Doc Samson on GPS, Sonar, Mapping & More Q&A

Eyejacker,
I measured my LCX-19 which has a 7″ screen and it is 4″ vertical. It should be the same as the LCX-25. I would recommend the LCX-26c HD. Lowrance hasn’t released exactly what the hard drive will do for us, but I have heard that 10 gigabytes will be available for us. I suspect they put it there for a reason and it probably will be useful. For me I hope they let me record my charts on it. I heard you get FHS maps and NOAA maps and who knows what else. This alone is worth the $200. If anybody has any newer information on the hard drive and the maps please post as I have been waiting impatiently for accurate information. I have not seen anything in writing.

Thanks Doc, I very much appreciate your info. I have been wondering about which to buy, the LCX-25c or the 26c. Your opinion has helped me make the decision! I mailed my order for your Lowrance DVD #1 a couple of days ago! Looking forward to playing with it! Do you think Lowrance will create an emulator for the LCX-26c? Cabala’s indicates the 26c will have a 20GB hard drive. When will DVD#2 be available?

eyejacker,
DVD 2 is having production problems but I hope it will be released soon. I will put a notice on http://www.hightechfishing.com when it is available. You are on the notify list! The menus and settings are the same for the LCX models so you could download any Emulator and PLAY (learn). When you get the DVD, play both the DVD and the Emulator at the same time. You can pause the DVD and practice on the Emulator. This was great feedback from someone who bought one.

Great idea! Thanks Doc!

Doc will be available until Monday. We will take questions until 1pm central on Monday January 31st. If anyone wants Doc’s Lowrance Instructional DVD it is available at Jolly Ann Marine now. You can also catch Doc at his seminars and Lowrance schools. Click here for Doc’s Lowrance School and Seminar schedule.

Doc, Back to some questions on GPS…

Can you tell us more about naming waypoints on Lowrance/Eagle units?

Also, can you tell our viewers how to get the most out of the Trails feature? Do you find that there’s an advantage with color units versus greyscale units as far as trails, icons, and waypoints are concerned.

Finally, if you could, please touch on the difference between waypoints and icons for or viewers.

To rename a saved waypoint on a Lowrance/Eagle unit.
1. press waypoint button once and press enter when a window appears.
2. If your waypoint is named church use the up/down arrows to change the first letter to c and press enter
3. use the up/down arrows to select church and press enter
4, select edit waypoint in the next window and press enter and my attached picture appears
5. you can change the name or symbpl by highlighting them and pressing enter, then use the arrow buttons to make changes
6. to end your work press exit repeatedly until all the windows are closed
I recommend downloading a free Demo model (Emulator) from http://www.lowrance.com and practice at home when there are no fishing distractions.

Trails, icons, and wayoints are all saved positions displayed in different ways. Waypoints have a symbol and a name attached, icons only have a symbol, and trails are a series of saved positions displayed as a line. I don’t use icons anymore since I like to view my waypoints on the computer and they are easier to identify if they have a name. I have attached a picture of MapCreate with them displayed. Color has no advantage for waypoints and icons other than you can change the color of the symbol.

Color is great for trails. While pre-fishing I can use a different color for each day. You can also save a trolling run as a trail and use a different color for your active trail when you return. I have an example of only 3 colors but there are many to pick from.

Doc, received DVD #1 today (Saturday) going to download the emulator tomorrow(LCX-19c) and initiate rehearsals! Like having another Christmas in January!

Doc,
I would like to thank you for taking your time and answering all of our questions.

I am planning on signing up for one of your seminars. Can you tell me what will be covered and what I will need to bring.
Thanks Again,
Ron

Doc, Im in the market for a GPS-Sonar combo and would like your opinion on the best one available for under $1000. I prefer Lowrance electronics as I have had them and feel like i would be more familiar with the menus/etc. Also, can you use the same transducer from an x-71 for one of these units? Thanks for all your info, I will be purchasing a DVD once I settle on a unit later this spring.

Ron,
The Lowrance School covers
1. Understanding how sonar and GPS work in depth
2. Understanding what the graph is really displaying (I have multiple live recordings of fish, weeds, bottom content for demonstration)
3. MapCreate, SonarViewer, Emulator, LakeMaster, Fugawi
4. Demonstrate the best maps for the local area where we give the School
5. We provide outlines for you to make notes
6. Berkley and Northland have been providing sample product for each attendee
7. LakeMaster and Frabill have been proving door prizes
8. How to build your own bathymetric map
9. Demonstration and understanding the menus and settings of newer Lowrance/Eagle models
10. Bring questions because with 7 hours we have time for interactive training
Doc

bassbaron,
I see 2 choices with no clear winner as it depends on how you use the unit
1. LMS-332c color, 480 vertical pixels, 5 ” screen, one slot for cards
2. LCX-20c color, 240 vertical pixels, 6″ screen, 2 slots for cards
Wade can give you a better idea on prices. The X-20 might be a little over $1000 but I love color and these are the best choices for color in this price range. I agree on being familiar with menus. It takes time to learn the pathways and I hope Lowrance never changes them. They have been the same since the first X-15 came out years ago. The LMS-332 will have better resolution because it has more pixels but the X-20 has a larger screen for when you use the splitscreen function and 2 slot trays which gives you the option of having a map card (Lowrance, Navionics, LakeMaster) in one tray and recording charts in the other tray.
This is a tough choice. Wade should pipe in with his opinions as he sells them and should have more feedback from his customers. Doc

bassbaron,
I am going to let Wade answer the question on the transducer. I have not owned an X-71. Doc

Bassbaron, You will not be able to use the transducer from the X-71 on these new Lowrance units. As far as the best units under $1000, I will agree with Doc on the LMS-332C. This is an absolutely outstanding unit for under $650. This is the unit that will be on my Lund this season. I actually prefer the LMS-332C over the LCX-20C due to the pixel count. I don’t really like the idea of 240V x 320H resolution on a six inch screen in that price range. If a guy really wants a larger screen I’d suggest the LCX-17M Combo for under $900. The advantage of the LCX-17M over the LMS-332C is the larger screen and the two waterproof MMC/SD memory card slots for mapping and recording versus one slot on the LMS units. The advantage of the LMS-332C is the color and the lower price. If you really want color and a larger screen your going to go over your $1000 mark with the LCX-25C. All of the above units will run the Navionics Premium maps.

