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  #1  
Old 02-23-2018, 03:43 PM
sundancedan sundancedan is offline
 
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Default Lowrance SonarChart Live or Garmin.

Has anyone used this feature on there Lowrance units? The SonarChart Live feature is just like Humminbirds AutoChart but requires the Navionics chip.

Everything I read about the SonarChart Live says you need an active subscription, which seems pretty stupid, as the Live portion is computed on the actual head unit.

The reason I ask is I am upgrading my FF and don't know if I should go for the Garmin echoMap 74sv or the Elite 5ti. I really want a touchscreen this year for ease of naming way points. I also really want auto mapping but don't care much for the Navionics subscription (my current Nav+ card is expired) I found the maps kinda useless where I fish.
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  #2  
Old 02-23-2018, 07:33 PM
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Willowtrail Willowtrail is offline
 
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The Fishin Hole has the Elite Ti 5 with totalscan and it comes with a new Navionics+ card. So you can have another year of updates. The SonarCharts live will still work with an expired acount but you just won’t be able to update it.
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  #3  
Old 02-23-2018, 08:33 PM
sundancedan sundancedan is offline
 
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Thanks! That's what I needed to know, the card just recently expired so is fairly up to date.
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  #4  
Old 02-24-2018, 07:26 AM
The Spank The Spank is offline
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Bass Pro is running a triple crown event from March 2-7 as part of their spring fishing sale event (Mar 2-18). Lowrance & Garmin products both qualify. In the case of the Lowrance they have $320 marked off the price of the Elite5TI. With the triple crown promo it qualifies for 3x rewards points on your reward card, a $50 bass pro gift card and FREE installation on your boat!!
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  #5  
Old 02-24-2018, 08:27 AM
sundancedan sundancedan is offline
 
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That's the one I was looking at! It's a pretty sweet deal!
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  #6  
Old 02-26-2018, 12:31 PM
Fishwhere Fishwhere is offline
 
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Do a ton of research!!! I started inquiring about live charts and found out they eat an absolute ton of space/memory. Theres a lot more to put together a good system for doing this then just having the program....

I only know this for lowrance, not the other.

And also in saying that the most cost effective way long term was to deal with insight genesis. But either way it seems like a lot of work to me to set up. I am hoping that eventually it gets easier to deal with
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  #7  
Old 02-26-2018, 12:40 PM
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RavYak RavYak is offline
 
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Definitely some improvements to be done on all the live mapping software. For example I don't think any of them offer any way to correct bad measurements(which is quite annoying when your transducer acts up and all of a sudden you have a point on your map 1000 feet deep, speaking form experience lol).

Autochart pro, Insight Genesis and Reefmaster allow a lot more control but also require a lot more work too.

I like having the capability to make live maps now and it has helped me know where to troll and helped me better understand a couple of the spots I fish but the big advantage will come years from now when the lakes have already been mapped and we can finally just go buy good maps. Not sure who is going to win that race whether it will be C-maps or Navionics. Navionics definitely has the lead in a lot of areas although not too many people seem to update it here in AB.
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Old 02-26-2018, 01:25 PM
Walleyedude Walleyedude is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Fishwhere View Post
Do a ton of research!!! I started inquiring about live charts and found out they eat an absolute ton of space/memory. Theres a lot more to put together a good system for doing this then just having the program....

I only know this for lowrance, not the other.

And also in saying that the most cost effective way long term was to deal with insight genesis. But either way it seems like a lot of work to me to set up. I am hoping that eventually it gets easier to deal with
I'm not sure where your research took you or where you're getting your information on the need for a large amount space/memory for using live mapping on a Lowrance unit? It's not correct.

All you need is a compatible Lowrance unit (HDS Carbon, Gen 3, Elite TI, or Hook2) and a Navionics+ card and you're mapping. It's as simple as that.

You can put a lifetime's worth of Sonar Chart Live mapping on a Navionics+ card. The actual map files and data are actually quite small.

If you're recording sonar data to use for C-MAP Genesis, the files get taken off the memory card and uploaded, there's no need to keep them on the card. (You can record sonar data onto the Navionics+ card if you only have one card slot.) There are also ways of minimizing the file size when recording, selecting .sl2 (2D sonar only) is the most effective way. The file size of the actual Genesis maps is very small, you can put dozens of lakes on a single card and still have room to record sonar data.

