The 30-second version
- Live sonar (ActiveTarget 2 from Lowrance, LiveScope from Garmin) shows fish, structure and your lure in real time. It is a tool for casting and vertical fishing, not for navigation.
- The real cost is the system: a compatible display, a sonar module, a trolling-motor or pole mount, power and cabling.
- On the Lowrance side, ActiveTarget 2 connects to HDS Pro, HDS Live, HDS Carbon and Elite FS displays. Not to an Eagle: in that range, live sonar means the Eagle Eye 9 Live, a closed all-in-one unit.
- Garmin: since July 2026, LiveScope 2 needs no black box; LiveScope Plus and XR keep the GLS 10 box. Both brands offer the same three views: your display decides.
- Workshop verdict: decisive if you work lures from a boat held in position by a bow-mount trolling motor; a gadget on a cruising sailboat.
Contents
What live sonar changes, and what it doesn't
A conventional fishfinder draws a history: the screen scrolls whatever has already passed under the hull. Live sonar sweeps a narrow fan continuously (20° thick on Garmin's LiveScope; Lowrance does not publish this figure) and refreshes the image whether or not the boat is moving.
The gain, as both manufacturers describe it: you see whether a fish follows, rises to or ignores your lure, and you adjust the retrieve on the next cast. Fishing vertically, lure and fish appear in the same image.
What it does not replace is your main transducer. ActiveTarget 2 is live-only; CHIRP and imaging (DownScan, SideScan), which you use to search ground while under way, stay the main transducer's job, and in the Lowrance range only the Eagle Eye combines both in one unit. The image also takes learning: Garmin publishes a guide to its settings and recommends a few hours on the water to master them.
ActiveTarget 2: views, transducer, module
The ActiveTarget 2 kit contains a transducer (7.62 m / 25 ft cable), a sonar module (the box that processes the signal), power and Ethernet cables, and trolling-motor mounts, including a Scout arm for water shallower than 3 m (10 ft). There are three views, depending on how the transducer points: Forward (ahead of the boat, to aim your cast), Down (below, for vertical fishing) and Scout (a wide overhead view ahead of the boat, to spot schools and baitfish).
Changing view means re-orienting the transducer on its mount, with the motor raised. ActiveTarget 2 XL keeps the module but changes the transducer: 180° in every view, Forward/Down switching from the display, and Scout via a locking arm. It plugs into an existing ActiveTarget 2 module once the module and display software are updated.
With an HDS Pro and a second complete system (a second module and transducer), composite views become available: 180° forward-and-back, Scout Wide (bracket sold separately) and, with XL, a 360° Scout view around the boat. Two systems also give two side-by-side views (Forward and Scout) on HDS Live, HDS Carbon and Elite FS (7 and 9 inch for XL).
The real system cost, item by item
At Lowrance's European list prices, the ActiveTarget 2 kit alone costs more than an Elite FS 9 supplied with its 3-in-1 transducer, and more than a complete Eagle Eye 9 Live. And it is only one line of the quote.
| Item | What the manufacturers publish | What it means on board |
|---|---|---|
| Display | ActiveTarget 2: HDS Pro, HDS Live, HDS Carbon, Elite FS. LiveScope: GPSMAP and ECHOMAP models on Garmin's list. | Eagle and Striker are not on the lists: the display becomes part of the budget. |
| Module | Required for ActiveTarget 2 (IP67). GLS 10 for LiveScope Plus and XR. None for LiveScope 2 and Eagle Eye. | A dry, ventilated spot within reach of the 7.62 m transducer cable or a dedicated extension. |
| Mounting | Trolling-motor mounts supplied. Optional: ActiveTarget 2 shaft mount for round shafts and poles of 27 to 33 mm; transom mount. | The bow-mount trolling motor points the transducer and holds the boat on the fish. Without one, you aim by hand (pole) or with the whole boat (transom mount). |
| Power | ActiveTarget 2: 10.8 to 31.2 V (12/24 V systems), 1.5 A max at 13.8 V (XL kit: 2.2 A max at 10.8 V), 5 A fuse. LiveScope Plus and XR: 21 W typical, 58 W max. LiveScope 2: 32 W max. | Up to 12 Ah over an 8-hour day for the ActiveTarget 2 module alone, before the display and the trolling motor. |
| Cabling | Lowrance: transducer and Ethernet cables never cut or spliced (dedicated extensions if needed), data cables kept away from power cables. LiveScope 2: power extension up to 4.6 m in 5.26 mm² (10 AWG), up to 11 m in 13.29 mm² (6 AWG). | Two separate cable runs to the bow: trolling-motor power on one side, data on the other. |
| Software | Update required: display for LiveScope 2, module and display for ActiveTarget 2 XL. | Do it at the dock. |
Two items are easy to underestimate. Energy: draw up the balance consumer by consumer, trolling motor included, using the method in our lithium bank sizing guide. Screen: in split-screen mode each pane only gets a fraction of the display; our 9 vs 12 inch comparison helps you decide.
