Topic: Keeping wpts organized.

[steelebob]

I have a console and bow unit. I have an Ethernet cable. Should I have  my waypoints just loaded on the console unit? Now that I have finished organizing by lakes, how would you recommend I keep things organized when I've added new wpts on both units after a days fishing?

[ITGEEK]

I've never used two units interlinked together, so I have a few questions:
1)If you add a waypoint to one unit, will it show up, and be available to use on the other unit?
If the answer to 1) is yes:
  2)If you export all your waypoints to an SD card from either unit, will it have  all of the original waypoints you started with(that day on either unit), and any new ones that you added on that day to either unit?

If the anser to 2) is yes, then this is what I would do:
At the end of the day:
A)Export all your waypoints from either unit to your SD card(for that particular
lake/body of water).
B)Take that SD card to your PC, and make a good backup of it, and check that
the backup took.  I would make one backup folder on my PC for each lake/body of water you fish.  Make sure you have good backups.  Check the file
sizes on the SD card and on your PC.  You might want to practice with backing up from one SD card, and loading in(from the PC) to another SD card.  If your backups are not good, you could lose years of waypoints.
C)Go to both of your units and erase all the waypoints on the units and re-initialize/reformat the waypoint area on both units.

Now, your units have a clean slate.
D)The next time you want to go fishing, insert the SD card for the lake/body of water that you will be fishing, and it should load all waypoints into one unit, and copy/load them into the other unit.  Your unit now has only the waypoints you need to fish one particular body of water, and your unit's performance should be as good as you can get it.  In other words, you haven't done anything to hinder the performance by putting in thousands of useless waypoints.

If you know that you will be fishing in the exact place/body of water you did last time, then you do not have to do C).  You will still have to insert the right SD card(for that body of water), in one of the units when you start fishing, in case you add more waypoints(on that day), and want to export/back them up  to that card, then to the PC.

If you don't add any new waypoints on a given day, then, you don't have to export to the SD card, or back up anything to your PC.

Before I did anything, I would wait for Greg to chime in and see if the interlinked units work like I emagine they do.
Don't jump the gun and start initializing anything.

Remember, when you save a waypoint on your unit, it stores it inside your unit.
The only way to back up waypoints is to export to the SD card.  The SD card could be overwritten(many times), so the safest permanent back up is on your PC.

Good luck.

PS:Make sure you back up your PC too.

[LittleGazoo]

Remember, when you save a waypoint on your unit, it stores it inside your unit.
The only way to back up waypoints is to export to the SD card.  The SD card could be overwritten(many times), so the safest permanent back up is on your PC.

I have a 1197(console) and a 998(bow) that are Ethernet-connected and sharing.
NOTE: HB Tracks are NOT shareable.

Since HB Tracks are not shareable, I must load any necessary Tracks on the Bow unit(like creeks, roadbeds, etc).
I load all tracks on the Console which will include tracks for high-speed boat running lanes.

HB waypoints are shareable on Ethernet-connected or Interlink-connected units.  I highly recommend Ethernet.

Since Waypoints are shareable I maintain all Waypoints on my 1197 Console unit at the start of my day.

If I mark a new waypoint on the Console, it only exists on the Console, but is visible on the Bow unit.  So you can mark a spot, then by the time you get setup to fish on the Bow, this waypoint will be visible at the bow.

The waypoint only exists in the Console memory.  It is only visible on the Bow unit(it will have a green halo).  You can only Export it from the Console unit.    You can only edit it and make changes on the Console unit.

If when fishing from the Bow and I mark a waypoint.  Then that waypoint only exists in the Bow units memory.
And it will be visible on the Console with the same exporting and editing restrictions in reverse.  That is,  you can must export from the Bow unit or edit it on the Bow unit.

This is what I do. 
I have a SD-card in my Console and a SD-card in my Bow.  Each SD-card will have the MATRIX folder having that unit's Navdata, a SNAPSHOT folder for snapshots from the unit, and a RECORD folder for recording from the unit.
HumminbirdPC has GPX files for Lake&Unit:
  FORK_Console_yyyymmdda.GPX  where a=a,b,c ... if multiples for same date.
  FORK_Bow_yyyymmdda.GPX
This gives me rolling backups on my home PC.

I will Export from any unit having new Navdata and download into HBPC to make a new GPX file.  Its default name will be SD_yymmdda.GPX and I will edit filename, changing the "SD", for example to "FORK_Console".

I find I mark most waypoints when at the boat console so mostly I only need to export the Console unit and download into HBPC.  But if I have marked waypoints when on the bow, then I will Select All and Export the Bow unit, download into HBPC, copy&paste any permanent waypoints for example to the current FORK_Console GPX file, then delete the just downloaded Bow GPX file and delete all waypoints from the Bow unit.

When inserting a SD-card with Navdata into any HB unit, you must realize that only "new data" will be imported.
Only "new waypoints" or "new tracks".  Existing waypoints and tracks will not be updated by imported waypoints and tracks.

