New member from oregon has a question.

[Scales]

Hi guys and gals, as stated im from oregon and love boating and fishing.
I have a lowrance lms 337c gps/depth finder and im looking for a gps card for it. Like a navionics chip or other brand that is specific for oregon and washigton. I contacted lowrance and navionics and they cant help me but they did say it needs to be a 1 gig card to work with the lms 337. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks

 

[oldboat1]

My Hummingbird Helix5 takes a microSD card. I think mine is either 16 or 32GB. Procedure is to download H.B. software to your PC (windows only -- couldn't use my MAC), then download any software updates to the PC, load on the card and input to the depth finder via the card. The card is also used for saving waypoints, routes, etc.

I didn't purchase proprietary maps, and not sure now whether they would be downloaded to my computer, or whether they come by way of an SD card.

It sounds like Lowrance is telling you a min. 1gig SD card is needed for your model, for use like I described above(?). As to maps, think it depends on whether one is available for the area you want (got to believe there is), and then whether you can use one of the maps in your particular model.

hope this is in the right direction. Electronics or fishing forum might be your best source. [Electricals, Electronics here a real good source]

 

[H20Rat]

You can either use a branded navionics card, or it loos like lowrance has their own mapping which is cheaper than navionics.

http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Products/Mapping/

 

[gm280]

I would be more interested if any company could tell me when and where the fish are biting. And when one of them shows up on the market...I'm in!

 

[oldboat1]

yessir. I usually locate them on my new fish finder, then mark the location on the side of my boat

 

[Scales]

Thanks old boat 1, so do you think i can get a general sd card and download the navionics update program to it? And would this be a better question for the electric/electronics forum section? Thanks

 

[smokeonthewater]

Update and data are two different things... You can download a system update from lowrance and you buy map data from lowrance or a third party... For the most part the data will come on or with the sd card you need.

 

[oldboat1]

Hummingbird may be different, but software updates are downloaded from the H.Bird site (following login protections, product registration), then loaded to the unit by way of an SD card -- blank card that you purchase on your own. You can do your own mapping and save it to the card, save waypoints, etc. -- much more capability than I am likely to use. Then can transfer this data to a computer containing the proprietary program H.Bird provides via download. I think that program might be the only vehicle for downloading updates, and probably organizes data you add yourself from your unit. If using commercial maps (Navistar or whatever), I would expect to use a card provided with the map (if included, as indicated above), or use a separate SD card purchased for that use, to make sure things were kept separate. Anyway, I think you PROBABLY need a blank SD card if your unit has a slot for a card. It sounds like Lowrance wasn't very clear on the basics -- H.Bird wasn't either, seemed to me.

 

[roscoe]

Navionics +, Hotmaps Platinum, and Hotmaps Premium chips all cover Oregon and Washington state.
Get the W western US chip.

Go here:

http://www.navionics.com/en/hotmaps-premium


Click on one of the 3 chips under the "chart plotter" drop down menu at the top of the page.

Then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "W" on the map.
This will pop up a lake by lake listing, for all lakes covered, in all the states.


Or, click on the "web app" tab at the top of the page, and zoom in on any lake or river you want, to see the actual map that is on the chip.

Now, whether a new chip will work in your 11 year old unit, is a question for the chip manufacturer.

Or, maybe its time to update to a new unit.