Brazin, there are a couple good ff in the $200 range, the Garmin 160 Blue retails for $240 or the Eagle 320DF which is $200, they are both 500 watt (RMS) dual frequency units that come with speed & temp. They really have no competition in the sub-$300 fish finder market (IMHO)

As for the ff and loran you mentioned, I wouldn't waste my time, they are dinosaurs as electronics go.