Raymarine Element 7 HV LightHouse NC2 Hv-100

The Element 7 HV is one of the new Raymarine fish finder and chartplotter combos released in 2019. Just like the units of the previous series, it is available in various bundles, with or without a transducer or maps. In this post, we’re going to address the Element 7 HV part number E70532-05-101, the one that includes the new LightHouse NC2 charts and the HyperVision transducer.

Key Features and Specifications

• Display: 7″ diagonal, 800H x 480V pixel resolution, WVGA 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

The Element 7 HV pretty much supports all the sonar technologies available from Raymarine at the moment, without the requirement of an external sonar module. You only need the Hv-100 transducer (which is included with this particular unit), in order to use 2D CHIRP sonar, and structure scanning sonar DownVision, SideVision, and RealVision 3D. Also, since it’s one of the newest models, it has HyperVision sonar technology which allows it to operate at 1.2 MHz for all the structure scanning sonar modes, in order to provide the crispest images.

The unit supports three main frequencies; these are 200 kHz, 350 kHz, and 1.2 MHz. This being said, you can use either the standard modes of the RealVision 3D, SideVision, and DownVision at 350 kHz or their Hyper modes at 1.2 MHz. For traditional sonar, only the 200 kHz channel is available.

We’ve already mentioned that this particular unit includes the Hv-100 transducer. It supports all the sonar technologies provided by the unit. It is a plastic transducer, featuring a plastic transom mount. It integrates a temperature sensor, has 20′ (6 m) of cable, and a 15-pin connector.

It’s important to mention that this Raymarine fish finder system does not support 83 kHz and 50 kHz frequencies. Therefore, if you pair it with a different 2D transducer, it will only be able to use the 200 kHz channel.

The Hv-100 transducer uses a conical beam for the 200 kHz mode. The CHIRP interval is not specified, but as a general idea, 200 kHz is specific to a High CHIRP interval. The cone angle is not specified either, but the depth range of the 200 kHz sonar mode is 900 ft (274 m), which should be enough for lake fishing, and even for offshore fishing if you don’t require deepwater capabilities.

For the Standard modes of SideVision and RealVision 3D, the system’s depth capabilities are 300 ft (91 m), while for Standard DownVision it can scan depths up to 600 ft (183 m). For HyperVision, the maximum depth capability is 100 ft (30 m).

A decent palette of standard sonar features is included with this unit. Among them, we can count A-Scope, Bottom Lock, Sonar Scrollback, White Line, Fish Icons, various alarms, and more. For the RealVision 3D mode, you can add or remove the 3D boat icon, as well as change the angle of the 3D view. A Temperature Graph function is also available. However, the unit does not have a Circular Flasher view for ice fishing.

Navigation features

As we’ve mentioned above, this is the Raymarine Element 7 HV part number E70532-05-101. This means it includes the LightHouse NC2 charts with Fishing HotSpots. This is a new, enhanced world basemap which not only that points out some of the best fishing locations, it also provides a lot of detail with regards to underwater structure, vegetation, and bottom layout. Nav-aids, tide stations and predictions, and many other points of interest are also included.

The LightHouse NC2 charts offer navigational support for the contiguous U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, the Bahamas, and all the Great Lakes with their related waterways. They cover more than 6,000 inland lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, and 80,000+ miles of charted saltwater coastline. They also cover the Canadian west coast and B.C. area.

Of course, the unit is also compatible with various other charts. The list includes Navionics+, Navionics Platinum+, C-MAP Essentials, and C-MAP MAX+.

Similar to the AutoChart Live feature available with the latest Humminbird units, the Raymarine Element 7 HV has the RealBathy application. As its name suggests, it’s a bathymetry feature which uses the sonar and GPS data in order to reveal and draw the depth contours of the lake you’re scanning, on the map. It gives you the possibility to create your own personalized bathymetric charts with 1-foot contours and other features like safe depth color coding. 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.

The unit is equipped with a 28-channel internal GPS, which has an operating frequency range between 1574 MHz and 1605 MHz. It is GLONASS compatible and also supports position augmentation via MSAS, WAAS, EGNOS, QZSS, and GAGAN.

Waypoint creation, route creation, and trackplotting functions are also available. The Element 7 HV can save up to 50 routes with 250 waypoints per route, and a total of 5,000 saved waypoints with various icons. It can also save up to 15 plotted tracks; each track can have up to 10,000 points.

Last but not least, this unit does not offer Radar support such as the Axiom 7, for example. However, it does support VHF radio as well as heading sensors, quad tank sensors, and other SeaTalk compatible instruments.

Control unit features

As opposed to the Axiom units, the Element 7 HV doesn’t have a touchscreen display. It’s keypad operated. It runs on the new LightHouse Sport operating system, which has a highly intuitive interface and is very easy to use. The side keypad offers the possibility to quickly access the three main pages, navigate through menus, save waypoints, etc. Each page can host up to 6 application combinations, and you can work with up to 4 applications per view in a split-screen format.

The unit is equipped with a WVGA color LCD display with a pixel matrix of 800H x 480V. It has LED backlight (1,500 nits) for superior visibility even in direct sunlight. The unit is IPX 6 and IPX7 waterproof which means it can withstand incidental water exposure with no problem.

The unit has a quad-core internal processor; therefore, all the applications are highly responsive. It has 8.0 GB of internal memory for waypoints, routes, and other data storage. It also has a microSD card slot for charts or external data storage.

In terms of networking, the unit supports NMEA 2000 and SeaTalk so you can integrate it into an already existent boat grid and enable communication and feedback from other devices such as heading sensors, VHF radio, etc. Wireless connectivity (WiFi and Bluetooth) 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;
• HyperVision sonar (including RealVision 3D Hyper, SideVision Hyper, and DownVision Hyper);
• Supports 1.2 MHz sonar frequencies for crisp-clear structure scanning images;
• 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+;
• RealBathy sonar mapping;
• VHF Radio capable;
• Trackplotting, routes and waypoints functions;
• 800 x 480 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 7 HV E70532-05-101 is a mid-range fish finder and chart plotter offering HyperVision Sonar, 2D CHIRP sonar, GPS, LightHouse NC2 charts, and the RealBathy sonar mapping feature. It includes the new Hv-100 HyperVision transducer and runs on the LightHouse Sport operating system. It also offers excellent networking possibilities via NMEA 2000 and SeaTalk; plus, it has internal WiFi and Bluetooth. It’s an excellent unit for inland fishing and navigation, but can also be used offshore with no problem if you don’t require deepwater scanning.