Looking at Raymarine e80

[Sailon1]

Greetings,

Before speaking to the tech guys at Raymarine, I would appreciate some real-life input on this system. **

This is for a 1978 30' Pearson sloop.*

1. I'm looking at the e80 on eBay and want to make sure that I have all the parts listed before diving in.
For the fish finder, I will need the DSM 300, an in-hull transducer (AirMar P79 ??), cable from the transducer to DSM 300,
and cable from DSM 300 to the e80. Please holler if I left anything out.

2. I have an in-hull transducer from my old Garmin fishfinder -- any chance it is compatible with the e80?

3. Is the e80 a good choice for an economical second-generation chart plotter/fishfinder? I would like to add radar at some point.

Thanks again for your comments, they are appreciated!

[Sailon1]

Thanks to some practical input from Forum contributors, I decided on the Simrad NSS8 instead of the RM e80.

In case anyone is interested, the comparison focused on

1. the need for more components with the e80--fishfinder requires Digital Sounder Module (DSM)+cable and connectors from the transducer and to the e80.

2. YouTube videos show user-friendliness of the NSS system-split screen, easy navigation around the menu selections, Simrad's excellent history and reputation with all things sonar.

3.Cost is about the same on both systems, perhaps a slight edge on prices/value for secondhand items going to the NSS8, which I believe is also a few years newer technology than the older RM.

Thanks again for the input!