Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 SplitShot US Inland

The Hook Reveal 7 is one of the new Lowrance fish finders released by Lowrance for 2020. It’s similar to the last year’s Hook2-7 but comes with two notable extra features. One is Genesis Live mapping, the other is the FishReveal feature which until now was only available on the Elite Ti2 units and above.

In this post, we’re going to cover the Hook Reveal 7 part number 000-15512-001. This particular model includes the SplitShot transducer and has the basic C-MAP US Inland charts.

Key Features and Specifications

• Display: 7″ diagonal, 800H x 480V pixel matrix, color TFT, with LED backlight
• Sonar: High Wide-Angle CHIRP & DownScan
• Transducer: SplitShot (000-14028-001)
• Max. Depth Capability:
  500 ft (153 m) for the CHIRP sonar
  300 ft. (91 m) for DownScan
• Frequency and Coverage (with the included transducer):
  2D Sonar: 200 kHz / 40°
  DownScan: 55/3° @ 455 & 35/1.6° @ 800 kHz
• Power Supply: 12 VDC (10.8-17 VDC min-max)
• GPS: Internal, WAAS/EGNOS/MSAS
• Maps: C-MAP US Inland Basemap
• Routes, Waypoints, Tracks: 100; 3,000, 100 (10,000) points per trail)

Sonar and transducer

The Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 SplitShot Inland offers two types of sonar, these being traditional CHIRP and DownScan. Since this is the SplitShot model, it does not have the SideScan sonar feature. It supports multiple operating frequencies. It’s capable of 50/83/200 kHz for the traditional CHIRP sonar, and 455/800 kHz for DownScan. It’s also important to mention that it does not support ForwardScan or LiveSight sonar.

The included SplitShot transducer (000-14028-001) supports both 2D CHIRP and DownScan. But for the CHIRP sonar it only supports one frequency (200 kHz). For this type of sonar, it uses a conical beam with a coverage of 40° and a max. depth capability of 500 ft. (153 m). But nonetheless, since the unit also supports 50 kHz, you can pair it with the 50/200 kHz skimmer for deeper water scanning.

For DownScan, the transducer supports both the unit’s 455/800 kHz frequencies. It uses two oval beams with a coverage of 35°/1.6° @ 800 kHz, and 55°/3° @ 455 kHz. The depth capabilities of the DownScan beams are 300 ft. (91 m) @ 455 kHz, and 150 ft. (46 m) at 800 kHz.

The transducer is a classic plastic type, with a transom mount and trolling mounting possibilities. It integrates a temperature sensor, it has 20 ft. (6 m) of cable, and an 8-pin connector.

In terms of sonar features and applications, the most notable one is the new FishReveal. This application gives you the possibility to bring the fish arches from the CHIRP sonar into the DownScan view, and also opens specific FishReveal options. The older Overlay DownScan application is also available. This feature allows the overlay of the DownScan imaging on the standard sonar view and opens DownScan basic options in the standard sonar mode.

Sonar Autotuning is also available with this Lowrance fishfinder. This application auto-calibrates your fish finder in order to provide the best image by adjusting the sonar settings as the water conditions change. It can definitely save you some time with the tweaking of your sonar for the particular spot you’re fishing.

The unit’s standard sonar applications list also includes A-Scope, Noise Rejection, Bottom Lock, Fish ID, Circular Flasher, Colorline, Surface Clarity, Depth Alarm, Fish Alarm, Split Zoom, Sonar Recording and more.

Navigation features

The Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 SplitShot Inland has built-in GPS and the C-MAP US Inland charts. The GPS receiver offers a standard 30 sec. cold start and supports position augmentation via WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS, and GLONASS. The unit can also calculate and display the speed of your boat based on the GPS input.

The built-in C-MAP US Inland chart platform offers basic charts for the US lakes. It covers more than 4,000 U.S. lakes with 1-foot contours. However, the unit supports premium charts from C-MAP and Navionics, including Navionics Gold, Navionics+, Navionics Platinum+, C-MAP Insight Pro, and C-MAP Lake Insight.

As opposed to the older Hook and Hook2 series units, the Hook Reveal 7 has the Genesis Live mapping feature. This feature offers the possibility to create your own custom bathymetric maps in case the included maps don’t offer satisfying detail for your favorite lake. It uses the GPS and sonar data to reveal and draw the depth contours of the lake that you’re scanning. Also, in case you opt for a Navionics+ card, the unit supports the SonarChart application as well, which is also a bathymetric mapping tool.

The Hook Reveal 7 can save up to 3,000 waypoints in its memory. It also has trackplotting and route creation functions. You can save up to 100 recorded tracks (10,000 points per track) and up to 100 routes in its memory as well. Also, each track can be converted into a route and you can add waypoints to it if needed.

Last but not least, it’s important to mention that this Lowrance fish finder does not support Radar or AIS data. It also does not support external GPS, auto-pilot data, or VHF radio.

Control unit features

As its name suggests, the Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 features a 7-inch display. It’s a SolarMax display type with a super-bright backlight offering excellent readability even in direct sunlight. The unit is also IPX7 waterproof; this means its sealing should withstand incidental water exposure and rain with no problem.

The unit doesn’t have touchscreen technology. It’s keypad-operated. It offers an 8-way directional key, Zoom key, Enter/Exit key, Menu Access key, Waypoint on Cursor key, and on-off key. Its interface is very easy to use. Its homepage can be customized with various application combos for quick selection and the possibility to work with up to four applications in split-view.

The unit doesn’t offer NMEA 0183 or NMEA 2000 support. It also does not have Ethernet ports or wireless connectivity and these are some of the reasons it is considerably cheaper than an Elite Ti2 unit. It does have a microSD card slot so you can add charts from Navionics or C-MAP, or use a blank data card for backups or data transfer.

The unit comes with the standard Gimbal bracket mount. A unit cover is not included.

The Pros

• 2D Broadband Wide CHIRP Sonar;
• DownScan sonar;
• Supports 50 kHz;
• SplitShot 2-in-1 transducer included;
• Multiple sonar features such as Fish ID, A-Scope, Bottom Lock, Circular Flasher, Colorline, Sonar Recording, Overlay DownScan etc;
• FishReveal;
• Fast and accurate GPS;
• US Inland basemaps included;
• Genesis Live real-time mapping;
• Compatible with superior charts, such as C-MAP®, C-MAP Genesis, Navionics® and more;
• Adjustable backlight for superior readability;
• MicroSD card reader (1 slot);
• Bracket mount and panel mount kit included;
• Fairly easy to install;
• One year warranty.

The Cons

• No networking features (no NMEA or Ethernet);
• Doesn’t support external GPS, or AIS units.

Summary

The Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 SplitShot US Inland is a fish finder and chartplotter featuring 2D CHIRP sonar, DownScan sonar, GPS, the C-MAP Inland basemaps, and Genesis Live mapping. It includes the SplitShot transducer for High Wide CHIRP and DownScan. It also supports premium charts from Navionics and C-MAP via microSD card. However, it does not have networking features. It’s an excellent unit for a wide variety of boats, inland and off-shore fishing, and pretty decent for navigation as well.