There seems to be A LOT of misinformation out there when it comes to mapping options. I'm not sure why that is, it's really not that complicated.
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  #9  
Old 02-26-2018, 01:33 PM
Walleyedude Walleyedude is offline
 
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Originally Posted by sundancedan View Post
Has anyone used this feature on there Lowrance units? The SonarChart Live feature is just like Humminbirds AutoChart but requires the Navionics chip.

Everything I read about the SonarChart Live says you need an active subscription, which seems pretty stupid, as the Live portion is computed on the actual head unit.

The reason I ask is I am upgrading my FF and don't know if I should go for the Garmin echoMap 74sv or the Elite 5ti. I really want a touchscreen this year for ease of naming way points. I also really want auto mapping but don't care much for the Navionics subscription (my current Nav+ card is expired) I found the maps kinda useless where I fish.
Navionics Sonar Charts Live does require an active subscription to enable the live mapping. I think that's about $99/yr. Anything you've already mapped is permanently available to you should you choose not to renew the subscription. I agree that's a downside. It'll be interesting to see what happens once C-MAPs gets into the live mapping business. I can't see Lowrance continuing to risk losing out on sales due to this $100 charge. I'll be surprised if they don't come out with something that's a one time cost in the very near future.

I'd also suggest that mapping is just one factor of many that should go into the decision. Make sure you have a look at the overall package and if you can, go down and actually put your hands on the different units and use the touch screens. Do some research on the other factors that are important to you - 2D sonar quality, DI/SI, transducer options, customization of the sonar display, compatibility with trolling motors, networking units, etc...
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  #10  
Old 02-26-2018, 08:01 PM
sundancedan sundancedan is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Walleyedude View Post
Navionics Sonar Charts Live does require an active subscription to enable the live mapping. I think that's about $99/yr. Anything you've already mapped is permanently available to you should you choose not to renew the subscription. I agree that's a downside. It'll be interesting to see what happens once C-MAPs gets into the live mapping business. I can't see Lowrance continuing to risk losing out on sales due to this $100 charge. I'll be surprised if they don't come out with something that's a one time cost in the very near future.

I'd also suggest that mapping is just one factor of many that should go into the decision. Make sure you have a look at the overall package and if you can, go down and actually put your hands on the different units and use the touch screens. Do some research on the other factors that are important to you - 2D sonar quality, DI/SI, transducer options, customization of the sonar display, compatibility with trolling motors, networking units, etc...
Thanks! I was already going to go in on a Raymarine Axiom 7 but I found out I couldn't get the Sidevision feature without the 3D feature which I don't care for...

User functionality is key for me and so is bang for the buck.
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  #11  
Old 02-27-2018, 07:03 AM
Fishwhere Fishwhere is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Walleyedude View Post
I'm not sure where your research took you or where you're getting your information on the need for a large amount space/memory for using live mapping on a Lowrance unit? It's not correct.

All you need is a compatible Lowrance unit (HDS Carbon, Gen 3, Elite TI, or Hook2) and a Navionics+ card and you're mapping. It's as simple as that.

You can put a lifetime's worth of Sonar Chart Live mapping on a Navionics+ card. The actual map files and data are actually quite small.

If you're recording sonar data to use for C-MAP Genesis, the files get taken off the memory card and uploaded, there's no need to keep them on the card. (You can record sonar data onto the Navionics+ card if you only have one card slot.) There are also ways of minimizing the file size when recording, selecting .sl2 (2D sonar only) is the most effective way. The file size of the actual Genesis maps is very small, you can put dozens of lakes on a single card and still have room to record sonar data.

There seems to be A LOT of misinformation out there when it comes to mapping options. I'm not sure why that is, it's really not that complicated.
The research was around a year ago and this is kick starting my memory on it again a little bit. I belive the reason i came to that conclusion was because with the lowrance sonar charts live it made all the info public once you uploaded it, where as insight genesis you have the option of keeping it private. Therefore, it ate up a lot of space because you would have to keep in all on your navionics card. To which i was told by a very reliable source that it would fill up relatively soon.

.... i could be wrong, not arguing that because im not super knowledgeable about it, but still talked to people that do know their stuff. But this is just the way that it ended up going. The way i was planning on using it, i came to the conclusion that sonar charts seemed like an amazing idea. However, without making the info public you would eat a lot of real estate on the card quickly without uploading, then downloading. As opposed to insight where you do the uploading process etc, but then have the option to keep it private if you choose to do so.

