Topic: just picked up the 1198c si --- have a few questions

[Rough House]

Hey guys.  New to the forum and to the humminbird community...  My father and i run a charter business on lake erie and we have a couple of questions before we install the unit onto our vessel.  Is there any firmware updates that we should download?  Ive read some of the updates have some bugs as well so if there are any firmware updates not to download as well.  Any info would be great.  Im not sure what version is installed on this unit right now as i just received it by ups today.
 Also were looking into getting some upgraded navionics charts to replace the contour xd.  I was looking at the platinum + and the platinum hot maps. I really dont know the difference between these two and this unit will only be used on lake erie.  Which maps do you guys prefer.
Thanks alot.

[sonar2000]

RH, Go to your system status screen and check the version level of software.
Then go to the HB web site and check for version available for download. You will probably have to register your unit on HB site first..
The download section on this forum currently has 5.7 I have not checked if this is the latest.
However HB web site will have if there is a later versionh....
If you are having problems repost with your level displayed on the system screen and we can help you to determine if this is the latest..
Installing updated code is fairly simple and often goes quite well if you follow the suggestions for updating, such as restoring factory defaults.
Also if you do not have interconnected accessories or units it should go fine...
Let us hear back from you..

Chuck

[Humminbird_Greg]

Current software for the 1198c Si unit is version 5.700

I would go to the Navionics web site to see if Lake Erie is on more than one mapping card before trying to decide which map card to buy.  I don’t know if they offer it in both the Platinum HotMap and Platinum + HotMap or not.  I was trying to look for this on their web site when it locked up and kicked me out. 

LakeMaster also has a map card that has Lake Erie on it (Lake Michigan card I believe).  The 1198c Si unit has some menus and functions that only work with the LakeMaster mapping cards.

[Rough House]

i have been on the navionics website and its just so confusing.  They have you chose between marine and lake first off.  so i click on lakes and they have hotmaps platinum available which "E" would include lake erie. 
Then if you click on marine section they have platinum+charts available .  It gives me two options which are platinum + xl charts "649" and then platinum + 3xl charts "1".  i have no idea what the difference between these two are and how they differ from the hotmaps version. 
Then i also have the fish n chip as well.  Very confusing on which would be the better choice for us.
If anyone has these types of maps that could point me to screen shot and such that would be great.

And whats everyones opinion between Navionics maps compared to Lakemasters? 

[sonar2000]

Very good questgions RH......there has been chatter on this forum about the "maps" used by HB. Some of which can be searched.
However, we do have folks here who are knowledgeble on the maps for their area and hopefully they will read and post back to you.
There is a lot of folks here who know and we can only hope they will access the forum and get back to you.
Robert has always been proud of the way information is exchanged here and the help given..
Lets hope it gets your questions answered.
In the mean time try using the search tab with several different key words and see what is filed in the back posts.
I cant be much help with Erie maps as I am in the South East. I do know that maps can be lacking for any given area as well as providing information for any given area..
Keep you fingers crossed..

Chuck

[Rough House]

Thanks Chuck.  Yea hopefully someone can give me some insight on this question.  Its not like i dont have time either.  Season starts in april so i got plenty of time to research.  Gonna give navionics a call tomorrow to see what each map is exactly about...  In the meantime ill look around some places and ask questions.. Were so excited to use the 1198.  We really feel that its going to be a great product.  Cant wait to troll with the side imaging and do some perch fishing with all the new features.  Weve been running a garmin 2010c for over 10 years and it was time for an upgrade.  Not to talk down the garmin or anything. It was a great unit for us.  But it was time to update. Thanks guys.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Rough House,
I think calling Navionics to find out the differences between the Lake Erie maps on the various mapping cards they have is your best move as the data they use from one to another may be different.

As for the LakeMaster maps: the Humminbird units have some additional features that will interact with these mapping cards that is not available with the Navionics mapping cards (Lake Level Offset, Shallow Water Shading and Highlight Depth).

I don’t have the map cards (either brand) for your area or I would post some images for you.

[Rough House]

Thanks everyone for all your help.  I talked to navionics today and they told me that my best bet for lake erie and primarily fishing that the hotmaps platinum / hotmaps premium would be my best bet. The platinum has the 3d/sat added to it.  The premium does not.  He was saying that the platinum + charts (non hotmap) are not really used for fishing but mostly a navigation application.  And that the fish n chip has alot of fishing information but that the hotmaps plat has the same with even more features.  The gentleman was very informative and helpful on the phone.  He even took time to send me some screen shots of the various products in my general fishing area to give me a look at what i would see.  Great company i have to say.
as for the lakemaster card, some of those features we prob. wouldnt use all that much.  So i think were going to go with the hotmaps premium. 
Thanks everyone