HawkEye Fishtrax 1C

The HawkEye FishTrax 1C is one of the most basic fish finders available at the moment, similar to the Phiradar FF688C model. It only offers a standard dual beam sonar without any structure scanning features or navigation features. It also includes a transducer with a floater.

Key Features and Specifications

• Display: 3.5″ diagonal, VirtuView™ color TFT, with LED backlight
• Sonar: Dual beam
• Depth Capability: 240 ft (73 m)
• Frequency and Coverage: 200 kHz / 14° and 83 kHz / 26°
• Transducer: Dual beam 200/83 kHz, with floater
• Power Supply: 4 AAA batteries
• GPS: No
• Maps: No

Sonar and transducer

The HawkEye Fishtrax 1C fish finder offers standard dual beam sonar without CHIRP technology. It supports two main frequencies, these being 200 kHz and 83 kHz. It does not support 50 kHz. It also does not support structure scanning sonar.

The unit comes with a standard plastic transducer featuring approx. 15′ (4.5 m) of cable and a foam floater which allows you to cast it from your boat, kayak, or from a fishing dock. It integrates a temperature sensor and the unit can display water temperature. It can be mounted on a boat’s transom as well, but a transom mount is not included. Several models are available, though. Also, the transducer can be mounted through-hull, however, this way, its effectiveness may be reduced.

The transducer casts two conical beams with a coverage of 14° @ 200 kHz and 26° @ 83 kHz. The maximum depth capability that can be achieved with this transducer is 240 ft. (73 m), in freshwater, when using the 83 kHz beam. The unit has an Auto Zoom Bottom Tracking function so you can have the regular sonar view and the bottom view displayed in split-screen.

The unit offers quite a few standard sonar features. To begin with, it has a FishID feature that converts the fish arches into fish icons with the depth of each one of them displayed above it. It has a Circular Flasher view great to use for ice fishing or when down-dropping. A Noise Rejection function and a Surface Clarity function are also available. These give you the possibility to filter out clutter in order to view more fish targets. The unit also has several alarms, including a Battery Alarm, a Fish Alarm, and a Depth Alarm.

It’s important to mention that the unit does not have an A-Scope function. It also does not have Sonar Recording and Sonar Rewind features.

Control unit features

The HawkEye Fishtrax 1C unit features a 3.5″ diagonal, VirtuView™ color TFT display with LED backlight. Its exact pixel resolution is not specified. The display is polarized so it can be viewed with or without sunglasses in direct sunlight or at night.

The unit is keypad-operated. It has four main buttons plus the mode select button. Some of the four buttons cover multiple functions while the large select button on the right allows an easy navigation through the functions and menu. In all, the unit is very easy to use.

As we’ve mentioned above, the unit does not have any navigation features. It does not support external GPS and does not have a microSD or SD card slot for charts or data transfer.

Needless to say, the Fishtrax 1C does not have any networking features. Its only connector is for the transducer. The unit is battery-powered. It requires 4 AAA batteries which are not included. A set of four batteries should last between 6 and 8 hours, depending on the color scheme used and other factors.

A mount is not included for the unit, but several models are available, as well as different types of portable cases and other accessories.

The Pros

• Dual beam sonar (83/200 kHz);
• Transducer with foam float included;
• Depth capability up to 240 ft;
• Multiple standard sonar features including FishID, Circular Flasher, Depth Line, Noise Rejection, Bottom View, Fish Alarm, Depth Alarm, etc;
• Color display;
• Fairly decent sonar imaging for a small unit;
• Basic waterproofing;
• Very easy to use;
• Excellent portability.

The Cons

• A mount for the transducer is not included;
• A unit mount is not included;
• No A-Scope function.

Summary

The HawkEye Fishtrax 1C is a basic fish finder (no GPS) offering dual beam sonar (83/200 kHz) and a dual-beam transducer with a foam float and an internal temperature sensor. The unit makes available several standard sonar functions such as Fish ID, Circular Flasher, Depth Line, Sonar Zoom, Fish Alarm, and more. It’s one of the most affordable fish finders that you can get at the moment, great for both freshwater and saltwater.