I hope eventually it will be able to be free and not need a subscription, and not take up as much room on the cards.

And that brings up a whole other debate regarding sharing the scans etc....
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  #12  
Old 02-27-2018, 08:06 AM
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RavYak RavYak is offline
 
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The sonarcharts live supposedly only takes up 20 kb of space per hour so each GB of free space gives you around 50,000 hours of recording which means space should not be an issue. It is very possible to fill up a Navionics card by downloading all the available updates etc though, I was going to download updates for all of Canada until I realized how much space it was going to take up, these navionics cards don't come with a ton of free space on them.

Sonar logs(as used for insight genesis and reefmaster) on the other hand use up ridiculous amounts of space, almost 1 gb per hour I believe. If you are going to use those programs you need to buy a large sd card and in order to use it as well as Navionics you will need a high end fish finder(only the HDS Gen 3's and Carbons offer dual card readers).

I am still unsure about the subscription requirement. I have seen claims that it will still work and you just can't download updates and I have seen claims that it requires updates to work(which to me kind of makes sense since I assume the card becomes read only if it doesn't have active updates).

Overall I like having live mapping capability but to make proper maps and actually have control over your data I think a guy is much better off using insight genesis, reefmaster or autochart pro. They still have some work to do on these units before the live mapping capability works properly(for example as mentioned before being able to delete bad data points, another being correction for water levels).
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  #13  
Old 02-27-2018, 10:50 AM
Walleyedude Walleyedude is offline
 
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OK.

I'm going to try and clarify a few things so that hopefully it puts an end to some of the rumours and bad info.

#1 - Sonar Charts Live does not record your sonar data, it converts your sonar data into maps. It will not fill up your card. RavYak is correct on the math, there is thousands of hours of space on the card to store map data.

#2 - Using a Navionics card on a Lowrance sonar unit does NOT require that your recorded data is uploaded to Navionics. You have the CHOICE to upload your map data to Navionics if you want to add to their public map database, but it is in no way required. Your Sonar Charts Live data is 100% private.

#3 - Any mapping you've done while your Navionics+ subscription is active is permanently yours to use. If you allow the subscription to expire, you won't be able to create any new maps or access any new publicly available map data, but you WILL have access to your existing maps.

#4 - The Navionics updates and lake data are large. Minimize the area you're updating and uploading onto your card to the areas you fish. That's fairly simple to do in the computer update program, and the amount of data to cover all of AB and SK is very reasonable. It gets crazy when you start adding ON, QC, etc...

#5 - You can record other files to the Navionics+ card. If you have a single SD slot unit, you can still record your sonar data files to the Navionics card for use with C-MAP Genesis. You just have to be more diligent about copying them to a computer and deleting them.

#6 - The size of your sonar files can be drastically reduced with zero map quality loss by selecting to record the 2D sonar data only, just select .slg as the file type. Using that setting, a full 8 hrs of sonar data is approx. 500-600 MB. If you record the DI/SI data as well (.sl2), an 8 hr log will be about 2 GB. You can easily save 2-3 full days of data onto a Navionics card depending on how you record. Another useful tip is to create a new sonar data file every hour or so, several small files will upload much quicker than one large file, and there's a lot less risk of losing your data. I've found that you also get better map results, especially when merging trips, if there aren't large distances between data points. If you plan on doing a long run over 20mph while changing spots, stop the recording when you leave and start a new recording when you get setup again.

I'm really hoping that Lowrance or Lowrance and some mapping partner (C-MAPs?) come out with a live mapping program that doesn't require a yearly subscription, and I'm hoping they do it much sooner than later. If I really had my wish list, I'd agree with RavYak that I'd LOVE to see a way to edit your live mapping data after the fact too, that would be huge.
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  #14  
Old 02-27-2018, 08:28 PM
Fishwhere Fishwhere is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Walleyedude View Post
OK.

I'm going to try and clarify a few things so that hopefully it puts an end to some of the rumours and bad info.

#1 - Sonar Charts Live does not record your sonar data, it converts your sonar data into maps. It will not fill up your card. RavYak is correct on the math, there is thousands of hours of space on the card to store map data.

#2 - Using a Navionics card on a Lowrance sonar unit does NOT require that your recorded data is uploaded to Navionics. You have the CHOICE to upload your map data to Navionics if you want to add to their public map database, but it is in no way required. Your Sonar Charts Live data is 100% private.