ActiveTarget 2 vs Garmin LiveScope
We sell both brands. Lowrance claims best-in-class resolution, Garmin calls LiveScope 2 its clearest live sonar yet; without a side-by-side measurement in identical conditions, we will not rank sharpness from brochures.
| System | Box | Views | Published max range |
|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveTarget 2 | ActiveTarget 2 module | Forward, Down, Scout | Not published |
| ActiveTarget 2 XL | Same module | Forward, Down, Scout over 180° | Not published |
| Eagle Eye 9 Live | None (9-inch all-in-one) | Live forward and down, CHIRP, DownScan | Not published |
| LiveScope Plus (LVS34) | GLS 10 | Forward, Down, Perspective | 61 m (200 ft) |
| LiveScope XR (LVS62) | GLS 10 | Forward, Down, Perspective | 152 m (500 ft) in fresh water, 106 m (350 ft) in salt water |
| LiveScope 2 (LVS44) / 2 HD (LVS42HD) | None | Forward, Down, Perspective | 76 m (250 ft) / 38 m (125 ft) |
Garmin's Perspective view is the equivalent of Lowrance's Scout. Garmin also publishes target separation at 30 m (100 ft): 36 cm (14 in) for Plus, 56 cm (22 in) for XR, 32 cm (12.6 in) for LiveScope 2. XR pays for its range in detail.
Architecture. LiveScope 2 transducers connect directly to the display and to power, and stop transmitting out of the water thanks to a water sensor. At Lowrance the module remains mandatory, except on the Eagle Eye, a closed all-in-one.
All-round view. Lowrance gets it with two XL systems on an HDS Pro; Garmin with the motorised Spy Pole mount, which rotates the transducer independently of the trolling motor and draws up to 70 W more.
Ecosystem. No ActiveTarget on a Garmin display, no LiveScope on a Lowrance display. Simrad, Lowrance's sister brand, advertises ActiveTarget on its NSS evo3S without stating the version: check before buying. Lowrance controls its Ghost and Recon trolling motors from Elite FS and HDS Pro; Garmin lists its Force Kraken and Force Pro as LiveScope-compatible. Live sonar is chosen together with the display and the trolling motor, never on its own.
We stock the LiveScope Plus and LiveScope XR systems. LiveScope 2 is not in our catalogue at the time of writing, and its list of compatible displays is shorter (no GPSMAP 722, 922, 1022 or 1222, no first-generation ECHOMAP UHD).
Limits and pitfalls
- Transom mount (ActiveTarget 2): one system only, forward and down views, and you aim by manoeuvring the boat.
- Cable loop: enough slack for the motor shaft to turn a full circle (Lowrance); a loop of at least 20 cm around the pivot and ties that are not over-tightened (Garmin).
- Mounts and tightening: Garmin's warranty excludes a transducer broken or lost on a third-party or home-made mount. On Lowrance mounts, tighten the screws by hand and use no thread-locker, which the manual warns can degrade the bracket until it breaks.
- Switching on: waking the ActiveTarget 2 module from the display is only documented for HDS Pro, HDS Live and HDS Carbon; on an Elite FS, the manual shows a switch after the fuse.
- Range: published figures are ceilings, which Garmin makes dependent on salinity, bottom type and water conditions; in salt water, XR loses about 30% of its fresh-water range.
- Heat and noise: 55 °C maximum ambient temperature for the ActiveTarget 2 module; for a noisy image, the manual provides a dedicated ground terminal, wired in 4 mm² (12 AWG) or heavier.
Workshop verdict
The principle: live sonar pays off when you present a lure to a fish you can target, casting or vertical, with the boat held in position. Otherwise, put the money into your main transducer and its installation (SplitShot or TripleShot).
Lure fishing for sea bass or freshwater predators from a boat with a bow-mount trolling motor: decisive. Budget for the whole system, not the transducer.
Already running an HDS Pro, an Elite FS, or an older HDS Live or HDS Carbon: keep the display. Add an ActiveTarget 2 or 2 XL, plan the Ethernet connection (an expansion box if the display port is taken) and do the updates.
An Eagle: no ActiveTarget. Either the Eagle Eye 9 Live (one display, one transducer, no module, 12 V), or an Elite FS 9 or HDS Pro 12 for a system that can grow; our Lowrance range guide explains the steps.
A Garmin boat (ECHOMAP Ultra 2, ECHOMAP UHD2 sv, GPSMAP): stay with Garmin. LiveScope Plus, or LiveScope 2 HD, which Garmin optimises for casting distances; XR for deep water at sea, at the cost of coarser target separation. Check your display against Garmin's list.
A small boat without a bow-mount trolling motor: the Eagle Eye 9 Live, with its transducer on a pole via the dedicated mount, reduces the system to one display, one transducer, a pole and a 12 V battery.
A cruising sailboat: a gadget. These kits are designed for fishing, on a trolling motor; your depth sounder and charts do the navigation.
Composite views (180°, Scout Wide, 360°): two complete systems (XL for 360°) and an HDS Pro, for anglers who fish often enough to use two images at once. To price a set-up, see the Lowrance fishfinder comparison or our workshop services.
Sources
Manufacturer documents consulted on 25 September 2026.
- Lowrance: ActiveTarget 2, specifications, product page, installation manual (ref. 988-13106-002), ActiveTarget 2 XL and FAQ, XL product page, shaft mount, Elite FS, HDS Pro and Eagle ranges, Eagle Eye 9 Live; Simrad: NSS evo3S.
- Garmin: LiveScope 2 press release (7 July 2026), LiveScope 2 installation instructions, product pages for LiveScope 2 (including compatible devices), LiveScope Plus, LiveScope XR and Spy Pole, LiveScope XR press release (2022), blog: choosing a model, LiveScope 2 settings.
