Raymarine Dragonfly 5 Pro C-MAP Essentials

The Dragonfly 5 Pro is one of the fish finder and chartplotter units that were discontinued by Raymarine a while ago. It offers standard CHIRP sonar and DownVision sonar, along with internal GPS. Also, since this is the E70293-US model number, it includes the C-MAP Essentials chart platform.

Key Features and Specifications

• Display: 5″ in diagonal, WVGA, 800H x 480V pixel matrix, 15:9 aspect ratio, optically bonded and with LED backlight
• Sonar: CHIRP 2D and CHIRP DownVision
• Depth Capability:
  • 600 ft. (183 m) for CHIRP DownVision
  • 900 ft (275 m) for standard CHIRP Sonar
• Frequency and Coverage:
  • DownVision: 350 kHz / 1.4° fore to aft and 60° side-to-side
  • 2D: 200 kHz / 25°
• Transducer: Transom CPT-DVS
• Power Input: 10.8 V DC to 15.6 V DC
• GPS: 72 Channel, 10 Hz, Internal
• Maps: C-MAP Essentials
• Waypoints / Tracks: 3,000 ; 15
• Integrated Wi-Fi Module
• MicroSD card slot: x1

Sonar and transducer

This unit is supplied with the CPT-DVS transducer (part number R70374) which integrates CHIRP elements and a temperature sensor, enabling the control unit to also indicate top water temperature. The transducer comes with approx. 20 ft. (6 m) of cable.

The control unit uses an internal dual channel CHIRP sonar module, using one channel for 2D CHIRP, and one for CHIRP DownVision. With the supplied transducer, each sonar pulse will be modulated over a range of frequencies between 170-230 kHz for 2D CHIRP and 320-380 kHz for CHIRP DownVision. The transducer uses a conical beam with an angle of 25° for 2D, and a thin, fan-shaped beam, 60° side-to-side, and 1.4° fore to aft, for DownVision.

Now, since it uses CHIRP for both types of sonar, this unit offers excellent target separation, less clutter, and a superior contour for just about any target. And even if it’s a unit designed for fresh water, you can still use it off-shore, in case you won’t go for deep water fishing. It’s actually capable of 900 ft (275 m) for 2D and 600 ft (183 m) for DV. However, in salt water may not penetrate that deep.

The 2D CHIRP sonar is great for locating fish targets, and make an idea about their sizes. It makes available various features, such as A-Scope, Depth Target ID, Scroll Pause, Snap Shot, Fish Alarm and Bottom Line. On the other hand, DownVision is great for observing structure, understanding better the bottom contour and of course, make a better idea about the position of a target fish in relation to a tree, brush, rock, structure, bottom etc.

But one of the star features of this unit is the Wi-Fish compatibility. The control head integrates a Wi-Fi module, and gives you the possibility to stream sonar on your phone or tablet, via the Wi-Fish App. This way you can benefit from a wider screen in case you use a tablet. It also makes available various features, such as Pause, Zoom and Rewind. Thus, even if the unit doesn’t have sonar recording like the Lowrance HOOK-5 for example, via the Wi-Fi connection and Wi-Fish app you can still scroll back through the sonar, and even record the sonar feed on your tablet, with the help of a different recording app. The Wi-Fish app does not feature recording, at least not for now.

GPS and navigation functions

As we’ve mentioned above, this is the E70293-US part number, the one that comes with the C-MAP Essential charts. These are actually a subset of the C-MAP MAX 4D pack, and include coastal data with depth contours, depth shading and spot soundings out to 60 ft (20 m), C-Marina icons, full tidal information, critical navigation aids and chart objects. And since it’s the U.S. bundle of C-MAP Essentials, these charts also cover more than 12,900 U.S. lakes with over 1,900 high-definition lakes. But in case you’re wondering, these charts do not cover the lakes in Canada.

The unit includes a powerful, quick and accurate 72-channel internal GPS. It also offers possibility to save waypoints and tracks, having a capacity of 3,000 waypoints, and 15 tracks with 10,000 points each. However, there is no route creation function, like other units within this price range offer, such as the Humminbird HELIX 5 DI GPS, for example. Waypoints can be categorized though, the unit being able to store 100 waypoint groups, with up to 3,000 waypoints per group. Saved waypoints and tracks can be imported and exported via microSD card.

Control unit features and functions

As its name suggests, the Raymarine Dragonfly 5 Pro C-MAP Essentials is a 5″ display unit. But the best part about it is that it offers a pixel matrix of 800 x 480 even though it has a 5-inch display, so the imaging provided is extremely sharp. It features a WVGA color display, with LED backlight. Also, the unit is 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.

This unit comes with a pivot ball mount, which makes it easy to turn at the required angle so that the display should provide perfect readability. It also uses a unified connector for quick disconnection and reconnection. But due to this fact, it’s pretty obvious that it does not have NMEA connectivity. For some anglers, this may be a minus. It does have a microSD card reader with one slot, for map upgrades, saving waypoints and tracks, and of course, for saving screenshots. You can, however, save sonar screenshots on your tablet, via the Wi-Fish app, if you’re using the Wi-Fi connection.

Upgrade Possibilities

Unfortunately, this unit does not leave enough room for upgrades. However, it can use various chart bundles such as LightHouse Charts, SonarChart, C-MAP by Jeppesen, Navionics+, and Navionics Gold/HotMaps. It does not support bathymetric charts.

The Pros

• Dual-channel sonar, with 2D CHIRP, and CHIRP DownVision;
• CHIRP transducer (temperature capable), supporting both 2D and DownVision, included;
• Superior target separation;
• Maximum depth capability – 900 ft (275 m);
• Various sonar features, such as A-Scope, Depth Target ID, Scroll Pause, SnapShot, 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;
• C-MAP Essentials U.S. included;
• Compatible with various chart bundles, such as Navionics+, Navionics Gold/HotMaps, LightHouse, SonarChart, or other C-MAP bundles;
• Can hold up to 3,000 waypoints and 15 tracks;
• 800 x 480 pixel matrix, offering extremely clear images;
• MicroSD card reader – 1 card slot, for waypoints, tracks, and snapshots backup;
• Quick disconnection connector, unified power/transducer cable;
• Pivot ball mount included;
• Easy to install;
• 1 year warranty.

The Cons

• No NMEA outputs;
• Unit cover not included;
• No route function, only waypoints and tracks;
• No sonar recording, but you can actually rewind sonar via the Wi-Fish app.

Final Verdict

Considering the range of features and functions that it supplies, the Raymarine Dragonfly 5 Pro E70293-US is a unit designed for fresh water use. But nonetheless, since it uses CHIRP sonar, it can successfully be used off-shore as well, as long as you’re not going for deep water fish. It’s actually one of the very few units that use CHIRP for the down view sonar. On top of that, the C-MAP Essentials charts that this model includes cover a wide array of U.S. lakes but also some of the coastal waters. Also, since it features a Wi-Fi module, it gives you the possibility to view sonar on a wider, tablet screen, along with extra options via Wi-Fish. It’s not the most affordable 5-inch unit, but considering what it can do, it definitely stands up to the price, offering great quality.