Humminbir 997csi/Lakemaster Chip

Have question regarding the humminbird and the lakemaster chip.
I was out today on Pool 4 for the first run on a newly installed 997csi and a new MN Lakemaster chip. It seemed that the redraw on the map view was extremely poor. If I increased speed over 5mph or moved anywhere off plane, all of my detailed mapping overlay data would disappear (contours, depth etc…) and it would display Loading Maps or something like that and show just a boat icon and a directional arrow along with just the shoreline borders. Is this normal or do I have something configured incorrectly? I hope this is not the norm! Those wingdams are a nice thing to see in advance!

Hi,
I’ve been wondering about this since I talked to the Lakemaster Rep. at the Ice Show (St. Paul, MN) last December. He kept repeating how much work they had to do (IE. a large amount of coding) to get the lake data program to work in a Humminbird. That, plus the added features (depth range, highlight shallow water, and adjust maps based on water level) take allot more software to create. This means a much larger file (I believe he said about 8 Meg) for the internal processor to execute compared to a Lowrance compatible version of the lake chip. Remember that lake chips (any brand) are made up with a large worker program plus a separate date set (the lake maps). I believe Humminbird went to a faster processor in the new “boxes” (IE. 798c, 898c, 998c, and 1197c) to make them perform better w/ the new Lakemaster chips.

I myself have a 797c (updated to 4.770 – DI and Lakemaster compatible), but have not had it on soft water yet. I also have a Lakemaster Minnesota chip, but have only played with it in simulator mode. I suspect I will see the same problem when I get it out in the boat.

Maybe its time for me to get a new Humminbird “box”.

Take care,
Roger

It’s probably a dumb question.

Have you purchased the new Lake Master designed for Humminbird or is this a non-HB version?

I haven’t run the Humminbird-Lakemaster chip in a 997, but last fall, James Holst and I ran one on my 1197 at full throttle downstream, and there wasn’t even the slightest hesitation on the map refresh. I have experienced the exact same, outstanding performance all fall, winter, and now very early spring with my 1197-Lakemaster WI combo.

It is a brand new chip for the bird. Could this have something to do with the gps?

One thing I have noticed with a GPS and a Chip before was the zoom level. If you are zoomed in really tight the screen has to constantly refresh. If you zoom out a bit that may help.

I will try zooming out and see if that helps.

I did notice a slower redraw with the map zoomed in tight, but zoomed out worked fine for travelling as map does not have to redraw, or at least not to the extent it does when zoomed in tight. Mine was the new WI chip in a updated 997.

Hi again,
I just was playing w/ my 797c (w/ 4.770 update) and saw something I forgot to mention. When you run the Lakemaster chip (for Humminbird) on my (your) unit, the entire internal Unimap map data set file is replaced by Lakemaster chip data set file. Then, because of that, whenever you change display scales or your position moves outside the currently displayed view, the unit has to access the entire data set for North America (US and Canada) at that scale level to update the screen! That is a HUMONGOUS amount of information that has to be accessed! All that is accomplished by migrating around the display, at higher levels of resolution, is that the processor is accessing that HUMONGOUS amount of data less often.

For comparison I ran my Navionics Premium North chip in the same box. There you will see that screen updates happen quite a bit faster. That is because the display (within the supported chip area IE. ND, SD, MN, IA, WI, and MI) data set is acquired from the chip (slow) and the rest of the US (and Canada) is gotten from the internal Unimap data set (fast).

Does this make any sense?

I would think that anyone w/ a legacy box (w/ the correct update) will see your symptoms (me included) running the Lakemaster (for Humminbird) chip. That’s why (I believe) Humminbird migrated to faster processors in their new “boxes”.

Take Care,
Roger

I was playing again with the 997 in the garage and was unable to get it to work any better. Man this sucks! Very disappointed thus far! It pretty much means the maps are useless!

Is it recommended to reload the software again or is it even possible?
I have zoomed out quite a ways and the redraw will not keep up. If I use the navigation arrow and move to an area off the screen and wait for the redraw, it takes 14-16 seconds and this is when I am not moving at all.
When in the boat and moving over 10mph the map will not refresh until I slow down to a slow troll or stop.

When you say ” zoomed out quite a ways ” how far is quite a ways?

All avaiable updates are available for free from humminbird.com. Has your unit been updated to the current software?

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When you say ” zoomed out quite a ways ” how far is quite a ways?

All avaiable updates are available for free from humminbird.com. Has your unit been updated to the current software?

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I am not sure how far I was zoomed out but I will try at least 500 next time to see if that helps.
The bird is on the latest software for the lakemaster chip support. Can the software be reinstalled if it is the same version?

I have a 997 with the LakeMaster chip and I am also experiencing excruciatingly slow screen updates. After reading this thread it sounds like there’s nothing I can do because the limiting factor is the 997 processor speed?