Raymarine Element 12 HV LightHouse Nc2 HV-100

The Element series from Raymarine includes some of the newest fish finders and chartplotters for 2019. The Element 12 is the largest unit of the series so far. In this post, we’re going to address the Raymarine Element 12 E70536-05-101, the one that includes the new HV-100 transducer and the LightHouse NC2 charts.

Key Features and Specifications

• Display: 12 diagonal, 1280H x 800V pixel resolution, WXGA color, LED backlight, LightHouse Sport
• Sonar: 2D CHIRP, DownVision Hyper, SideVision Hyper, RealVision 3D Hyper
• Transducer: Hv-100
• Operating frequencies: 200 kHz / 350 kHz / 1.2 MHz
• Depth Capability:
  2D CHIRP: 900 ft. (274 m)
  DownVision: Standard 600 ft. (183 m) / Hyper 100 ft (30 m)
  SideVision: Standard 300 ft. (91 m) / Hyper 100 ft (30 m)
  RealVision 3D: Standard 300 ft. (91 m) / Hyper 100 ft (30 m)
• Operating Voltage: 12V DC (8 V to 16 VDC)
• GPS: Internal, 28 channels
• Maps: LightHouse NC2 with Fishing HotSpots
• Routes, Waypoints, Tracks: 50; 5,000; 15 (10,000 pts / track)

Sonar and transducer

As we’ve mentioned above, this Raymarine Element unit includes the HV-100 transducer which is designed to support all the sonar applications provided by the unit. It’s a plastic transducer featuring a transom mount, 20 ft. (6 m) of cable with a 15-pin connector which also integrates a temperature sensor.

The unit offers four distinct sonar applications. These are 2D traditional CHIRP sonar, RealVision 3D sonar, SideVision sonar, and DownVision sonar. The main sonar characteristic of the Element units is the Hyper sonar mode which offers 1.2 MHz scanning possibilities for sharper imaging. This Hyper mode is available for all the structure scanning sonar modes – SV, DV, and RV. However, the unit also provides the standard 350 kHz frequency for all the structure scanning modes, while for the 2D sonar, it offers High CHIRP scanning possibilities at 200 kHz.

It’s important to mention that the unit does not support 50 kHz or 83 kHz sonar frequencies. Therefore, if you pair it with a 50/200 kHz transducer, for example, you will only be able to use the 200 kHz sonar channel.

The included HV-100 transducer uses oval beams for the structure scanning sonar modes (SideVision, DownVision, and RealVision). Their exact coverage is not specified, and their depth capabilities vary depending on the frequency used. For example, the Down Imaging beam can reach depths up to 600 ft (183 m) @ 350 kHz, and 125 ft. (38 m) @ 1.2 MHz. RealVision 3D can reach depths of 300 ft. (91 m) @ 350 kHz, and 125 ft (38 m) @ 1.2 MHz. While for SideVision, the depth capabilities are similar to the RealVision 3D sonar, while the side-to-side coverage of the beams is 300 ft. (91 m) on each side @ 350 kHz, and 125 ft. (38 m) on each side @ 1.2 MHz.

For the 2D sonar, the unit uses a conical beam. Its depth capability is 900 ft. (274 m). The exact CHIRP interval is not specified, but since it’s a High CHIRP frequency, it should be around 200 kHz.

Similar to the older Raymarine MFDs, the Element 12 offers a wide range of standard sonar features; among them, we can count Bottom Lock, A-Scope, Sonar Scrollback, Fish Icons, White Line, Depth Alarm, and more. A Temperature Graph function is also available.

Navigation features

To begin with, the Raymarine Element 12 unit is equipped with an internal GPS receiver featuring 28 channels and a frequency range between 1574 MHz and 1605 MHz. It’s GLONASS compatible as well and can provide position augmentation via EGNOS, MSAS, WAAS, QZSS, and GAGAN.

The unit can save up to 5,000 waypoints in its memory. It also has trackplotting and route creation functions. You can plot and save up to 15 tracks with up to 10,000 points for each track. You can also create and save up to 50 routes; each route can contain up to 250 waypoints.

As the unit’s name suggests, it is equipped with the LightHouse NC2 charts with Fishing HotSpots. The coverage of this chart platform includes the contiguous U.S. area, the Great Lakes with their related waterways, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Bahamas. They also cover the Canadian west coast and B.C. area. Differently put, these charts offer coverage for more than 80,000 miles of saltwater coastline, and 6,000+ inland lakes, reservoirs, and rivers.

