Through years of studying, fishing, and testing by engineers rooted in the heart of the ice-belt, a new leader emerges on the forefront of the ice fishing electronics market. The result is the MarCum line of high-power sonar flashers that were designed from the ground-up, relying on modern principles of sonar and science. MarCum’s approach has always been the most performance for the money, period. It would follow then, that every single feature on any of the MarCum flashers and cameras results from years of continuous innovation and study. There's alot of terminology here, but in the end, it's all about features that translate into fishing success. Ultimately, all the features in the world mean nothing unless they allow you to accurately gather more critical information about what’s below you. Here’s a quick rundown of the many reasons that a MarCum will put more fish on the ice for you this winter.

• More Power – MarCum flashers transmit the highest power in the industry, which directly effects the unit’s ability to effectively detect its own return signal
• Most efficient - MarCum manufactures its own transducers to ensure quality, balance, and efficiency when paired with the flasher’s other components.
• Increased sensitivity – Better transducers, paired with more power and efficiency translates into the best target separation in the business. The gain sensitivity on a MarCum flasher is nearly surgical, with the lowest signal/noise ratio in the industry. This translates into finer detail with less distortion.
• Better Resolution – TrueColor razor thin display (not blended like competitors). MarCum never distorts any of its display segments by widening the signal, ultimately resulting in the best resolution, most crisp display, and finest detail in the industry.

“Total system performance” is what MarCum calls it. All the features in the world can’t help you if they’re independent of one another, not working in concert. A unit with more power, better efficiency, increased sensitivity, and better resolution is the complete package. The net result for the angler is a better understanding of what’s going on below them; something that can’t help but put more fish on the ice this winter.

In addition to those standard performance traits, below are features exclusive ONLY to MarCum, and why they’re engineered to be the best:
• Adjustable, Optical Zoom – While many folks know that MarCum has the only zoom feature that’s adjustable anywhere in the water column, few are aware that the zoom on a MarCum is a true, optical zoom. Unlike competitors, whose resolution never increases and whose display is merely “blown-up”, the MarCum optical zoom feature actually increases your ability to discern distance and size between targets. Rather than a larger display of the same data, you’re getting better information through a true optical zoom. This is the same principal that applies to digital photography.
• Patented Interference Rejection (IR) Technology – Due to the very positive signal/noise ratio put out by the MarCum units, the IR in-turn performs better allowing the receiver to better separate noise and clutter from true signal.
• Super Fine Line – This patented feature reduces the width of target display to increase the target separation and give you more information, especially in weeds/cover or amongst schooling fish.
• True-Color – Marcum makes the only flasher that utilizes 3 separate, distinct colors; Red, Green, and Yellow. True color offers the most crisp, distinct display, giving the user the best accuracy in distinguishing targets. No more fuzzy blending.
• Ice – arm – Rather than a float which moves about the hole and bobs with increased pressure on the ice or currents under it, the ice-arm allows the transducer to be placed anywhere in the hole. This includes up against the edge, hiding most of the transducer under the ice to the far edge of the hole. This results in fewer tangles, and less confusion from a changing bottom depth.
• 3 Stage Digital “Smart” Charging System – An accurate, digital battery life display, along with a single plug 3 stage charging system maintains the electrical performance of the units. The single plug prevents reversing the polarity and burning up your battery, and promotes reduced corrosion on the battery charging posts themselves. Even if you only have an hour to charge your MarCum, the initial charging stage loads heavily at first, and backs down to top the battery off. No other charging system can claim this!
• Standard Soft Pack – Rather than an add-on feature, a padded soft pack anchors and protects your investment in electronics.

This year is not without surprises. NEW for 2008, all MarCum flashers will get a boost in power, as described below. Furthermore, Nature Vision has announced the inception of Auto-Tune Technology for their full line of 2008 Marcum flashers. Since all transducers have a frequency tolerance of plus or minus 4% (192-208kz) there exist a small mismatch between power head and transducer. This variance, depending on how extreme it is from ‘ducer to ‘ducer, creates increased noise and essentially decreases the sensitivity and performance of the sonar unit. Marcum engineers have developed Auto-Tune Technology to automatically adjust the frequency of the transmitter/receiver to the frequency of the transducer, thus eliminating additional noise and sensitivity concerns. As if MarCum’s technological feats weren’t impressive enough, this innovation is essentially a “sonar technician in a can” and available in every new 2008 Marcum flasher.

