go a combo - The Lowrance HDS-5 (50/200) for $1300 would probably be the best. Shop around and you could probably do a bit better. Also incorporates the new broadband technology.

If you go back through previous entries you should find heaps of comments on this subject.Eveyone has their preference and some have gone into great detail so I wish you luck

for a grand you wont get too much , better off saving a bit more and going for something like a furuno 620 for the sounder, for a gps better going for a unit with navionics rather than c map, not sure of what unit but. i have a hummingbird combo but only use the gps on it, bad buy going combo

What's the reason for a combo being a bad buy? Is it the screen space etc. or a decreased capacity to work gps and sounder?

Only reason I can work out is that people don't like flicking between sounder and gps screens. Quite happy to put up with it myself. 

The reason is ,with a combo ,if it packs up you lose everything and cannot go fishing till its repaired.With individual units if one stuffs up you can still go,eg sounder is u/s you can use your marks on the gps to get on the spot and the other way round is you can read the bottom and use old tecniques like a marker buoy,landmarks and compass bearings to catch fish.

I have a combo, it failed and the shop I bought it from loaned me a demo.

That may be so Till. But what about when you've towed your rig north on your annual trip and your combo unit packs it in on the first day!

Better to have separate units IMO for the main reason that carnarvonite suggested.

but his budget is "around" $1000, not $2000+.

Ideally most of us would want seperate units, but for his budget a combo unit makes far more sense. As finances dictate, he can always get a second unit to supplement his original one.

I would go for the better sounder and any old GPS if it came down to limited dollars.You need the sounder to read the bottom properly and any GPS will lead you back to an"X" with or without a chart.With a paper chart you can plot an area of probables in to the gps ,if they turn up ok then change the shape of the marks to different shapes for easy identification in the future.
After all we got on alright before charts in GPSs came along

Yeah I'd recommend a good sounder first and a hand held gps if need be to cut down costs.

Some good deals on electronics in the US at the moment with our reasonably high aussie dollar.;)

I had a 787X (I think that is the number) Humminbird in my old boat and it was pretty bloody good. Cost a bit over a grand. I used the split screen a lot and had no dramas.

Combo units arent my preference as the screen size is reduced and going from one screen to the other isnt for me either!

I agree with BJ & Carnarvonite, buy a better sounder (most important) and any GPS will do including a handheld for now!

The Sounder & Brand you buy is important, dont rush in, spend the max on the sounder as you can!