Humminbird HELIX 5 CHIRP DI GPS G3

The HELIX 5 CHIRP DI GPS G3 is one of the Humminbird fish finders released in 2021. As opposed to the older model, the HELIX 5 CHIRP GPS G2, this one has Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar and comes with the newer XNT 9 HW DI T transducer. It is also compatible with the CoastMaster charts. For reference, this is the Humminbird part number 411670-1.

Key Features and Specifications

• Display: 5″ diagonal, 800H x 480V pixel resolution, WVGA, TFT color , with LED backlight
• Sonar: Dual Spectrum CHIRP, Down Imaging
• Transducer: XNT 9 HW DI T
• Frequency and Coverage (with the included transducer):
  Dual Spectrum CHIRP: 150-220 kHz / 42° (Wide) / 25° (Narrow)
  Down Imaging: 455 kHz (420-520 kHz) / 75°
• Depth Capability:
  CHIRP: 1,200 feet (365 m)
  Down Imaging: 400 ft. (106 m)
• Power Output: 500 Watts (RMS)
• Power Draw: 615 mA
• Power Input: 10.8-20 VDC
• GPS: 10 Hz, internal
• Maps: Humminbird Basemap
• Routes, Waypoints, Tracks: 47; 2,750; 50 (20,000 points each)

Sonar and transducer

The Humminbird HELIX 5 CHIRP DI GPS G3 offers two sonar technologies. These are Dual Spectrum CHIRP and Down Imaging. The unit is capable of several base frequency ranges, including 50/83/200 kHz for the Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar, and 455 kHz for Down Imaging. It does not support Side Imaging or 360 Imaging.

The unit comes with the XNT 9 HW DI T transducer which has a transom mount and 20 ft. (6 m) of cable with a 4-pin connector. It also integrates a temperature sensor. This transducer supports both sonar technologies provided by the unit. For Down Imaging, it casts an oval beam with a coverage of 75° @ 455 (420 – 520 kHz). Its maximum depth range is 400 ft. (106 m).

For Dual Spectrum CHIRP, the transducer only supports the High Wide CHIRP frequency range 150-220 kHz. However, since the unit does support 50 kHz and 83 kHz, you can always pair it with a different transducer. For the Dual Spectrum CHIRP, there are three modes that you can use with the included transducer. These are Narrow Mode, Wide Mode, and Full Mode. The beams are all conical. For the Narrow Mode (180-240 kHz), the beam is 25°. For the Wide Mode (140-200 kHz) and the Full Mode (150-220 kHz), the beam is 42°. The maximum depth range can be achieved with the Wide Mode, and is 1,200 ft. (365 m).

The unit also offers plenty of useful standard sonar features. Among them, we can count Selective Fish ID, SwitchFire, Bottom Lock, WhiteLine, Structure ID, A-Scope, Fish Alarm, Depth Alarm, and more. Sonar Recording is available as well, but the unit cannot save the sonar log in its memory, so in order to record sonar, you will have to use a blanc memory card. The unit also has a Temperature Graph feature.

Navigation features

The HELIX 5 CHIRP DI GPS G3 is also a chartplotter. It is equipped with the Humminbird Basemap and has the AutoChart Live feature as well. The Humminbird Basemap platform offers charts pretty close to Navionics quality. These cover more than 10,000 use lakes and other bodies of water. Plus, they offer coverage for the U.S. continental waters, showing buoys, hazards, marinas, depth markers, day markers, and more.

The AutoChart Live application uses the unit’s standard sonar and the GPS function to reveal and record the depth contours of the lake that you’re scanning. This way, you can create your own bathymetric charts if the ones included don’t offer satisfying detail for your favorite lake. However, the unit also supports premium charts such as LakeMaster, LakeMaster Plus, Navionics Gold/HotMaps, Navionics+, Navionics Platinum+, CoastMaster, and SmartStrike fishing charts.

The unit’s internal GPS operates at 10 Hz. This means that it can provide position updates 10 times per second. It supports WAAS, EGNOS, and MSAS for position augmentation. It also has a GPS speed function so it can calculate the speed of your boat based on the GPS input.

The unit does not support Radar or GPS heading sensors but does support AIS data. It is Autopilot capable as well. It has waypoint creation, route creation, and track plotting functions. You can save up to 2,750 waypoints in its memory, 47 routes, and 50 tracks. Each track can have (20,000 points). Each track can be converted to a route to which you can add waypoints later on.

Control unit features

The unit itself is pretty similar to the HELIX 5 CHIRP GPS G3 that we’ve already covered here. It has a 5-inch display, WVGA color, with a pixel matrix of 800H x 480V, and LED backlight. It is also IPX7 waterproof.

The unit features keypad navigation; it does not have touchscreen technology. It has quick keys for MENU, GO TO, Mark (waypoints), Zoom, (+/-), View, Exit, and Power. It also has the large cursor control key.

Unlike the G3N units, the HELIX 5 CHIRP DI GPS G3 does not have NMEA 2000 or Ethernet. It also does not have wireless connectivity such as Bluetooth or WiFi. However, it does have a microSD card slot so you can load it with a Navionics card, LakeMaster card, or with a blank card for data backup or data transfer. It also supports AutoChart Zero Lines contour cards for expanded AC Live recordings.

Last but not least, the unit comes with the standard gimbal mount. An in-dash mounting kit is also available, but not included.

The Pros

• Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar;
• Down Imaging sonar;
• XNT 9 HW DI T transducer included;
• Depth capability up to 1,200 ft. with the included transducer;
• Multiple sonar functions available, such as A-Scope, Bottom Lock, Fish ID+, Circular Flasher, Alarms, etc;
• Sonar Recording and Screen Snapshot functions;
• 10 Hz internal GPS;
• Humminbird Basemap charts included;
• Supports LakeMaster, CoastMaster, Navionics, and SmartStrike charts;
• AutoChart Live ready, function that gives you the possibility to map or re-map any body of water;
• Trackplotting, routes and waypoints functions;
• IPX7 waterproof;
• NMEA 0183 support;
• MicroSD card slot;
• Upgradable internal software;
• Gimbal mount included;
• Fairly easy to install.

The Cons

• In-dash mounting kit is not included;
• Unit cover is not included.

Summary

The Humminbird HELIX 5 CHIRP DI GPS G3 is a fish finder and chartplotter featuring Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar, Down Imaging sonar, GPS, Humminbird Basemaps, and AutoChart Live. It’s a 5-inch color unit and comes with the XNT 9 HW DI T transducer. It’s a great unit for a wide array of boats, for both freshwater and saltwater fishing.