Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 are two of the models in the Deeper CHIRP series. These two are some of the very few castable fishfinders that offer Compressed High-Intensity Radiated Pulse (CHIRP) and are among the most advanced castable fishfinders from Deeper. CHIRP is a form of Sonar where different frequencies are pinged out continuously in a specified order ranging from a low to high frequency, this allows for better target returns that produce better image quality. In other words, you get to see fish clearly, and in most cases, you can even identify a bait fish in a fish school. Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 share a lot of features in common, but CHIRP 2 is a step ahead. It has a more durable build and offers a longer battery life. This review discusses the different features of these two to help you understand the differences between the Deeper CHIRP vs CHIRP 2.
What is CHIRP?
Unlike traditional sonars that only ping out a single frequency at a time, a CHIRP sonar sends out a continuous flow of frequencies that ranges from low to high. As a result, the target returns are stronger and the images are much clearer with higher resolution. CHIRP which is common with high-end fishfinders is available on castable fishfinders like Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2.
How Does Deeper CHIRP 2 Work?
The Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 work in similar ways as other castable fishfinders. You will need to install the Fish Deeper app on your phone and then connect to the Deeper CHIRP’s Wi-Fi network to pair your phone and the fishfinder. Once successfully paired, you will be able to see images of fish and other objects right on your phone. So, unlike a traditional fishfinder where the transducer/sonar is a separate entity connected to the fishfinder’s display by cords, a castable fishfinder allows you to view images of what’s going on under your sonar right from your phone via wireless connectivity such as Wifi or Bluetooth.
The Fish Deeper app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices, and it’s available on the Google Playstore and Apple app store.
The Fish Deeper app and its Features
As we mentioned earlier, the Fish Deeper app is the companion app for this castable fishfinder that allows you to see images of whatever is underwater. It’s a very well-designed app with lots of features to choose from. The app is compatible with both android and iOS devices, and you can easily install the app on your smartphone from any of the app stores.
Once the app is installed and the Deeper sonar is in the water, the sonar is automatically turned on so that you can connect to its WiFi network, and of course pair the two.
Features of the Fish Deeper app include the following.
- Choose Your Preferred Color Palette
- Choose Sonar Display Mode
- Display Sensitivity
- Fish Icons
- Choose Beam Angle
- Choose Fishing Types
- Mark Favorite Spots and Log Your Catches
- Download and Use Offline Maps
- Create Bathymetric maps
- Explore Full Scan History
- Automatic Sonar Update and Continuous Fish Deeper Updates
The app allows you to choose your preferred display color depending on the time of the day you’re fishing. This will allow you to get the best viewing experience irrespective of the ambient light conditions of the environment. You can also turn on the night fishing feature to enable you to see the sonar scans better in the dark. The night fishing feature can only work with the Deeper Night Fishing Cover which is sold separately.
The app also allows you to choose the display mode. You can choose between basic which shows only vegetation and water depth or raw which shows more detailed images of fish.
You also choose the display sensitivity. You can choose between high and low sensitivity. Low sensitivity is best for dirty water while high sensitivity is best for clear water.
The app will also allow you to choose to enable or disable fish icons. You can show fish icons on the screen, their depth in the water as well as turn on or off the fish alarm that goes off when a fish is detected.
You can select your preferred beam angle depending on the sonar type you’re using. You can select from low or high for the Deeper Pro series, while you can select from low, high, or mid if you own a Deeper CHIRP sonar or the Pro+ 2. The selected beam angle determines the area scanned as well as the quality of the sonar return. A low beam angle offers the best clarity but a smaller area is scanned while a high beam angle will allow you to scan a wider area, but with less clarity.
The app also allows you to choose your preferred fishing type. There are four fishing types; standard, ice, boat and onshore fishing types. The fishing type selected will determine the amount of information shown on the display.
Just like a regular fishfinder, the Fish deeper app will allow you to mark your favorite fishing spots, and you can also log your catches. This will allow you to plan better and save more time.
The app also gives you access to download and use offline maps. This can serve for reference purposes. Some of the available maps are premium and will require payment to access.
All Deeper sonars except the Deeper Start and Pro will allow you to create a bathymetric map of the water where you fish. Deeper sonars like Pro+ 2 which has inbuilt GPS can create a bathymetric map directly from the device while those without inbuilt GPS like Deeper Pro will connect to your phone GPS to generate a bathymetric map.
You can explore a full scan history from your Deeper sonar in the app. This allows you to see what you might have missed. There is now a live scan history that allows you to access scan history without pausing the sonar.
The Fish Deeper app will enable automatic updates for your Deeper sonar, while the app is continuously being updated with more features and bug fixes.
