Well, the cabin fever is setting in early this year and im shopping for a possible upgrade in my sonar to a gps combo. I want one with decent maps downloadable for the miss river and midwest, as well as a reliable graph once i get to that magic spot. Any input??
Funny you should ask! I was just trying to figure out how to send the same thread!! I was talking to a muskie fishing guide and he suggested Lowrance (I think) tcx 18 and tcx 19. I believe that was the model numbers. he also saidd to check out Reeds sporting goods for cheap prices! Let me know if your hear anything else!
Good luck
Check out the Eagle color sonar/GPS thread in the Outdoor Gear forum..
Dave
JJ,
Talk to Ken Warren about the mapping software. He showed me his stuff from Navionics (I think that’s the company) and they were pretty nice. He showed me the maps for pool 13 and I was very impressed.
Give him an email and he can fill you in on the details.
JT Bagwell
Hey guys…I have first hand experiance with the Lawrance X-19c. I think there’s a problem with the X-15 as far as running the mapping software. Wade, from JollyAnn marine…as you know..one of our site sponsers can fill you in on the details. He runs a 330c and loves it.
If you want more info on the X-19c let me know… 
Over the next couple weeks I will be posting a bunch of information on new products. Eagle has a new color combo coming out soon that I think will interest some folks. The Lowrance x15 is going to be discontinued and replaced by a new unit (I believe it will be the x17) and this will resolve the Navionics issue. The x19 is a great unit! Not cheap, but great.
I have personally been very happy with the Lowrance LMS 330C Color Combo and the Navionics Hotmaps Premium # 10 Chip.
Keep an eye on the Outdoor Gear Forum here or drop me a note if anyone wants more info (or just post questions here too).
Thanks! — Wade
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The x19 is a great unit! Not cheap, but great.
any sales coming up on the 330c?
Dan, you’ve got a message coming your way…
Thanks! — Wade
Hey Wade, I am enjoying the Premium #10 chip I got from you and it is probably a good one to get if a person fishes lakes in MN or IA but if a person is just a hard core river fisherman I’d suggest Navionics new “Navigatble Rivers” chip. Unfortunatly the Premium #10 maps removes the USACE maps which are recent and accurate for pool 13 and replaces with pre-93 flood data from FHS. They also use FHS for pools 8 and 4. I don’t know how dated the FHS data is there, however, so it might be good.
The “Navigatible Rivers” chip contains only the Navigation Charts from the USACE for all pools. I should have one of these shortly and I can speak to specifics if anyone is interested.
Also, JJ you asked for downloadable maps. I don’t think this is done much anymore. I may be wrong but I think with the newer units, regardless of brand, use the plug in chips.
One last thing. I had a couple discussions with Navionics concerning their choice to us the pool 13 FHS map and I have agreed to help them keep this area of the Mississippi Rive maps up-to-date. I can’t cover everything so if you use Navionics maps and find and inaccuracy or new log jam I’d love to hear about it and I’ll pass it along.
Ken
Wade;
Where can I find info on the Global Map 2000? I’m picking up a new boat that has one on it. It accepts chips through a remote plug in, it doesn’t have WAAS, and it does have sonar. I went to the Lowrance website, but it isn’t there.
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Where can I find info on the Global Map 2000? I’m picking up a new boat that has one on it. It accepts chips through a remote plug in, it doesn’t have WAAS, and it does have sonar. I went to the Lowrance website, but it isn’t there.
Gary, use the link here: http://www.lowrance.com/Manuals/default.asp
The 2000 is going to be pretty limited/outdated I’m afraid, at least the manual can help you get the most out of this unit. Good luck Gary! 
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Hey Wade, I am enjoying the Premium #10 chip I got from you and it is probably a good one to get if a person fishes lakes in MN or IA but if a person is just a hard core river fisherman I’d suggest Navionics new “Navigatble Rivers” chip. Unfortunatly the Premium #10 maps removes the USACE maps which are recent and accurate for pool 13 and replaces with pre-93 flood data from FHS. They also use FHS for pools 8 and 4. I don’t know how dated the FHS data is there, however, so it might be good.
The “Navigatible Rivers” chip contains only the Navigation Charts from the USACE for all pools. I should have one of these shortly and I can speak to specifics if anyone is interested.
Also, JJ you asked for downloadable maps. I don’t think this is done much anymore. I may be wrong but I think with the newer units, regardless of brand, use the plug in chips.
One last thing. I had a couple discussions with Navionics concerning their choice to us the pool 13 FHS map and I have agreed to help them keep this area of the Mississippi Rive maps up-to-date. I can’t cover everything so if you use Navionics maps and find and inaccuracy or new log jam I’d love to hear about it and I’ll pass it along.
Ken
Ken, Good to hear from you! I agree with you. We do carry the Navionics River Charts now. I haven’t used them myself so I can’t say too much about them. Maybe you can let us know what you think once you’ve tried it. I can say that the Navionics Hotmaps Premium #10 is very good for Minnesota and Iowa lakes. It’s improved my time on the water and many other anglers agree with you and me on that one.
About downloading maps, I must have missed that question, sorry. Garmin still makes maps that come on CD-Rom.
Garmin Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hotspots and Garmin Minnesota LakeMaster Promap . Neither has the level of detail that the Navionics Maps offer at this time, but are still good maps for Garmin users. Hope this helps…
Thanks guys. ken and wade- i guess i thought even with a chip you downloaded to home then transferred it- as ken knows im not much of an electronic whiz (working on it though) so i really need something dummy proof and the chip sounds good. any truth to the rumor that lowrance is coming out with newer / better stuff in the spring? I dont want to get something and have it outdate 2 months later although that is hard to avoid these days. I will probably go with lowrance and will be looking to get some “chip maps” after i decide. Thanks a ton for the info. JJ
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rumor that lowrance is coming out with newer / better stuff in the spring?………… get something and have it outdate 2 months
Every year something’s new and differant. You would think these manufacturers would have mercy on us fisherman!
Bassbaron, your lucky if you can get somthing home before it’s out dated!!!
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Thanks guys. ken and wade- i guess i thought even with a chip you downloaded to home then transferred it- as ken knows im not much of an electronic whiz (working on it though) so i really need something dummy proof and the chip sounds good. any truth to the rumor that lowrance is coming out with newer / better stuff in the spring? I dont want to get something and have it outdate 2 months later although that is hard to avoid these days. I will probably go with lowrance and will be looking to get some “chip maps” after i decide. Thanks a ton for the info. JJ
JJ, lucky for you and me the Navionics Chips are plug-n-play. Plug it into the unit and go. I love it. Lowrance will be doing some upgrades over the next few months, probably December through February. Eagle (a Lowrance company) has several new units coming on the market very soon. Some have already been shipped. I think one of the more interesting products will be this Eagle FishElite 500C . It’s a color fishfinder/GPS combo at a nice price, and it will run all the new Navionics maps in color. Eagle should be shipping these soon.
Thanks for the info, ill watch for updates and maybe wait, the only good a new unit does me now is i have a couple months to figure it out before “crunch time”. I have heard from a dealer it might be better to wait, but i agree that whatever i decide on will be outdated quickly- that being said a quality gps does me no good from nov-mar so i might as well wait. thanks for the tips guys, keep me posted on the newer and better as they come. I guess im gonna need color at least. JJ
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