New Lakemaster Chip

Looks like the new Lakemaster chip is finally ready for release!

http://shop.lakemap.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=337

Anyone know if there is a discount if you update?

You will be hearing a lot about this new chip here on IDA shortly.

Thanks.. .. I need that chip……

Quote:

---

Anyone know if there is a discount if you update?

---

They haven’t given us any information on a discount or rebate option on the new chip, but at $99 I don’t think they could or would offer anything that would be more than what a person could get by selling their “old” chip themselves. My suggestion to folks is to sell their old chip or better yet, keep it as a backup or for a second GPS unit (one for the bow, one for the dash, for example).

We hope to have the new 2007 Lakemaster chip available soon. I think we’ll be offering a special package with the H2OC for those who need a compatible GPS for ice fishing as well.

Quote:

---

I think we’ll be offering a special package with the H2OC for those who need a compatible GPS for ice fishing as well.

---

That would be the cat’s meow! You know, when I got that H20 gps from you Wade, I really didn’t know what I was getting. Never looked at them in the stores…I hadn’t a clue.
When I finally had time to look at it this summer (it was mostly to be a ice fishing 4 wheeler gps) I realized it was great as a back up for my X-19! I used it a number of times boating 8 miles in the dark. With the large (for a handheld) screen it was very easy to see while driving.

Now toss in a Lakemaster and you have not only a good backup gps, but a GREAT fishing tool!

The other thing that’s good for us “too many electronics around” type of guys is that the H20 unit runs exactly the same way my big lowrance unit works.

alright….. but

Someone try and explain to me why this chip is any better than the Navionics with way, way more lakes, for the same price, atleast with the rebate. I’ll need a second chip someday, I just don’t see why I’d buy this on over another navionics. My experince with the navionics card is some what limited at this point, but overall I’ve been highly impressed with it’s accuracy.

Nick,
I have both chips. Depending on what lakes you fish really decides what chip is better.
I fish the Pond mostly and use both chips, interchangeable, because some reefs are better on the other chip.

Ron

Nickster, I can’t tell you why it would or wouldn’t be better for YOU…but the one thing I like about the Lakemaster is that I can zoom in equal to what the Lowrance map does.

To put it a differant way..when I mark a waypoint (fishing spot) I can more pricisely see by a quick glance how close I am to the spot. The same is true for following trails. I use routes every night for an 8 mile trip and I’ve always switched back to the Lowarance map to help make sure I stay on track (because I can zoom in closer).

Now that I think about it, this should help in walleye fishing too, but I’m only thinking of my personal application here.

To answer you question about “many many more lakes”, I use it on the Croix, pool 3 and 4…99% of the time.

Brian, have you ever saved a trail for future use? like say a run up river to one of your cat’n holes!!

Brian’s got all the channel markers in his GPS so he can basically run it without looking up. It’s pretty cool.

I don’t have one…yet, but I’ve heard a big advantage to the Lakemaster chip is that it includes detailed MN road maps, which the Navionics doesn’t have.

The roads are very detailed. In fact the lakemaster card has all roads, forest roads. It even displays public land, parks, WMA’s, all rivers, rest areas, exits, motel/hotel, Even some bait shops. It has all the info. you’d find in that popular gazetteer(spell.). I drive with my H2Oc everywhere using the map constantly.

Nick, in fact navionics does have more lakes listed but the new Lakemaster chip that was just released has just under 800 lakes covering MN,SD,ND,MI,IA. Combine that with the other map data, and its quite a value.

I better toss in a word of caution here.

I do have the channel markers marked…however they move for many reasons…so that’s not a reliable way to navagate.

Saving a trial works somewhat, but it’s hard to stay on the trail. Not my prefered method, but it works for just one trip or so.

Making a route has many advantages such as pressing the page button to the directional compass screen. This “compass” tells me to steer left, right or straight ahead. I can see my trails along with my speed, estimated time to next waypoint on the route, estimated time to destination, monitor voltage, distance to next waypoint, distance to destination…I think that’s all I have on that screen. It’s customizable, so there’s many things that can be added or taken off. I use what I feel is important for my navagation.