You’ll have to narrow it down and then decide what you want to spend your hard earned money on. If you need more help let me know. You can read more about all of these products by going to Jolly Ann Marine News.

Doc, I have a couple of emails asking you to explain more about Mapcreate. One viewer wants to know how to get started with MapCreate. Another viewer is trying to decide if MapCreate would be a worthwhile pruchase, and if so, why? Do you have time to explain MapCreate in more detail?

I’m also going to take this opportunity to suggest that attending one of Doc’s Lowrance Schools might be some of the most productive money an angler could spend on increasing fishing success. Click here for the Lowrance School schedule.

Please note: All questions need to be posted by 1pm on Monday January 31st.

MapCreate can be used to create detailed maps of streets and points of interest (marinas, gas stations, and more). They have their telephone numbers and address attached. You can even navigate to them as you would any waypoint. I create these maps for my X-19 when I bring in my vehicle for navigation.
My main use of MapCreate is for waypoint management. I save my waypoints to the computer for a backup. Losing waypoints is not an option for me. I display them in MapCreate, edit names and symbols, sort them by lakes, and MapCreate is needed to imort them into LakeMaster so that I can view them on their depth contour maps on the computer. LakeMaster is also a waypoint management program.
I sort my waypoints by lake so each file is lake specific. When I go to a lake I clear my unit of all waypoints, trails, and icons. I then load my lake specific file and when I am done fishing I save the new waypoint file which will have new waypoints added. I name the files by the date I fished the lake because I have found this the easist for me to know which file is which.For example lakex1.2.05.usr.
MapCreate is explained on the following link with instructions. http://www.lowrance.com/Mapping/MapCreate6/default.asp
I explain MapCreate in my Lowrance DVD and at the Lowrance Schools.
MapCreate comes on a CD when you purchase a Lowrance GPS or combo Sonar/GPS. On some Lowrance models if you just bought a Sonar without a GPS you can add GPS and MapCreate (includes a MMC and a card reader). I will pass this to Jolly Ann Marine as they probably sell them and know prices.
MapCreate 6.3 is new this year and I have one on order but I won’t comment on it until I have studied it.
MapCreate 6 and 6.2 do not have depth contours. Lowrance has MapCreate 6.3 with topographic contours which I will use while hiking. I need MapCreate for waypoint management as this an important tool for tournament fishing.

Bassbaron, I failed to mention one other interesting option; the Eagle FishStrike 2000C . From what I can tell so far, it seems to be the Lowrance LCX-19C in an Eagle package. A 7.0″ diagonal, 480V X 640H pixel, high-resolution TFT color display… Sounds like the X-19 to me. We should have full specs on it fairly soon. The combo will again break the $1000 mark, but it’s as close as you can get in a large screen color combo with high resolution. It would have the double SD/MMC card drawer.

Quote:

---

MapCreate comes on a CD when you purchase a Lowrance GPS or combo Sonar/GPS. On some Lowrance models if you just bought a Sonar without a GPS you can add GPS and MapCreate (includes a MMC and a card reader). I will pass this to Jolly Ann Marine as they probably sell them and know prices.

MapCreate 6.3 is new this year and I have one on order but I won’t comment on it until I have studied it.

MapCreate 6 and 6.2 do not have depth contours. Lowrance has MapCreate 6.3 with topographic contours which I will use while hiking. I need MapCreate for waypoint management as this an important tool for tournament fishing.

---

The newest MapCreate, MapCreate USA Topo 6.3 continues to include all of the features of the “old” MapCreate but also adds topo information including elevation contour lines for 49 states (NOT lake depth contours), public hunting areas, Game Management Units, wilderness areas and wildlife refuges, and state parks, state forests, city parks, and recreational areas. The Accessory Pack includes MapCreate Topo CD-ROM, 16 MB MMC Card, & MMC card reader/programmer (to connect to your PC). I think Lowrance really increased the value of MapCreate by making it appealing to campers, hunters and hikers, as well as anglers and travelers. It’s a very versitle piece of software now.

Also, I’m not 100 percent sure but I don’t think Lowrance is going to package MapCreate with the LCX series as they had in the past. I believe it will only come packaged with the LCX HD units, such as the LCX-26 HD. Otherwise, it will be a separate optional purchase. We’ll know for certain when we get the full details on the latest LCX units.

Wade,
Thanks for the invite for the question and answer forum. The ability to display the pictures was very good for demonstrating what I wanted. It is very hard to explain electronics without pictures. I am open to doing another next winter. Doc http://www.hightechfishing.com

And thank you Doc. I think this was very helpful to our members. Great information! We’ll do it again next winter.

To our viewers, I heard that some of you who are not registered members are unable to view the pictures that Doc has posted here. Do youself a favor and register. There is absolutely NO risk to you to register. We do not use your information for anything other than running this site. We do not spam you with emails or anything of that nature. If anyone has concerns about registering please email me or one of our other staff members. If anyone has any further questions about Lowrance/Eagle products, mapping software, or other fishing electronics, feel free to contact me.

I hope everyone enjoyed this discussion. Thank you all for your questions!