#3 - Any mapping you've done while your Navionics+ subscription is active is permanently yours to use. If you allow the subscription to expire, you won't be able to create any new maps or access any new publicly available map data, but you WILL have access to your existing maps.

#4 - The Navionics updates and lake data are large. Minimize the area you're updating and uploading onto your card to the areas you fish. That's fairly simple to do in the computer update program, and the amount of data to cover all of AB and SK is very reasonable. It gets crazy when you start adding ON, QC, etc...

#5 - You can record other files to the Navionics+ card. If you have a single SD slot unit, you can still record your sonar data files to the Navionics card for use with C-MAP Genesis. You just have to be more diligent about copying them to a computer and deleting them.

#6 - The size of your sonar files can be drastically reduced with zero map quality loss by selecting to record the 2D sonar data only, just select .slg as the file type. Using that setting, a full 8 hrs of sonar data is approx. 500-600 MB. If you record the DI/SI data as well (.sl2), an 8 hr log will be about 2 GB. You can easily save 2-3 full days of data onto a Navionics card depending on how you record. Another useful tip is to create a new sonar data file every hour or so, several small files will upload much quicker than one large file, and there's a lot less risk of losing your data. I've found that you also get better map results, especially when merging trips, if there aren't large distances between data points. If you plan on doing a long run over 20mph while changing spots, stop the recording when you leave and start a new recording when you get setup again.

I'm really hoping that Lowrance or Lowrance and some mapping partner (C-MAPs?) come out with a live mapping program that doesn't require a yearly subscription, and I'm hoping they do it much sooner than later. If I really had my wish list, I'd agree with RavYak that I'd LOVE to see a way to edit your live mapping data after the fact too, that would be huge.

Thank you for the info - the more the better.

I have one more question if you guys dont mind then... After you have done your 8-16 hrs of recording with the 2d sonar log(which im assuming just scans a much smaller area) then you need to eventually upload to computer and thrn download back to your unit to free up memory? And then also have the ability to keep it to yourself and not public? I know im a little slow i guess... haha just trying to get it straight in my head.

Or am i getting 2 seperate things mixed up together? Sonar charts live is specifically a lowrance feature that cannot be used in conjunction with a navionics topographic map? Ideally i would like to use the navionics maps and be able to update those with sonarchart live. But its slowly starting to become clear that is not the case i think...

Then there is also another option to chart with your navionics card itself? And then another way to do it with insight genesis?

Which is overall the least amount of “know how” and work involved for uploading etc?

This next year or so i would like to pick a direction to go with this. I have a gen 3 hds

Thanks again
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Old 02-27-2018, 09:28 PM
Walleyedude Walleyedude is offline
 
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Points #1-4 apply only to Navionics Sonar Charts Live

Point #5 is kind of a mix, it's about Navionics, but the point is that you can use both, you can use Sonar Charts Live while at the same time recording sonar data for use with C-MAPs Genesis.

Point #6 applies only to recording sonard data for use with C-MAPs Genesis (Insight Genesis).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishwhere View Post
I have one more question if you guys dont mind then... After you have done your 8-16 hrs of recording with the 2d sonar log(which im assuming just scans a much smaller area) then you need to eventually upload to computer and thrn download back to your unit to free up memory? And then also have the ability to keep it to yourself and not public? I know im a little slow i guess... haha just trying to get it straight in my head.

Or am i getting 2 seperate things mixed up together? Sonar charts live is specifically a lowrance feature that cannot be used in conjunction with a navionics topographic map? Ideally i would like to use the navionics maps and be able to update those with sonarchart live. But its slowly starting to become clear that is not the case i think...

Then there is also another option to chart with your navionics card itself? And then another way to do it with insight genesis?

Which is overall the least amount of “know how” and work involved for uploading etc?

This next year or so i would like to pick a direction to go with this. I have a gen 3 hds

Thanks again
You are getting two completely different programs confused a little. That's my fault, I was trying to be clear but did leave that pretty muddy.

Navionics Sonar Charts live was originally a proprietary live mapping software developed by Navionics. Navionics and Lowrance then formed a partnership to enable to the use of Sonar Charts Live on Lowrance sonar units that eliminated the need to record, upload or share the sonar data to or from Navionics when using the program on a Lowrance unit. Lowrance now has a completely completely self contained live mapping program to compete with Autochart Live, but with the exception of requiring an active subscription to Navionics+, which is how Navionics makes their money in the partnership.

