FirstPriority Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 I am interested in using my Lowrance as my Sirius radio tuner. I do not care for marine weather. Do I have to use the sonic hub or the $700 WM-3 for this? Seems like its too expensive but cant imagine that it is this limited.... Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harbday Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 I have this exact setup. Yes, you will need the Sonic Hub. It is the bridge through which you connect the HDS to your speakers. The NMEA2k connection goes from the HDS to the Sonic Hub. You then connect the included wiring harness to your speakers and plug that into the Sonic Hub. FYI - I paired mine with a Fusion wired remote (MS-WR600) as well. This is not necessary, but I mostly wanted the convenience of an easy access volume knob/mute button. The other benefit of this setup is that it allows you to use your stereo without the HDS being onboard. This only matters if your HDS is on a removable mount, like mine. In that case, you can control the power/input/volume through the Fusion remote and can play music from any source. Note that you can only use the Fusion remote with the Sonic Hub 1. The Sonic Hub 2 does not have a port to plug the Fusion remote into. If you go with the Sonic Hub 1, make sure you get the separate bluetooth dongle for streaming music from your phone (dongle A/V plugs go into the red/white AUX input on the Sonic Hub). The Sonic Hub 2 comes with integrated bluetooth, so you don't need to buy the separate dongle. I almost always find myself controlling my music through the Fusion Remote over the HDS. Its just easier to flip the volume knob, and the audio menu bar on the HDS covers a part of the map/sonar screen. This can be annoying on a 9" screen. That being said, 99% of the time I am streaming and controlling music directly from my phone. It is likely a big benefit to be able to pick XM channels from a list on the HDS screen, which may make the Fusion remote less useful to you. Either way, I love the Sonic Hub and find it very easy to install/use. Link to the remote Link to the bluetooth dongle As a side note, I just ordered a Motorguide Xi5 trolling motor. I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays with the HDS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstPriority Posted March 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 thanks harbday. good info. I just installed my Xi5 and redid all the batteried and charger and then every other little project that was like "oh yeah and that".... cant wait to get out and use it. question. did you buy the WM-3 for the sirius radio or did you accomplish that a different way? just seems crazy the amount of money for that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Jazzy Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 If your just wanting Sirius radio then why not just get the Fusion head unit. You can run Sirius, Bluetooth, Radio plus its a docking station for your phone. Alot cheaper than $700 and with NMEA200 you can link your Lowrance with the Fusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harbday Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 I don't actually use Sirius XM. But yes you would need to buy the WM-3 and the Sonic Hub. The WM-3 has the Sirius antenna in it. But if you can find one, the LWX-1 is an older discontinued version of the WM-3 that may be available online for cheaper. I haven't looked into this. Also, Miss Jazzy is absolutely right. If you go with a Fusion head unit, you would not have to buy the Sonic Hub or the WM-3. I guess this decision would come down to price of Sonic Hub + WM-3 v. the Fusion head unit and also whether or not you have the space/desire to install a separate stereo head unit in your console. On the Xi5 - What #lb thrust motor and batteries did you choose? I ordered the 24v 80lb Xi5, so I will need to add another battery to upgrade my current 12v system. Because I want to go AGM, I believe I will need to replace the two existing lead acid batteries with AGM. What brand did you buy and did you go Group 27 or Group 31. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstPriority Posted March 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 thank you both. ill look into the fusion system and its integration into the HDS. On the x5 i got the 105lb 36v and 60" shaft. i went with the brute force batteries, they have very little difference from the audyssey. went with the group 31 because i needed the extra space for the freshwater tank i have under the console. i snorkel a lot during the summer and the fresh water rinse is nice. glad i did too cause i don't know how I would have fit the group 27's. also installed a new powermania 3 bank 30 amp charger. so it was a full project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaskeet Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 11 hours ago, FirstPriority said: thank you both. ill look into the fusion system and its integration into the HDS. On the x5 i got the 105lb 36v and 60" shaft. i went with the brute force batteries, they have very little difference from the audyssey. went with the group 31 because i needed the extra space for the freshwater tank i have under the console. i snorkel a lot during the summer and the fresh water rinse is nice. glad i did too cause i don't know how I would have fit the group 27's. also installed a new powermania 3 bank 30 amp charger. so it was a full project. I think you have the battery sizes backwards. Group 31 batteries are larger than group 27. Most people that expect to be on their trolling motor most of the day will use group 31 batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstPriority Posted March 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 Bamaskeet! Thanks for the correction. Yes I used Group 34 batteries which are smaller than the 27's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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