Topic: Recommended Hotmaps chip for 1197c SI

[kcorley12]

All,  I am new to this forum as I just acquired a 1197c SI.  Can you recommend the best Hotmaps Premium chip for my 1197C SI (sw version 5.320)?  I have heard the older chips may be better than the 2012 chip?  Thanks

[bobcoy]

I have not compared the 2012 chips to the older ones but, when researching the lakes on the gps chip, the most important thing is get the best chip for the lakes you fish the most. 1' contours on a lake make that map way more useful than 10 or 20 foot contours. Personally I think the more expensive(platinum) chips with 3D or aerial views are not just a waste but I feel they actually slow my 1197 down. 1198 will handle the extra graphics fine. Save the extra money for gas. If Lakemaster is available for your lakes you may want to look there also. Bob

[George]

kcorley12

For Texas you can use either Navionics or LakeMaster electronic maps.  I have both and each have some differences.  The most important is to check to see if your lakes are in High Definition.

Both suppliers have the list of lakes that they supply on a card, Navionics supplies a much larger area of lake maps whereas LakeMAster is for Texas and Oklahoma.  LakeMaster recently is adding different states so they may not have everything you want.  Hotmaps South covers from NM to FL, Texas to NE a rather large area.

I have the Platinum Card and would purchase their premium card instead if I did it again, I never use the 3D side and do not see a value in it.  Navionics has a Multi Card Reader that allows you to use the card on your PC.  It is a little cumbersome but it will allow you to play with the program, but you must be careful with the card, if you try to make any changes or try to copy it, it will destroy the card as a few folks have found out the hard way.  I lock my card whenever I use it on the computer.

George