So, you buy your Navionics+ Canada card, and for that, you get a very good basemap (the best in my opinion for lakes in western Canada) and the ability to use Sonar Charts Live for 1 year to create your own custom maps. After one year, you have to pay the $99 yearly subscription fee to be able to continue creating new mapping. With your yearly subscription, you also get access to any updates that Navionics has added, including any user uploaded sonar data. Navionics is slowly building up there database of user provided mapping, but SLOWLY is the key word.

Completely separate from all of that is C-MAP Genesis, which was originally Insight Genesis until they got bought out by C-MAP. That is the standard program that has been around for 5+ years now in which you have to record your sonar data, upload it for processing, and then download the created maps. You go out fishing, or just straight mapping, and record your sonar data to the SD card. At the end of the day or trip, you cut the file from your SD card, paste it to your computer, upload it to C-MAP, download the resulting map file (which is only a few MBs in size), paste that onto your SD card, and you have a working map. Access to the map, and ALL of the available mapping on the Genesis maps Social Maps archive is FREE. It's a pretty amazing database of high quality 1' contour maps, and if you haven't checked it out recently, check it out. It's impressive how far it's come in terms of the number of lakes covered and the detail in which they're covered.

http://www.genesismaps.com/

If you want to keep your sonar data and the resulting map private, you require a premium subscription, which is $99/yr. For that you also get the ability to map bottom hardness and vegetation.

To clarify another point, recording only the 2D sonar data has essentially zero effect on how the map is made using C-MAP Genesis, the SI data is not incorporated into the maps, so you're scanning the same sized area regardless. The program uses the GPS position and 2D sonar depth to create the maps. The only thing not available by recording .slg rather than .sl2 file format is that you cannot replay the DI image while reviewing the sonar logs at a later date. That's it. There's really no other downside.

The answer in my opinion is to use both, especially until you get a good base map built with Sonar Charts Live. They're both very simple to use once you've done it a time or two and figured it out. Both have their pros and cons. The Sonar Charts live mapping is pretty impressive, it's instant and it's highly detailed, but it's also more expensive and can't be edited as of now. If you're not overly concerned about keeping your mapping data private (have a look at the Social Map, you may be surprised to find that there isn't much out there that isn't already mapped anyway), and you don't mind going through a few more steps, then you have access to that feature for FREE. You can't go wrong with that.
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Old 02-27-2018, 09:46 PM
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RavYak RavYak is offline
 
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(have a look at the Social Map, you may be surprised to find that there isn't much out there that isn't already mapped anyway),
Down south that is true, up north there is only minimal mapping done if any.

It is going to be interesting to see what happens with the mapping situation now that Garmin owns Navionics. So far it sounds like nothing will change but if Garmin wanted to they could do a number on Humminbird/Lowrances mapping availability.
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Old 03-02-2018, 10:20 AM
sundancedan sundancedan is offline
 
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Thanks for all the responses!

One last question, does the first gen Helix 7 SI GPS, with software updates support AC Live? I haven't been able to figure this out yet.
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Old 03-02-2018, 11:23 AM
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RavYak RavYak is offline
 
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Thanks for all the responses!

One last question, does the first gen Helix 7 SI GPS, with software updates support AC Live? I haven't been able to figure this out yet.
No, autochart live is only available on the 2nd gen Helix 5 and 7 models.Here is a humminbird chart showing compatibility for anyone interested in a specific unit.

https://www.humminbird.com/Category/...utoChart-Live/
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Old 06-27-2018, 02:26 PM
MikeTheRock MikeTheRock is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Walleyedude View Post
Points #1-4 apply only to Navionics Sonar Charts Live

Point #5 is kind of a mix, it's about Navionics, but the point is that you can use both, you can use Sonar Charts Live while at the same time recording sonar data for use with C-MAPs Genesis.

Point #6 applies only to recording sonard data for use with C-MAPs Genesis (Insight Genesis).



You are getting two completely different programs confused a little. That's my fault, I was trying to be clear but did leave that pretty muddy.

Navionics Sonar Charts live was originally a proprietary live mapping software developed by Navionics. Navionics and Lowrance then formed a partnership to enable to the use of Sonar Charts Live on Lowrance sonar units that eliminated the need to record, upload or share the sonar data to or from Navionics when using the program on a Lowrance unit. Lowrance now has a completely completely self contained live mapping program to compete with Autochart Live, but with the exception of requiring an active subscription to Navionics+, which is how Navionics makes their money in the partnership.

