a rock or wreck that gave good results last time. The shop- 

 ping list might look something like this: 



VHF radio/antenna 

 Depth recorder/transducer 

 Loran receiver/antenna 



$300 to $400 

 $600 to $700 

 $600 to $700 



So, while the typical big-boat setup for a commercial 

 fishing operation might require $9000 worth of electronics, 

 the small-boat, recreational fisherman might only invest 

 $1500. 



Bahen offers some more pointers to the sportsfisherman 

 who is interested in marine electronics: Choose a reputable 

 dealer. Buy equipment that can be serviced locally. Ask 

 the advice of experienced fishermen. And only buy what 

 you can use. 



"The guy who only goes out in his boat to do a little 

 sightseeing once in a while doesn't need loran and depth 

 recorders," Bahen says. 



Bahen adds that, for now, it might even pay some 

 fishermen to wait and shop around, before investing in 

 marine electronics. 



"The gear is changing all the time," he says, "and some 

 of it is actually getting less expensive." 



Mike Renn, who works in a marine-electronics shop in 

 Wilmington, says that electronic gear is following the ex- 

 ample of the pocket calculator. 



"They're coming down in price and down in weight," 



Renn says. He says that a few years ago a typical loran 

 receiver sold for around $3400 and was very bulky. A 

 similar receiver now runs $800, will do the same job, and 

 may be half the size of its predecessor. 



"Just because a piece is big and expensive doesn't mean 

 it is better," Renn says. "You have to shop around and 

 compare features to get the best value." 



—Neil Caudle 



Photo by Nancy Davis 



One version of the depth recorder 



Photo by Neil Caudle 



High-tech headboat 



The pilothouse of a large 

 North Carolina headboat 

 sports an array of marine 

 electronics , including 

 autopilot and three different 

 depth indicators. The depth 

 machine mounted upper 

 right was manufactured on 

 Harkers Island 