Power Boosts
• LX-5 – 2000 watts peak-to-peak to 2500 watts peak-to-peak
• LX-3 – 1500 watts peak-to-peak to 2000 watts peak-to-peak
• VX-1 Pro – 600 watts peak-to-peak to 1000 watts peak-to-peak

That is why MarCum leads the industry in innovation and performance. It’s a fact that MarCum engineers can and are willing to test and prove. A full suite of mechanical and electrical sonar tests have been run on all flashers currently on the market, and MarCum’s technology exceeds the competition often by orders of magnitude.

Also, stay tuned for this winter’s MarCum On-Ice Challenges. MarCum openly invites all to come and take a look at their flashers, and compare the competition on the ice where it matters most. View for yourself the power, sensitivity, and display; along with the features exclusive only to MarCum, and compare them to the competition.

In the lab or on the ice – MarCum leads the way.

Nice post! Great to see all the advantages of a Marcum laid out so well.

Also great to see the upgrades for this year, as well as the inception of the Marcum Challenges. These will all be a great opportunity for anyone who likes to kick the tires, or compare all the units out there.

Joel

I think many will be "kickin' tires" at the Ice Show this weekend.

I'll be kicking the tires on the ice with my new LX-5 this weekend. It should be coming today!

I really want a new lx-5. I am hoping for more snow so I can make enough plowing to buy one before they are sold out everywhere. It's tough to fish with the fl-8 after using a lx-5.

Dave or anyone, I am guessing the red band from 10-11ft is bottom? If so what are the marks/lines from 11 - 12.5

Big Wade- those are returns, or at least thats what I have always called them, once you learn your unit, and know how high you have your gain, you can then predict what the bottom content would be. From looking at that picture I would guess a soft sand or maybe silt type bottom, probably not rock. Not enough of a double echo. Although the gain is set quite low.

This is a great sonar question!

Imagine your Marcum's cone angle, shaped like a triangle all the way to bottom. Mentally draw a straight line from the center of the ducer, straight below you to the bottom. This is the center of the cone angle. Your sonar has the best ability to discern targets when they are at this location.

The weaker return signals you see then, to the left of your bottom and leading edge, are signals from the external vector or edges of this cone angle. Targets here (if they exist) are further from the ducer horizontally than they are when directly below it, and your sonar has less ability to discern targets here. This is why they're represented by weaker signals in different colors.

Joel

Thanks guys, I picked up an LX-5 in the off season and trying to learn as much as I can before hitting the ice this weekend but do know that, I will need to put the time in on the ice to fully learn this unit....

You'll love it BigWadeS. I got mine the day before my first trip last week, and once I got the hang of it it was like cheating

That photo was taken in demo mode but in real life, Deitz and Joel gave great tutorials.

And more hardware.. Congratulations Myron and Joe for winning the NAIFC at Boom Lake in Rhilander, WI.

MarCum on the podium again

http://titancast.titantv.com/p/wjfw/v/NAIFC-Champions-Crowned-in-Bad-Weather/1ACA0UPW.aspx

From Joe..

Nature Vision provided us with our Markem LX5 flashers. When fishing among other teams the LX5 uses its feature to reduce feedback. This makes it possible to fish between teams. Thanks Trevor and John.

Congrats to Joe and Myron got to spend sometime with them at last years championship. Way to go!

If you do buy an LX5 be aware that the transducer can and will freeze into the housing in the softpack. I love my LX5, but this problem ruined one of my morning ice fishing trips last week....

I drilled a couple of holes in the cup for the transducer after having this happen a few times. You can get it out by pouring a bit of water around the ducer fairly easily.

I always take my unit in at night to charge and never have freezing problems.