So, you buy your Navionics+ Canada card, and for that, you get a very good basemap (the best in my opinion for lakes in western Canada) and the ability to use Sonar Charts Live for 1 year to create your own custom maps. After one year, you have to pay the $99 yearly subscription fee to be able to continue creating new mapping. With your yearly subscription, you also get access to any updates that Navionics has added, including any user uploaded sonar data. Navionics is slowly building up there database of user provided mapping, but SLOWLY is the key word.

Completely separate from all of that is C-MAP Genesis, which was originally Insight Genesis until they got bought out by C-MAP. That is the standard program that has been around for 5+ years now in which you have to record your sonar data, upload it for processing, and then download the created maps. You go out fishing, or just straight mapping, and record your sonar data to the SD card. At the end of the day or trip, you cut the file from your SD card, paste it to your computer, upload it to C-MAP, download the resulting map file (which is only a few MBs in size), paste that onto your SD card, and you have a working map. Access to the map, and ALL of the available mapping on the Genesis maps Social Maps archive is FREE. It's a pretty amazing database of high quality 1' contour maps, and if you haven't checked it out recently, check it out. It's impressive how far it's come in terms of the number of lakes covered and the detail in which they're covered.

http://www.genesismaps.com/

If you want to keep your sonar data and the resulting map private, you require a premium subscription, which is $99/yr. For that you also get the ability to map bottom hardness and vegetation.

To clarify another point, recording only the 2D sonar data has essentially zero effect on how the map is made using C-MAP Genesis, the SI data is not incorporated into the maps, so you're scanning the same sized area regardless. The program uses the GPS position and 2D sonar depth to create the maps. The only thing not available by recording .slg rather than .sl2 file format is that you cannot replay the DI image while reviewing the sonar logs at a later date. That's it. There's really no other downside.

The answer in my opinion is to use both, especially until you get a good base map built with Sonar Charts Live. They're both very simple to use once you've done it a time or two and figured it out. Both have their pros and cons. The Sonar Charts live mapping is pretty impressive, it's instant and it's highly detailed, but it's also more expensive and can't be edited as of now. If you're not overly concerned about keeping your mapping data private (have a look at the Social Map, you may be surprised to find that there isn't much out there that isn't already mapped anyway), and you don't mind going through a few more steps, then you have access to that feature for FREE. You can't go wrong with that.
It is worth noting that for current Lowrance and Simrad units running new software you can get the Navionics SonarCharts Live to work just fine while on the water and view the live mapping etc. on the unit's display, but you CANNOT upload the resulting data/log file from your Navionics card to the Navionics server. This has something to do with how the new Navico (Lowrance/Simrad) units are exporting data to a .GPX file.

I've been on the phone with both Navionics and Simrad for hours and this recent change has basically made the Navionics SonarChart Live feature useless for me since I want to be able to record for a large number of days in an area where I have no cell service or internet access. My plotter is telling me I only have room for +/- four days of live mapping, and it is a brand new card. I'll see about some of the solutions noted above to try and extend that.

Unless you use Reefmaster or some other workaround there isn't a way that I am aware of to integrate the live sonar log data into the permanent Navionics map.
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  #20  
Old 06-27-2018, 07:07 PM
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RavYak RavYak is offline
 
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The sonar charts live will record for weeks, that is all I use. I assume you are trying to store sonar logs and that os why you have such limited record time. Sonarcharts live doesnt use much data, sonar logs use quite a bit.

Speaking of lowrance vs garmin the new panoptix upgrade looks ridiculous. Will be interesting to see if it works as good as it looks in the ads.
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  #21  
Old 06-28-2018, 05:17 AM
-JR- -JR- is offline
 
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I just picked up a Lowrance Elite 7 ti .
It came with very little info .
Only info in box was how to install into boat.
Nothing on making your own maps .
No info on this c-map or Nav card it comes with.

Can some one lead me into a direction on where to get info on making your own mapping
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  #22  
Old 06-28-2018, 07:17 AM
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RavYak RavYak is offline
 
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Originally Posted by -JR- View Post
Can some one lead me into a direction on where to get info on making your own mapping
To use sonarcharts live, go to GPS screen and flip through settings until you find option to turn sonarcharts live on. It will start recording and displaying the map as you fish.