The way I set this up was to run beteen the channel markers staying in the middle as much as possible. Then the easiest way to make a route is to load it onto a card and make it on your computer. Or..if the catfish aren’t biting, make it in the boat…but this way does take (much) more time. By the way a route can only have 100 waypoints in it…and 8 miles of the sippi took 99 of them.

The best way to test a route the first time is to run it in the daylight watching the directional compass and watching how close you come to obstructions…make adjustments if nessesary. This does two things…gives me cofidence that I won’t be too close to channel markers and gets me framilar with how fast or slow I need to turn to keep from over steering the compass.

Fisher Dave likes to give me a hard time about getting too close to a can once…and I did have to make an adjustment to the route to move me a little further into the channel…I had one corner that might have been too close for HIS comfort.

I feel confident enough with my X-19 to drive back in fog without worry of running into markers or shore line…

But here comes the caution again…boats without lights, fog, floating trees ect. seldom move out of the way.

I always use my route to go too my fishing locations even in daylight to ensure everything is working properly. And now I carry a Jolly Ann Marine Lowrance H20 for backup…with the route uploaded into it’s memory.

To quote a famous catguy…”Redundancy is good in the dark.”

Lowrance and I both recommend always using two forms of navagation.

Roads I guess would be a big plus, my big unit has road maps and they seem pretty good, may smaller unti doesn’t really have road maps, yeah that actually my be reason enough to buy one, well see, I may try to borrow one before I go ahead and get one, We’ll see what I do when I really get serious about getting a second card, apparently Baby diapers are more inmportant right now (No we haven’t actually had the kid, yet, soon very soon, I make a post about it.)

If you want Nick you can try mine as I still need to get you that infant/baby life jacket.

Ron

Quote:

---

If you want Nick you can try mine as I still need to get you that infant/baby life jacket.

Ron

---

Yeah we still have to meet up, are you making the ice get together?

Quote:

---

Yeah we still have to meet up, are you making the ice get together?

---

Yes I will be there.

Does anyone know if this chip will work in older(couple years)units with out any problems?

To make sure check your units website. Lowrance offers software upgrades for free to ensure you can use the chips.

The Lakemaster chip should work with any Lowrance unit that accepts MMC cards except the 240 and the 2400. Like Matt said, it may require a software upgrade.

Anyone know if you can get a 2007 Lakemaster micro sd chip for the x series Garmin handhelds? I have a 76csx and would like the most recent chip with as many lakes as I can get.

Lakemaster garmin card

They show the 2006 version yet, on their site. I would guess that they’ll be releasing the 2007 chip for the Garmin units sometime fairly soon but I haven’t heard. We’ll try to contact Mike at Lakemaster on Monday and see what they have planned.

Well that stinks……apparently they don’t make em for us down here in Nebraska? Looks like we’re stuck with Navionics….which I guess I can live with.

Brian, The Navionics maps for Nebraska are pretty good. The map for Lewis and Clark is really good. I’m not sure about your area of Nebraska though.

I recieved my x-mas present (Lowrance H20C) a bit early this year due to the fact that the girlfriend really wanted her new digital camera around for Thanksgiving.

She purchased the Lakemaster chip (2006?) with it and the mapping detail (roads, etc) is great. I was wondering if the H20C has the capability to follow roads rather than straight line distance? I’m guessing I could input a route, putting a waypoint at every intersection in which I plan to turn, but is there a setting to do this for me?

Lars

Quote:

---

I’m guessing I could input a route, putting a waypoint at every intersection in which I plan to turn, but is there a setting to do this for me?

---

There is no setting that I’m aware of.

I heard a rumor that the 2007 Lakemaster chip does not have the road detail that the previous chip has. Is that true, or is it just a horrible rumor?

The only thing I can think of is that they may have had to remove it due to data overload. They have added a ton of lakes, and there may not be room for the road data. I didn’t get in contact with Mike today but I’ll try Tuesday and see if we can get a few questions answered.

Wade,

Ya, I think I’m stuck with Navionics, but I don’t think it’ll be all that bad, I can deal.

I actually looked up on their website what was available for this area, and I was fairly impressed. The reason I say that is because they have Elwood listed, as well as Sherman and even Cottonmill, the small city lake near Kearney! But the big drawback remains the same……NO canal lakes on there at all. No Plum Creek, Jeffrey, Midway, Sutherland, Maloney, or even Johnson Lake for crap’s sake.