Topic: Record or Lakemaster card? What would you do?

[coy]

Question.... I only have one card slot on my Helix 5 SI.   What would you guys do?   Use a Lakemaster card,  or a blank card and record?   Would love some input and why.   Thanks!

[ITGEEK]

My question to you would be 'What is your goal?'
If you want to try and catch fish, then a Lakemaster Card may show you some areas that may possibly hold fish.  It may also help you avoid places that could damage your prop and/or your boat.

If you want to record, then view your recordings later, and maybe mark some waypoints,
then a blank card may be the way to go.

You could get both cards, and use the mapping card to learn the lake, and keep you and your equipment safe, and the blank card to make recordings of areas that interest you.

[D S]

could also get autocharts software and make your own detailed map from recordings you log.

[CamoHunter]

Don't necessarily need sonar recordings to create autochart maps.  You can use saved humminbird tracks (.ht) to create autochart maps.  As long as you remember to save your track before shutting off your unit each time you shut off your unit.

[coy]

Thank you all for your responses.   We take a fishing trip to a Lake I  TN every year that is not on Lakemaster Great Lakes.   It's my only dilemma.   I want the Lakemaster card,  but I don't want to have to record every lake I go to.    I think I am going to buy the Lakemaster card.   Use my cell phone Navionics while on my  trip.   My home lake in OH is HD on Lakemaster.  Gonna miss recording though.  I think that is the coolest thing.   I guess I just ask this question to see if I am missing something.   A miracle like I can record on my Lakemaster card??!!

[Ohio Archer]

While you "can" record to the LM card since it is not protected, it is not advised as you may unintentionally damage the mapping software.  Expensive proposition.  Same with a Helix 7 (which I recently got).  If the lake is not on the map card there is no need to use it, right?  Record on a blank card and create your own "map" and waypoints.  That would be my best recommendation.

[coy]

I do have a blank card.   When you say record on  blank card and create my own map, Do you mean use autochart?

[rnvinc]

When I first started with my 1197 ...I would fish until 30 minutes before dark ...

Then I would put up my rods ...and motor to a spot about 1/2 mile from my launching ramp ...

I would start the Record function and record the entire bank back to the launching ramp ...(keeping my digital depth constant so I could see how bottom composition affected the images without the variable of changing water depth) ...

These recordings (at the end of fishing days) I would take home and study in Humviewer and in my 1197 side by side for comparison ...

A map card was not necessary for that type of recording tests ...

Rickie

[coy]

Ricky,
  Thanks for the reply.   I am very familiar with recording and Humviewer.   I just want a map as well!    with the Helix,  I only have one SD card slot,  so I have to choose.   I am trying to find a way to get both.   It looks like Autochart is my only Avenue.   Unfortunately,  I will have to record every lake to get the map.   O well.   I only fish 2 or 3 lakes anyway.    Let me know if you agree.   Thanks!

[CamoHunter]

Here's what I would do.  You don't need sonar recordings to create maps in AutoChart.  You can import humminbird tracks (.ht) files, and create maps from those also.  I've used track files several times to create maps.  You don't need a card in your Helix to save a boat track.  It saves to the internal memory of the depthfinder, and then you can export those track files to an SD card whenever. 

You can have a Lakemaster map chip in your Helix, and still be saving your boat tracks to use later on down the road if you would ever choose to buy AutoChart to create your own maps.  Cheaper yet... find someone who owns AutoChart, and would be willing to create the map for you from your track files.  That way, all you'd have to buy is a ZeroLines Sd card from Humminbird.

Word of caution, just be sure to save your Current Track on your depthfinder BEFORE turning it off.  Otherwise it seems like it looses the depth data.

[coy]

Thanks Camohunter.  I think I am going to go ahead and get the Autochart and make my own maps.  I like what you said about the internal memory of the Helix 5 though.  I have always known it has an internal memory, but didnt know how large it was.  I even just called Humminbird support and they do not know.  Yup, thats right, they do not know the size of the internal memory on their own product. 

I appreciate all of the feedback, but with the Helix 5, if you want to record your sonar AND have a map to look at, you will have to utilize Autochart.  You can create your own map on your Zero Lines card and record to it.  Hopefully this thread will help someone that is in the same predicament. 

[CamoHunter]

Internal storage capacity is 2,500 Waypoints, 45 Routes, 50Tracks/20,000Points, on a Helix 7, just as an example.  Other units may be a little different. You can find that information in the Specs under each model depthfinder on the Humminbird website.

I tell most people, if the lake you're fishing isn't on any of the commercial map company's chips (like Lakemaster or Navionics), and you think you might ever want to map the lake yourself, you might as well save all your tracks every time you visit that lake, and export them to a folder on your home computer.  That way, you'll have a good start if you ever decided you wanted to get AutoChart and create a map of that lake yourself.