To use genesis maps you need to create a sonar log. Then once home you upload that sonar log to their website and they will convert it to a map then you download it onto card.
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Old 06-28-2018, 10:53 AM
Walleyedude Walleyedude is offline
 
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Originally Posted by MikeTheRock View Post
It is worth noting that for current Lowrance and Simrad units running new software you can get the Navionics SonarCharts Live to work just fine while on the water and view the live mapping etc. on the unit's display, but you CANNOT upload the resulting data/log file from your Navionics card to the Navionics server. This has something to do with how the new Navico (Lowrance/Simrad) units are exporting data to a .GPX file.

I've been on the phone with both Navionics and Simrad for hours and this recent change has basically made the Navionics SonarChart Live feature useless for me since I want to be able to record for a large number of days in an area where I have no cell service or internet access. My plotter is telling me I only have room for +/- four days of live mapping, and it is a brand new card. I'll see about some of the solutions noted above to try and extend that.

Unless you use Reefmaster or some other workaround there isn't a way that I am aware of to integrate the live sonar log data into the permanent Navionics map.
This is news to me, but I haven't tried it yet myself, I don't generally want to upload my Sonarcharts data to Navionics. The recent acquisition of Navionics by Garmin might be the driving factor behind this, but that wouldn't make sense to me really. Why wouldn't Navionics/Garmin want the data from 1000's of Lowrance users making their mapping product better? Maybe it's Lowrance who doesn't want their users improving the quality of the competitors maps? Strange, seems like either way, you're only hurting your own customers. I'll see what I can find out about it.

The live mapping feature of SonarCharts Live will work without internet access/cell service. As it's building the map in real time, your unit is saving the data to the Navionics+ SD card. The actual file size for the SonarCharts live data is very small, so I can't see how that could possibly fill up an SD card, there should be room for a lifetime of maps on your card. Make sure you're recording the files to the SD card and not to the sonar unit's internal memory.

As for recording the actual sonar data, I'm not sure how the Navionics mapping data upload works, but I thought it was based on the SonarCharts Live files, not on recorded sonar log data. If you want to record the sonar data, and it's a good idea in my opinion, bring along a couple extra SD cards, and only record the .slg file to minimize file size. If you've got dual card slots, that's a breeze, it you only have a single card slot on your sonar unit, you'll have to do some cutting and pasting of the sonar files to manage them, either using the sonar's internal memory (keep the file sizes small, less than about 300 MB) or use a computer or Android cell phone that can use the micro SD card. Once you have the sonar logs recorded, you can upload them to CMAP Genesis, Reefmaster, or potentially to Navionics once you're back and have internet access.

The key point here is that SonarCharts Live and recording the actual sonar data are two completely different things, and you don't need one to make the other work.

Last edited by Walleyedude; 06-28-2018 at 11:06 AM.
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  #24  
Old 06-28-2018, 11:16 AM
Walleyedude Walleyedude is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -JR- View Post
I just picked up a Lowrance Elite 7 ti .
It came with very little info .
Only info in box was how to install into boat.
Nothing on making your own maps .
No info on this c-map or Nav card it comes with.

Can some one lead me into a direction on where to get info on making your own mapping
JR,

Google Navionics SonarCharts Live. Go to the Navionics website and there's info there on how to activate your card and set it up with freshest data.

I could type out 10,000 words trying to explain it, but your best bet is just to go to YouTube and watch a some videos on SonarCharts Live. Everything they show for the Lowrance Carbon units applies directly to the Elite TI units as well, it works exactly the same.

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...+live+lowrance

Go to https://www.genesismaps.com/ and sign up for an account to use the CMAPS Genesis mapping. They have an excellent FAQ section including how to videos on recording your sonar data, the upload/download process, and how to create and customize your maps.
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  #25  
Old 07-03-2018, 09:25 AM
MikeTheRock MikeTheRock is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walleyedude View Post
This is news to me, but I haven't tried it yet myself, I don't generally want to upload my Sonarcharts data to Navionics. The recent acquisition of Navionics by Garmin might be the driving factor behind this, but that wouldn't make sense to me really. Why wouldn't Navionics/Garmin want the data from 1000's of Lowrance users making their mapping product better? Maybe it's Lowrance who doesn't want their users improving the quality of the competitors maps? Strange, seems like either way, you're only hurting your own customers. I'll see what I can find out about it.

