How to Convert Your Humminbird HELIX for Ice Fishing
From open water to ice, converting your Humminbird HELIX for ice fishing is simple.
Fortunately for today's angler, Humminbird’s modern fish finders have been engineered for cold-weather performance and enhanced with today’s technology to give ice fishermen a distinct advantage on the hardwater.
For the ice anglers with a HELIX fish finder on their boat, many HELIX fish finders can be converted for ice fishing with a simple conversion kit from Humminbird and a few button pushes, allowing you to use your Humminbird HELIX all year round.
Benefits of Using a Humminbird HELIX for Ice Fishing
- Dual Spectrum CHIRP Sonar – Real-time sonar with ¾” target separation
- Multiple Sonar View Options – Digital Flasher, 2D Sonar, GPS Mapping split screen options and dedicated views
- CHIRP Interference Rejection – Six settings keep competing sonar signals from cluttering your screen, providing a clear view in both flasher and sonar modes
- Built-In GPS and Cartography (Select models) – Humminbird Basemap and compatibility with LakeMaster® High-Definition contour lake maps and Navionics® cards help you take the guesswork out of finding your fishing spot by pinpointing locations and marking waypoints of your most productive areas
- AutoChart Live Custom Mapping (select models) – Create real-time 1-foot contour maps of your fishing spots to find fish faster
- Adjustable Sonar Zoom – Hone in on the fish, whether they’re tight to the bottom, or suspended high in the water column
- And much more
What is Needed to Use Your HELIX Fish Finder for Ice Fishing
Fortunately, the process for converting your boat’s HELIX fish finder for ice fishing is fairly simple and it starts with pairing your Humminbird with the appropriate conversion kit listed below.
The ice fishing kits contain the majority of the required items to get you up and running on the ice
Humminbird HELIX Ice Conversion Kits
Humminbird offers a variety of conversion kits that make it simple to convert an open water HELIX for ice fishing.
HELIX ICE Conversion Kit (Item # 740202-1)
Compatibility: HELIX 7, 8, 9, 10 CHIRP Models (G2/G2N and Newer)
Items Included: ICE Shuttle with quick-connect SAE power cables, built-in master power switch, two rod holders, Dual Spectrum CHIRP ICE Transducer, and mounting hardware.
Items Sold Separately
- Battery and Charger: Purchase your preferred 12-volt battery from a local or online dealer, or purchase the following two options from Humminbird directly. 15Ah Lithium Battery Kit and 20Ah Lithium Battery Kit (Best for units running advanced sonar accessories like MEGA Live and MEGA 360 Imaging)
- HELIX Head Unit Cover: HELIX 7 Cover, HELIX 8/9 Cover (G3/G3N and newer), and HELIX 10 Cover.
ICE PTC CHIRP H5 FB (Item #740206-1)
Compatibility: HELIX 5 CHIRP models (G2 and Newer)
Items Included: Portable shuttle with carrying handle, bag, Dual Spectrum CHIRP ICE Transducer, transducer float, HELIX power cable, and installation hardware.
Items Sold Separately
- Battery and Charger: Purchase your preferred 12-volt battery from a local or online dealer, or purchase a 15Ah Lithium Battery Kit directly from Humminbird
ICE PTC XI 9 20 H57 (Item #740158-1NB)
Compatibility: HELIX 5 and 7 Non-CHIRP Models (HELIX 5 and 7 G1)
Items Included: Portable shuttle with carrying handle, bag, Dual Beam Ice Transducer with float, gimbal mounting bracket, HELIX power cable, and installation hardware.
Items Sold Separately
- Battery and Charger: Purchase your preferred 12-volt battery from a local or online dealer, or purchase a 15Ah Lithium Battery Kit directly from Humminbird
How to Setup the Humminbird Ice Conversion Kit
This video will show you how to build your conversion kit. The video features the HELIX 7 CHIRP G3N conversion.
How to turn on Ice Fishing Mode on HELIX
Once you have converted your HELIX unit using the compatible ice conversation kit, the last step is to switch the HELIX operation mode into Ice Fishing Mode (shown below).
Make sure that your HELIX fish finder is operating on the most recent software update to ensure the best performance and that you get the newest Ice Fishing Mode features. Get the latest software.
Converting your HELIX fish finder from Open Water mode to Ice Fishing Mode is a simple change that takes very little time and unlocks powerful ice fishing features.
Just some of those features of Ice Fishing Mode include:
- Dual Spectrum CHIRP Sonar with 3/4" target separation (CHIRP Models)
- CHIRP Interference Rejection (CHIRP Models)
- Adjustable Sonar Zoom
- Flasher, 2D Sonar and GPS / Mapping views
- AutoChart Live Ice (GPS Models)
- Jig Charge Mode
After you’ve completed these steps, you and your newly configured ICE HELIX model will be ready to hit the ice with confidence.