Deeper CHIRP vs CHIRP 2 Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Deeper Smart Sonar CHIRP Plus - Specs and Features |
 Deeper Smart Sonar CHIRP 2 - Specs and Features |
|---|---|---|
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device Name | Deeper CHIRP Plus Smart Sonar | Deeper Smart Sonar CHIRP 2 |
| Device Type | Castable Fishfinder | Castable Fishfinder |
| Brand | Deeper | Deeper |
| Date Released | May, 2019 | May, 2021 |
| DESIGN | DESIGN | DESIGN |
| Case material | ABS/Titanium | ABS/Titanium |
| Dimension | _ | _ |
| Weight | 90g | 92g |
| Fishfinder Mounting Style | Casting, Trolling | Casting, Trolling |
| Waterproof Rating | _ | _ |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display Type | via phone | via phone |
| Display Size | via phone | via phone |
| Input | via phone | via phone |
| SONAR FREQUENCY | SONAR FREQUENCY | SONAR FREQUENCY |
| CHIRP | Yes | Yes |
| Beam Frequency(s) | 100kHz, 240kHz, 675kHz | 100kHz, 240kHz, 675kHz |
| Beamscope | 20° (240kHz), 47° (100kHz), 7° (675kHz) | 20° (240kHz), 47° (100kHz), 7° (675kHz) |
| Casting Range | 330ft | 394ft |
| Scanning Depth | 330ft | 330ft |
| Transducer Mount Style | Casting, Trolling motor | Casting, Trolling motor |
| Transducer Ping Power | __ | __ |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery Life | GPS Off: Up to 8hrs, GPS On: Up to 6.5hrs | Up to 15hrs |
| Charging Mode | USB charger | USB charger |
| MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS |
| Inbuilt GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Map | Bathymetric map | Bathymetric map |
| Preloaded Maps | No | No |
| Show Boat Speed | Yes | Yes |
| Water temperature | Yes | Yes |
| Show Water Depth | Yes | Yes |
| NMEA Support | No | No |
| Recommended for | Freshwater, Saltwater | Freshwater, Saltwater |
Deeper CHIRP vs CHIRP 2 Review
- Design
- Sonar and Frequencies
- Bathymetric Map
- Battery Life
Both Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 are very compact and lightweight devices. You shouldn’t have any problem handling any of these while traveling on the water. Each of these two is also durably built. Although, the CHIRP 2 is a more durable device. While Deeper CHIRP has a case made of ABS materials, CHIRP 2 has a case made of ABS materials mixed with titanium.
You can either cast the Deeper CHIRP or troll from your boat. If you choose to troll the sonar, you can attach it to a flexible arm mount which is sold separately.
So, as far as design is concerned, both Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 are well designed, very compact and lightweight. However, the CHIRP 2 is a slightly more durable device.
Both Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 can be used in freshwater and saltwater fishing. Each of these will also make great choices for ice fishing.
Both Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 offer CHIRP sonar that shows you clear images of fishes in the water. Both sonars offer three different frequency modes. You can choose from a low 100kHz frequency with a wide 47° beamangle, a medium 240kHz frequency with a 20° beamangle, or a high 675kHz frequency with a narrow 7° beamangle.
What this literally means is that you can use a low frequency which has the widest beamscope and highest depth penetration to scan a wide area, though, has the least image quality. Meanwhile, the narrow 7 degrees with a high frequency allows for precision and offers the best image quality. The higher the frequency the lower the depth penetration.
Both Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 have the same scanning depth of 330ft, one of the longest you’ll find on a castable fishfinder. However, CHIRP 2 which has a maximum casting range of 394ft has a longer casting range than Deeper CHIRP with a 330ft casting range.
Both sonars also have the ability to scan at a fast rate of 15scans per second. The target separation of both sonars is also the same at a maximum of 0.4 inch for the 675kHz frequency and 0.9 inch for medium and wide CHIRP.
There is inbuilt GPS in both the CHIRP and CHIRP 2, and this allows the sonar to generate a bathymetric map of the water you fishing on as you travel on the water. This gives you an idea of the bottom structure of the water so that you can mark your favorite spots on the map like where the fish are biting the most which can effectively help you plan your fishing activity.
Both the Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 have a long battery life that let’s you fish longer. However, the CHIRP 2 has longer battery life.
Deeper CHIRP has a rechargeable 950mAh lithium polymer battery, while CHIRP 2 has a rechargeable 1300mAh lithium-ion battery. As a result of the higher battery capacity, the CHIRP 2 has up to 15 hours of battery life compared to the 8hrs of Deeper CHIRP.
Both sonars are designed in such a way that once it’s out of the water, it automatically switches off, and when it’s back in the water, it automatically switches back on. This helps to elongate the battery life. Nevertheless, I advise you charge the Sonar to full each time you want to fish.
Moreover, when the sonar is not in use, it’s required that you charge the battery once every 6 months to prevent the battery from going dead completely. Just in case the battery on any of the sonars goes dead, you can replace it by ordering one. It will cost you a significant amount to replace the battery as it has to be shipped from Europe.
Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 come with a micro USB cable that allows you to easily charge the devices. Each of these two has fast charging, it takes less than 2 hrs to fully charge the battery of both sonars.
The Difference Between Deeper CHIRP and Deeper CHIRP 2
The Deeper CHIRP 2 is a better fishfinder than Deeper CHIRP.
The difference between Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 is that the latter has a more durable design, it also has a longer casting range and longer battery life than CHIRP. As a result, the CHIRP 2 will cost you a little more money to acquire.
Nevertheless, both sonars are well built, very compact and lightweight. Both also offer CHIRP which offers the best image quality than a traditional single-frequency fishfinder.
Should You Upgrade to Deeper CHIRP 2?
If you already own the Deeper CHIRP, should you upgrade? In my honest opinion, I wouldn’t recommend upgrading considering that these two offers virtually the same features.
I don’t consider the longer casting range of CHIRP 2 a good reason to upgrade. You might never have the need to scan up to that range even though it feels good to know that your sonar has such capability.
However, if you want a castable fishfinder with longer battery life and better build quality, the Deeper CHIRP 2 is an awesome choice that can significantly improve your fishing productivity.
Conclusion
Deeper CHIRP and CHIRP 2 are some of the best castable fishfinders. Each of these two has proven to be great fishfinders. This is evident in customers’ positive experiences with these two sonars. The Deeper CHIRP is very compact and lightweight as well as offers CHIRP that can show you clear images of what’s happening under the sonar while not forgetting the long battery life of each of these two. Whichever you choose to go for, bear in mind you’re buying one of the best castable fishfinders.