Lowrance Elite FS 12 Boat in a Box with Active Imaging 3-in-1

The Elite FS 12 Boat in a Box is Lowrance's complete tournament-boat bundle: two 12-inch Elite FS chartplotters configured as console and bow stations, plus the transducer, GPS antenna, networking kit, and Ethernet cable to tie everything together as a single connected system. The Elite FS lineup sits below the HDS PRO at a meaningfully lower price point while keeping the core feature set that tournament anglers actually use day to day. ActiveTarget 2 Live Sonar support is there. Active Imaging plus Active Imaging HD support is there. C-MAP DISCOVER OnBoard charts ship pre-loaded. FishReveal is built in. The trade-off versus HDS PRO is the smaller display, the simpler user interface, and the absence of split-screen on the 10 and 12-inch Elite FS models. For boats where each display runs a single dedicated view (live sonar at the bow, chart at the console) rather than complex multi-window layouts, the Elite FS workflow matches how most tournament anglers operate.

The Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer in the box handles three sonar modes from a single transom-mount housing. CHIRP traditional sonar for fish-arch detection and bottom finding. SideScan for left-right structure imaging out 100 to 200 feet on either side of the boat. DownScan for photo-like vertical imaging directly below the boat. FishReveal merges the CHIRP fish-arch picture with the SideScan and DownScan images so individual fish stand out against bottom structure without manual interpretation. For inshore bass, walleye, and crappie work, the Active Imaging 3-in-1 covers the conventional sonar workflow without needing additional transducers.

The Active Imaging HD upgrade is available later if you want sharper imaging at the 1.2 MHz frequency. Active Imaging HD requires the optional Lowrance S3100 sonar module on the network, which is a separate purchase. For most tournament anglers, the included standard Active Imaging is plenty for the first couple of seasons, and you'd upgrade to HD when you specifically want the sharper imaging detail. ActiveTarget 2 Live Sonar is the other big upgrade path. The chartplotters are fully ActiveTarget 2 ready, so adding the ActiveTarget 2 transducer kit with the LSS-3D black box is the typical bow upgrade for serious bass and walleye anglers. The Elite FS 12 specifically doesn't run split-screen with ActiveTarget 2 on the same display as charts, which is a workflow limitation versus the HDS PRO. If you want split-screen live sonar plus charts on a single display, the HDS PRO is the right pick.

The C-MAP DISCOVER OnBoard chart pack pre-loaded on both chartplotters covers 19,000+ US lakes and 9,400+ Canadian lakes with 1-foot contour detail. That's enough chart coverage for most North American tournament anglers without needing to buy additional chart cards. C-MAP Easy Routing and Navionics Autorouting are both supported for automated route planning. Premium chart upgrades (C-MAP REVEAL, Navionics) are available separately if you want higher-detail bathymetry on specific waters.

The Point 1 GPS antenna in the box is the high-precision GPS receiver that mounts on the boat's roof or arch and feeds heading-aware position data to both chartplotters through the NMEA 2000 network. The NMEA 2000 starter kit includes a backbone cable, drop cables, T-connectors, and termination resistors to set up the boat's NMEA 2000 backbone. The 25-foot Ethernet cable connects the two Elite FS 12 displays so they share sonar history, waypoints, and routes through the Lowrance network. Plan on a marine electronics installer for the transducer drilling, the network cable runs, and the antenna mounting unless you're comfortable with that kind of work. We can recommend an installer in your area if you need one. The bundle gives you a complete factory-paired system at a meaningful discount versus buying the individual components separately.

One thing worth knowing about the Elite FS versus the HDS PRO trade-off, since this question comes up regularly. The Elite FS lineup is the right pick for tournament anglers who want a clean two-display setup at a meaningful cost savings versus HDS PRO, who don't need split-screen layouts, and who are OK with the slightly simpler user interface. The HDS PRO lineup is the right pick when you want the bigger 16-inch display, when you need split-screen with live sonar plus charts on the same display, or when you want the dual-system ActiveTarget 2 support that the HDS PRO 16 specifically enables. The price difference between an Elite FS two-display bundle and two HDS PRO units is meaningful at this end of the market, which is why both lineups exist.