The Garmin Fishfinder 140 Reviewed

If you are thinking of purchasing a fishfinder, you should know the pros and cons of the Garmin Fishfinder 140. The price of this model of Garmin is just over $100 and can be purchased from a variety of sources. It has some benefits, including the price, in relation to other more expensive fishfinders. It also has a few drawbacks that you should be aware of prior to your purchase.

Garmin Fishfinder 140

Fishfinders are used in conjunction with boat fishing and they are designed to mount to the boat to help the fisherman determine where the fish are located. The Garmin works by the use of a dual beam transducer, which is mounted to the boat at the level of the water and connected to a wiring harness that also connects to the mounted fishfinder in the boat. The narrow beam of sound tells you what is directly under your boat, while the wide beam works in deeper water and at 30 foot; it “sees” a 20-foot wide circle. Structures in the water are detected and shown on screen, as is the floor of the water, and of course, the fish.

One of the most loved features of the Garmin Fishfinder 140 is the price. Other fishfinders are more expensive than the Garmin and provide few benefits for the increased cost. The screen of the Garmin is not in color, but in gray scale, a feature that most find satisfactory. Most say it is easy to see in all kinds of light.

The alarms on the unit are popular. They include a low battery alarm, a deep and shallow water alarm that is optional and a fish alarm that will notify the fisherman if fish are seen on the unit if he is not paying attention at the time. There are several other settings that can be adjusted so that you can feel in control of the information you receive. The unit is also submersible in water up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

While most find the unit a great fishfinder for the money, others have found difficulty with the installation of the transducer and wiring harness. While there is a comprehensive instruction book included, there seems to be some issues with installing the transducer plug, which has a one-inch diameter, a bit bigger than other fishfinders.

It works well as a depth finder unless traveling over 30 mph and when the bottom is lost, the unit needs to be restarted, losing all settings that were previously entered. The bottom is occasionally lost if muddy or there are lots of weeds. It is not as accurate or helpful in those situations and again needs to be restarted, which is inconvenient.

The Garmin Fishfinder 140 has been called a great beginner unit, and is very affordable compared to others. The features of it provide value to most fishermen and it is easy to set up and learn to use. The problems associated with mounting the transducer and wiring harness are not insurmountable and with a little patience, the unit works well once installed.

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