You must "carefully manage" this fact when importing Navdata into a HB unit that has "existing Navdata".  You must decide whether to import when "existing Navdata" exists on the unit or to delete all or some Navdata prior to importing.

The more Navdata you import, the longer it takes to update a unit.  Since my Bow unit has only a few Tracks(and they rarely change), the Bow seldom needs updating and is very quick when I do update it.

Now I am going to introduce the networking terms of HOME and REMOTE.
In the scenario above, I maintain all my waypoint on the Console unit.  In this scenario, the Console is HOME to all my waypoints.  A waypoint's HOME is where it physically exists.  So my waypoints all are on my Console unit(HOME unit) and are visible on my Bow unit(REMOTE unit) since I share them.

If you imported a waypoint both into your Console and Bow units.  Then that waypoint separately and physically exists on both and that spot(or location) exists as two separate waypoints. One is homed on the Console and one is homed on the Bow.  The waypoint will display once on each unit without a green halo since it is a HOME waypoint not a REMOTE waypoint(though its REMOTE waypoint exists).  Home characteristic overrides Remote.

Ok, I'm brain-fried so let's stop before we starting introducing Groups and Network-impacts into the above.

[ITGEEK]

Thanks for the info LittleGazeebo.

Using tracks is pretty sophisticated.
I'm not sure if steelybob has done that, or
if he's planning on using them.

So, based on LittleGazeebo's information, you
must pick a main unit to add new Waypoints to (and any new nav data), and
use that unit (only), to export to an SD card at the end of the day.

You must also use that same unit (only) to insert an SD card for the next
fishing trip, to load in your Waypoints that you are going to use
for that day.

I guess you need to pick a permanent 'Home' Unit.

It gets extremely complicated if Waypoints are added to
both machines.

[steelebob]

One thing I'm not is tech sophisticated, and I'm trying not to be anal. KISS all the way.
Questions:
1. Erase all the waypoints on the units AND re-initialize/reformat, I thought they were one in the same???
2. So why do I need a sd card in each unit?
3. "FORK_Console", Why "console"
4. Please explain, are you talking about going to a different lake when you mentioned>> "You must "carefully manage" this fact when importing Navdata into a HB unit that has "existing Navdata".  You must decide whether to import when "existing Navdata" exists on the unit or to delete all or some Navdata prior to importing."

[LittleGazoo]

One thing I'm not is tech sophisticated, and I'm trying not to be anal. KISS all the way.
Questions:
1. Erase all the waypoints on the units AND re-initialize/reformat, I thought they were one in the same???
2. So why do I need a sd card in each unit?
3. "FORK_Console", Why "console"
4. Please explain, are you talking about going to a different lake when you mentioned>> "You must "carefully manage" this fact when importing Navdata into a HB unit that has "existing Navdata".  You must decide whether to import when "existing Navdata" exists on the unit or to delete all or some Navdata prior to importing."

1.  2 options available.  First is under Waypoint, Route, Tracks menu to Select All . . ., then chose Delete.
     Second is under Setup Tab, select Format Nav Directory.

2.  You don't need a SD-Card for each unit to load Navdata, BUT it easier, quicker & cost little $$$.
     Also with SD-card in a unit, you can make sonar recordings and snapshots from it.

3.  I manage by lake, but maintain all my waypoints on the console.  So for each lake my 1197(console) and
     998(bow) have different Navdata.

4.   You just understand what is on the SD-card and what is in the HB units's memory, because only the
      SD-card's "new" data will be imported.  More below.

When you update a HB unit's navdata from inserting a SD-card, only new data is imported.
Example 1: 
You export a unit's navdata, download into HBPC, change WP01's icon, then upload back onto the SD-card and attempt to update the unit.  WP01 will have the original icon after the update, because you did not delete WP01 from the unit.

Example 2: 
The above and you have 800 waypoints on the unit, but instead of changing WP01 icon, you add 12 new waypoints. When you update the HB unit from SD-card, the update completion will display that you loaded 12 waypoints, 0 routes, 0 tracks and 0 groups.  Now you have 812 WPs in the unit memory.

You must make the decision to delete a few waypoints in a simple update or format the nav directory and reload all the navdata in a more complex update.

If navigation data issue develop on a HB unit(like unit crashing), IMO you are better to Format Nav Directory, then import all navdata.  A Format Nav Directory will clean-slate you better than Select All . . . and Deleting.

Simply put:  When you update navdata from SD-card, the process ADDS not CHANGES.  To CHANGE you must DELETE then ADD.

[Moose1am]

I found that by adding a couple of letters to the waypoint number I can differientate between several different lakes.

For example KY for KY lake.  KY001.  KY002. 

Or OT for Otter Pit  OT001 OT002. 

This works for me.

I have a console and bow unit. I have an Ethernet cable. Should I have  my waypoints just loaded on the console unit? Now that I have finished organizing by lakes, how would you recommend I keep things organized when I've added new wpts on both units after a days fishing?