The live mapping feature of SonarCharts Live will work without internet access/cell service. As it's building the map in real time, your unit is saving the data to the Navionics+ SD card. The actual file size for the SonarCharts live data is very small, so I can't see how that could possibly fill up an SD card, there should be room for a lifetime of maps on your card. Make sure you're recording the files to the SD card and not to the sonar unit's internal memory.

As for recording the actual sonar data, I'm not sure how the Navionics mapping data upload works, but I thought it was based on the SonarCharts Live files, not on recorded sonar log data. If you want to record the sonar data, and it's a good idea in my opinion, bring along a couple extra SD cards, and only record the .slg file to minimize file size. If you've got dual card slots, that's a breeze, it you only have a single card slot on your sonar unit, you'll have to do some cutting and pasting of the sonar files to manage them, either using the sonar's internal memory (keep the file sizes small, less than about 300 MB) or use a computer or Android cell phone that can use the micro SD card. Once you have the sonar logs recorded, you can upload them to CMAP Genesis, Reefmaster, or potentially to Navionics once you're back and have internet access.

The key point here is that SonarCharts Live and recording the actual sonar data are two completely different things, and you don't need one to make the other work.
Walleyedude- do you know if it is possible to record both Sonarcharts Live data (.lsd file format) and .sl2 or .slg format at the same time? Or to convert an .lsd file to .sl2 or .slg? I’m trying to figure out the best way (or any way) to get to get live mapping while on the lake and still be able to create a permanent map from the data. From what I can see from a recent trip the Sonarcharts Live file is using up 400-500 MB in a 6 hour day, so the 16GB card will run out if I can’t process the data into a permanent map (which I believe are smaller in size once processed?)

I can move the .slg / .sl2 data to a laptop while on the trip and keep enough room free to save all of those tracks and put them in Reefmaster later.
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  #26  
Old 07-03-2018, 06:31 PM
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RavYak RavYak is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeTheRock View Post
Walleyedude- do you know if it is possible to record both Sonarcharts Live data (.lsd file format) and .sl2 or .slg format at the same time? Or to convert an .lsd file to .sl2 or .slg? I’m trying to figure out the best way (or any way) to get to get live mapping while on the lake and still be able to create a permanent map from the data. From what I can see from a recent trip the Sonarcharts Live file is using up 400-500 MB in a 6 hour day, so the 16GB card will run out if I can’t process the data into a permanent map (which I believe are smaller in size once processed?)

I can move the .slg / .sl2 data to a laptop while on the trip and keep enough room free to save all of those tracks and put them in Reefmaster later.
If you turn sonarcharts live on it records sonarcharts live data. If you turn sonar log on it records a sonar log. Both on both record(pretty sure I tried this).

I am pretty sure you are mixing up the sonarcharts live file size with the sonar log. I have seen claims that Sonarcharts Live is around 50 mb for 8-10 hrs. I haven't tracked mine but I am sure I have well over 100 hours of recording time and I have not filled up my Navionics card(which only have a few gb extra space).
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  #27  
Old 07-04-2018, 08:39 AM
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Willowtrail Willowtrail is offline
 
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Yes you can record a sonar log while also running sonar charts live. You need to have the map screen on and SonarCharts Live turned on and be recording your sonar log from the sonar page. I save mine as .sl2 files.

SonarCharts Live won’t run or record if you are not on the mapping screen so set up a split you like keeping a map as one of the sets.

I run 2 units on my dash, one for mapping only and the other for 2D, down and sidescan
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  #28  
Old 10-23-2022, 01:23 PM
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dodger dodger is offline
 
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Hi guys.
Just bringing this thread back to life to teach an old dog a new trick

My older Humminbird 859 HD DI is compatible with the Navionics Platinum+ card and not the Humminbird Autochart live. It looks like the Nav card has the live mapping on it and that has my interest.

My question. I only want to map one lake that I fish consistently in Southern AB. Can I just build the map to the card and leave it in my head unit? Or do I have to remove and build it on my laptop?

I have a MacBook Pro with no where to put in a card.

Thanks and hopefully i make sense??

Dodger.
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  #29  
Old 10-23-2022, 02:59 PM
ragweed ragweed is offline
 
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I don’t know much about your unit but I’m sure you can purchase an affordable card reader for your MacBook. That’s what I did in order to transfer files.


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