The unit also supports a variety of other charts. It is compatible with Navionics+, Navionics Platinum+, C-MAP Essentials, and C-MAP Max+. If paired with a Navionics charts card, it can support the SonarChart feature for depth contour reveal and recording. However, the new LightHouse Sport OS offers its own similar app – the new RealBathy. This application uses the 2D sonar data and the GPS data to reveal and draw the depth contours of the lake you’re scanning on your map. Therefore, it gives you the possibility to create your own custom fishing maps with the most up-to-date depth contours. It’s important to mention, though, that the RealBathy feature requires a data microSD card as support. It cannot record on the internal memory of the unit.

This chart platform offers an enhanced world basemap which points out some of the best fishing locations. It also provides a lot of other information, including underwater structure, vegetation, bottom layout, nav-aids, tide stations, and a wide array of points of interest.

It’s also important to mention here that the Element 12 HV does not support Radar and AIS units. However, it does support GPS heading sensors, VHF Radio units, and other SeaTalk instruments. Only the Element S units support Radar and AIS.

Control unit features

The Element 12 HV offers the largest display from this Raymarine fish finder series. Not only it is 12-inch in diagonal, but it also has a richer, 1280 x 800 pixel matrix, than the 9-inch and 7-inch units. This leads to sharper imaging. It also offers superior angle visibility – Top 89° / Bottom 89° / Left 89° / Right 89° , up from Top 50° / Bottom 60° / Left 70° / Right 70° provides by the smaller units. The unit is also IPX6 and IPX7 waterproof (designed to support incidental water exposure).

Similar to the other Element units, this one has the LightHouse Sport operating system. This OS features a highly intuitive interface offering pre-configured application pages for quick selection, allows quick waypoint creation and quick access to the most commonly used waypoint symbols, and gives you the possibility to work with up to four applications simultaneously in split-view format.

The unit can store up to 8.0 GB of data in its own memory. In terms of external storage possibilities, it is equipped with a microSD card slot that can take data cards or cards pre-loaded with charts from Navionics or C-MAP. Also, it has a fast, quad-core processor that delivers fast responsiveness and application usage.

In terms of networking, the unit supports NMEA 2000 and SeaTalk so you can add it into an already existent boat network and enable communication and feedback from other devices such as heading sensors, VHF radio, etc. WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity is available as well. Therefore, you can connect it to a WiFi hotspot to download software updates or sync it with your smartphone or tablet.

The included mount for the unit is the standard trunnion bracket. However, an in-dash mounting kit is also included. The box also includes a sun cover.

The Pros

• 2D CHIRP Sonar;
• Structure scanning sonar – DownVision, SideVision, and RealVision 3D;
• Hyper sonar modes (1.2 MHz) for the DownVision, SideVision, and RealVision 3D;
• HV-100 all-in-one transducer included;
• Multiple sonar functions available such as Scroll Back, Bottom Lock, White Line, A-Scope, Fish Icons etc.
• Fast and accurate, 28-channel internal GPS / GLONASS receiver;
• LightHouse NC2 charts with Fishing HotSpots;
• Compatible with various other charts, including Raymarine LightHouse NC2, Navionics, C-MAP Essentials, C-MAP 4D MAX+;
• Supports SonarChart from Navionics;
• RealBathy sonar mapping;
• VHF Radio and GPS heading sensors capable;
• Trackplotting, routes and waypoints functions;
• 1280 x 800 resolution, optically bonded LCD, multitouch display, with LED backlight;
• LightHouse Sport operating system, which offers a highly intuitive and easy to use interface;
• Fast quad-core processor;
• NMEA 2000 and SeaTalk networking possibilities;
• WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity;
• MicroSD card reader (1 slot);
• IPX6 & IPX7 waterproof;
• Trunnion and flush mounts included;
• Sun cover included;
• Fairly easy to install.

The Cons

• No circular flasher sonar view;
• Does not support 83 kHz and 50 kHz sonar.

Summary

The Raymarine Element 12 HV E70536-05-101 offers 2D CHIRP sonar, RealVision 3D, SideVision, and DownVision, Hyper modes (1.2 MHz) for all structure scanning sonar, GPS, the LightHouse NC2 charts, and the RealBathy mapping feature. It includes the HV-100 transducer which supports all the sonar technologies provided by the unit. It also has wireless connectivity and supports NMEA 2000 and SeaTalk networks. It’s a pretty versatile unit, great for a wide array of boats, for both inland and off-shore fishing.