Once or twice, you must have heard of the Raymarine Fish finder brand as they have been around for some time now. Over the last years, this brand has built a solid reputation for itself and has designed some of the best fish finders with the best state of the art sonar technology plus GPS. One of these products is the Raymarine Dragon Pro.
The DragonFly Fish Finder is evidence that Raymarine can blend simple designs with high-end tech features.
Today’s article will be focused on Raymarine Dragon 7 review, and we’d be analysing its features, alongside all-weather displays, transducer, and DownVision.
The Sonars fitted in the Dragonfly Series (The Dragonfly 4, Dragonfly 4Pro, Dragonfly 5, Dragonfly 5Pro and Dragonfly 7Pro) allow you to spend less time looking for fish and more time reeling them in.
Table of Contents
Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Pro Review
As earlier stated, our focus today is on the Dragonfly 7 Pro. This fish finder comes loaded with features. It make the process of locating fish a breeze and goes the extra mile teaching you a lot about the marine environment under your boat. All of these functionalities can help make you a better angler. That, said, let’s get right into what makes the Dragonfly 7 Pro with US navionics a big deal.
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Design:
No doubt, the Dragonfly 7 Pro is built to be visually appealing. It finish and body are top notch. The bdy is lightweight and compact. The waterproof display is high quality and thanks to this waterproof technology, the screen does not fog when it’s cold.
This fish finder features a rotary dial and 3 buttons. The reduction in buttons makes usage simpler and easy to operate.
You can switch between GPS, split screen and sonar with eyes closed; well not exactly, but you get what I mean, right? To choose a preferred screen, you can navigate the rotary dial.
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Performance:
You will be happy to know that the Raymarine fish finder is an affordable option, It works well in both salt and fresh water. The Raymarine’s exceptional performance has led to it being ranked as one of the best fish finders on the market.
Only a small number of fish finders and fishing sonars perform as advertised let alone blow the user’s mind. The Dragonfly 7 Pro is, however, an exception. The color CJHIRP DownVision technology is high class on this equipment. The results shown are impressively detailed. You can check fishes of all sizes as underwater structures without issues.
With the Dragonfly 7 Pro, you can view the fish even if they are hiding under water structure and columns. This allows you to position your bait and boat strategically to lock on your target.
The locator operation is pretty straightforward. All you need to begin is to turn on the device and begin locating the fish. There is no device setup required. Also, the fish finder’s mount can be adjusted, and it can be installed on almost any surface with ease.
With the Dragonfly 7 Pro, you can see the fish even if they are hiding under columns and water structures. This allows you to strategically position your boat and bait to attract your target.
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7″ Display:
Raymarine Dragonfly Pro CHIRP Fish Finder with built in GPS and WiFi with Navionics+ Charts and Transducer]
The Raymarine Dragon 8 Pro with US navionics is crisper and brighter. The screen is made from bonded LCD. This material offers brighter colors, a sharper contrast and a higher resolution than other types of screen.
The screen stands at 7 inches and comes in high 800×480 resolutions. One can comfortably view the screen even under direct sunlight.
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CHIRP Sonar:
This Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Proreview would be insufficient without the mention of the CHIRP technology used in this fish finder. This CHIRP Sonar technology makes this Raymarine unit stand out from the rest of the fish finders on the market.
With this device at hand, you have the choice to choose between 2 CHIRP channels. The first is used for fish targeting while the second provides a wide 60-degree CHIRP angle DownVision image.
The fish targeting scans of the waters under the boat reach up to 25-degree angle. It is created to target bait and larger fish. The 60-degree CHIRP angle on the other hand provides lifelike images of structures underwater.
The DownVision CHIRP mode beats almost every other fish finding technology. It gives you clear and detailed information in the craggy bottom. At the same time, it offers impeccable target separation between fish and structures under water.
All in all, this technology is accurate and provides great imagery.
Now, let’s learn how the Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Pro compares to the Lowrance Elite 7 CHIRP. But before that here is our Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Review, a device preleased before this pro version.
Here is some information you need as well as some of the most commonly asked questions.
FAQ:
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Does the Dragonfly Pro allow way points and map views?
Yes it does, infact it includes all GPS functions
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What is the difference between the Dragonfly 4, 5, & 7 other than price?
AScreen size and resolution. The 4, 5, & 7 correspond to their screen sizes. The Dragonfly 5 and 7 both feature a 800 x 480 display and the Dragonfly 4 comes with a 480 x 272 display.
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Can I buy the smaller smaller screen version (Dragonfly 4 Pro) and use the app to stream to a tablet to save money?
Yes, you can but bear in mind that you will now have your non waterproof tablet on the boat and you will also need a charging cable as streaming will deplete the battery very quickly.
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Is the Dragonfly Pro hard to install?
No, installation is pretty basic.
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How fast can I go and still get good depth/fishing readings?
This totally depends on your setup and many other factors but any speed over 30 mph is going to cause issues with the data being displayed
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Does the Dragonfly Pro come with a sun cover?
No, but we advise you purchase one if you are going to leave on your boat.
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What is Navionics?
This is an Italian company that is dedicated to the manufacture of navigational charts (electronic). The company was created back in 1984 and so far has a broad production of products under its wings.
Dragonfly 7 PRO is equipped with a GPS receiver and ships pre-installed with the Navionics + charts. The maps features the complete coastal US and Canadian waters as well as a growing list of 20,000 lakes in it.
This allows you to take this fish finder on almost any kind of water and fully assured that you will not get lost while trying to reel in fish.
Dragonfly 7 PRO vs 5 PRO vs 4 PRO
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Dragonfly 7 Pro
7.0 inch
800 x 480
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Dragonfly 5 Pro
5.0 inch
800 x 480
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Dragonfly 4 Pro
4.3 inch
480 x 272
If you are probably wondering what the difference is between the 4, 5, and 7 Pro version is, we will talk about it here. The major difference is only the screen size.
The 7Pro has a 7.0 inch 800 x 480 resolution display; 5Pro comes with a 5.0 inch 800 x 480 display; and a 4Pro features one 4.3 inch 480 x 272 resolution display.
All other specs look pretty much alike (I know). The larger display will make viewing images on the display a lot more convenient and faster. If your budget allows it, go for the 7.0 inch 7Pro model.
Dragonfly 7 Pro vs the Lowrance Elite 7 CHIRP:
The debate is the fight for top spot between the Raymarine Dragonfly series and the Lowrance fish finder series is popular, and with every new fish finder, it gets more heated.
These 2 fish finders share a lot in common in terms of features. This may make it hard for you to pick one over the other. However, if you check it closely, you will discover some differences. For example, the Dragonfly 7 Pro boasts of an all-weather display while the Lowrance Elite 7 does not.
The Lowrance Elite 7 comes with a sensitive antenna to assist the GPS system function even better while the Dragonfly 7 does not.
While each of these units has CHIRP technology, the Dragonfly 7 pro has the upper hand. How, you asl? Well, it comes with a dual CHIRP Sonar which contains DownVision CHIRP and 2D CHIRP. The Lowrance does not possess these advanced features which enable the Dragonfly 7 to produce much clearer and detailed images.
Final Thoughts:
When writing this Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Pro Review, one word came to mind – versatility. The Dragonfly 7 Pro Fish Finder is armed with an adjustable mount that simplifies the process of installation. Aside this, it features a great GPS for the angler who is put on the water frequently and wants to make favorite/most loved fishing spots or set way points during a fishing trip.
After reading this this Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Pro Review, wouldn’t you agree that this is truly one of the best units for anglers currently available; get yours today!
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