Lowrance Sonarchart Live

Hi guys, I’m looking at getting a set up for lowrance sonarchart live because the topo map on many of the lakes I fish are horribly inaccurate and many do not even have a topo map, I do not get to fish to much in the summertime do to work but spend almost everyday ice fishing in the winter, ideally I’m looking for a system that isn’t to exspensive but will still create a great topo map. Do different set ups have better and worst qualitys of sonarchart live? Is there other products out there that will do the same thing?9 Any info and suggestions would be awesome guys!

My experience with Sonar Chart Live has been with a Gen 3 unit Elite TI or Carbon units only. They partner with Navionics to draw the contours over the existing contours if any. It really opens your eyes to what is type of structure we are missing or what we are relying on from chip data, no matter what graph.

So you will need a Lowrance Gen 3, Elite TI, or Carbon unit and a Navionics card. I purchased the Navionics update card as well.

Thanks for the help Calvin!

To add to what Cal said, you can do it with the Lowrance Gen 2 touch units if you have them as well. But you would need to get your hands on a Lowrance Wifi module as well.

This allows the app to connect to a source (Graph) to do the live mapping.

I use it every minute I am on the water. It also depends on where your GPS source comes from in your boat as well for how accurate it can be.

I run a point 1 and have it installed as close to my rear transducer as I can. Some guys run them on the dash or just use the units at the dash for GPS which is fine as well, BUT keep in mind when your transducer is on the transom and your GPS is on the dash it could be off by a few feet.

But SonarCharts live is awesome and a great tool to really key in on unmapped areas or mapping that my not be accurate or rivers.

You can use SonarCharts Live with Raymarine, Lowrance, Simrad and B&G units.

I have done some webinar stuff for Navionics on this so let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for the response Chris! I ended up picking up an Elite 7ti on sale yesterday and it came with med/high down scan traducer. I’m looking at getting a different transducer so I can use structure scan to find lots of in marked structures, any suggestions? I have a while before we get open water up here so I’m keeping my options open so I’m not kicking myself down the road thinking I should have got a different, what do you guys prefer?

snowbeltangling wrote:

Thanks for the response Chris! I ended up picking up an Elite 7ti on sale yesterday and it came with med/high down scan traducer. I’m looking at getting a different transducer so I can use structure scan to find lots of in marked structures, any suggestions? I have a while before we get open water up here so I’m keeping my options open so I’m not kicking myself down the road thinking I should have got a different, what do you guys prefer?

Total Scan Transducer or just Down imaging? So no regular 2D Transducer?

Chris, I have the 7″ Gen 2 touch and have some questions. I was using the Lowrance GoFree Insight to make my maps, but that has since changed and no longer offered on the free account (now called C-map). I tried to upload a very large map this past fall, and while it took the upload, it informed me that I cannot download the converted map like I used to.

I do still have the option to create the map with the Lowrance unit, correct? It will take quite a bit of time, but still possible. Does it update the base map inside the unit, or do I need to load that map from the SD card once it is converted for that specific location? Also, is there anyway to update the preinstalled base maps?

Thanks in advance.

Think my question is similar to Tim’s question. When updating maps from the Navionics website, are updated maps others have created using sonarchart live available to everyone? I found this on there website and assume thats what it means but then again i could be wrong.

“The newly generated personal HD chart is then saved for private use on the device, while recorded depth data is anonymously shared with Navionics to improve SonarChart for all boaters”

nu98walleye wrote:

Think my question is similar to Tim’s question. When updating maps from the Navionics website, are updated maps others have created using sonarchart live available to everyone? I found this on there website and assume thats what it means but then again i could be wrong.

“The newly generated personal HD chart is then saved for private use on the device, while recorded depth data is anonymously shared with Navionics to improve SonarChart for all boaters”

nu98walleye, yes the updates that you load onto your chip are logged data from other users.
When a boater logs data you have to upload it when you do your updates. Or if you run SonarCharts live its automatically going to Navionics in the background. They don’t take waypoints and routes though. which a lot of people worry about.

Tim as for CMaps, that’s a Lowrance mapping option. You log your data and send it into Lowrance via the CMaps site and you would essentially get that back in a few days as an add on. Quite honestly I haven’t messed with CMaps for a year at least so I am not 100% sure of all the details there. I do plan to try and use it more this year just to know the ins and outs.

So the way I understand it (and I may be wrong), if you have a Navionics chip and you log data you upload that to Navionics and it comes back to you as an update.

If you have a Insight chip for Lowrance then you log you should be using the CMaps site to upload your logs which you get back also.

I don’t think they’re compatible with each other for file type though. I may be wrong on this. Kirt Hedquist would be a good guy to ask on that for a more solid answer.