feed on your tablet or phone, zoom in and out etc.

As the unit’s name suggests, it’s a 4-inch one; actually, it has a 4.3″ display, 480 x 272 WQVGA color, with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The display integrates LED backlight, also being optically bonded, which means that it offers excellent readability even when in direct sunlight. It’s also IPX6 and IPX7 waterproof, which means it’s pretty much an all-weather unit, and can survive splashes, rain and even incidental immersion up to 1 m.

The standard mount for this unit is a quick-release, pivot ball type, which offers excellent flexibility when it comes to removing, turning or tilting the unit. The power and transducer cables are unified and plug into the unit via only one connector.

When it comes to networking, this unit doesn’t have Ethernet or NMEA ports, but does have a microSD card reader, which allows you to upgrade its cartography.

The Pros

• Dual-channel sonar, with 2D CHIRP, and CHIRP DownVision;
• CHIRP transducer (temperature capable), supporting both 2D and DownVision included;
• Maximum depth capability 900 ft (275 m);
• Various sonar features, such as A-Scope, Depth Target ID, Scroll Pause, Snap Shot, Fish Alarm and Bottom Line;
• Wi-Fi enabled, can stream and rewind sonar on a tablet, via the Wi-Fish app;
• Fast and accurate GPS, with 72 GPS / GLONASS channels;
• Navionics+ cartography microSD card included;
• Compatible with various other chart bundles, such as, Navionics Gold/HotMaps, LightHouse, SonarChart, or other C-MAP bundles;
• Can hold up to 3,000 waypoints and 15 tracks;
• MicroSD card reader;
• Quick disconnection connector, unified power/transducer cable;
• Pivot ball mount included;
• Easy to install.

The Cons

• No sun cover;
• No NMEA connectivity.
• No route function, only waypoints and tracks;
• No sonar recording, but you can actually rewind sonar on your phone or tablet via the Wi-Fish app.

Summary

The Raymarine Dragonfly 4 PRO E70294-NAG is a fish finder and chartplotter unit which offers 2D CHIRP and CHIRP DownVision sonar, a 72-channel internal GPS, and comes with the Navionics+ cartography. It has a quick-release, pivoting ball bracket. It doesn’t have networking capabilities such as NMEA or Ethernet, but does integrate a Wi-Fi module so you can sync it with your phone or tablet for sonar streaming and rewind. It’s an excellent unit for small boats offering excellent value for the price.