Topic: Lost trying to use Autochart pro

[Mark Saikaley]

I was out yesterday recording with autochart live on my Helix 10 g2n mega SI with my zero lines card inserted.
I decided to go all the way and buy Autochart Pro and yes everything has been updated including the head and ipolit link etc as of  Yesterday May 28th.

The zero lines card has only files with .ACU files in the ACDATA folder. This extension is not mentioned at all in the autochart pro manual.
So far I have not been able to use the software at all and wondering if I wasted my money

Im aware that with Helix 10 it have more advanced built in mapping features and does not require the pro version but thought it would be nice to be able to enhance my charts?

I have not had nay success yet with the manual or the software in regard to importing and using the data I collected. I did run the import function on the .ACU files but can't see any evidence of the data having been imported

Feeling like I should be returning this to Cabelas and simply getting the Zero line card. How can I get help
I dont know if I should be ashamed to admit Im a software Developer or more pissed off because I can write stuff and better document it so that if I were a user I  would not be so confused, especially being a techy with a Computer Science Degree but cant figure out how to leverage this software with my model of sonar. All I can say is this is one night of my life I wont get back

[bigdaddyguns]

Make sure you have updated your Autochart Pro software to the latest release from the Humminbird website. The release in spring of 2016 added Autochart Live file capability (.acu) and the release this spring (2017) added a vegetation layer to the bottom composition capabilities.

[Mark Saikaley]

All updates were downloaded and performed on all softqareapp and  accessories and the helix may 28th

[Bob B]

Invest another $20 and get the Lake Images training .... The 3 DVD set is a great deal and VERY informative.

[Mark Saikaley]

Thanks. I read about the existence of these training dvds when posting this so have been wondering  about their value. I did re insert my zero lines card in the helix 10 and chose export all tracks. The files didnt seem to change however when i performed another import into pro i saw the chart data which is a step in the rigt direction. Soce the helix had already defaulted to he zero lines card and had appeared to have writtedn to it given the files on the card dated correctly i wouldnt have thought one would need to also perform an export just for the chart data.  So im not sure if that step was the difference.  It doesnt make sense that it would have been the difference.

When i clicked on the vegatation view layer and the bottom hardness layers the vegatation just showed up as an entire dark green bottom so doesnt seem that vegetation data was collected.

I would like to find documentation on the difference betaeen the helix 10 charting capabilities vs the lower models in terms of which steps are required for map production with and without  the pro software sice my unit generates most if not all that i really need wothout any pc software intervention. So im not really certain how much of the pro i really am getting over the autochart non pro purchase. At least to know the differences even if i keep the pro which is likely since i already got it.

Im nervous about overwriting my initial charting with my pc converted .

Also i can see that some bad data that occured with autochart live on when i was at high speed...depth was 25 ft but understandably the bottom got lost and recorded a stretch of data at 50 to 85 ft. I went over the area on the water at slow speed hoping to overwrite the data but it has kept both. Am i correct to assume i can delete the bad data? Can it be deleted on either the helix 10 and or just on the pro?

[Bob B]

You can delete bad data ... and that is covered in the training videos also.  When creating a contour map the software merges all data when generating the map..... If you do SI mosaic, that data is not merged....only the last data is used....but that can be edited also.

I have watched the videos, but have not started to actively use Autochart Pro, so it is difficult to help.
It is going to take a while even with the tutorials to get proficient at all aspects of this software.

[fshndude]

Dude I am NOT techno savvy. I bought the three pack of the DVDs and it was great. Best thing I did. I own Auto Chart Pro and a Helix G2N 9. One awesome unit, I have not tried to do anything with my live recordings as of yet. But I have a 899 on the console and have put my recordings from it onto Auto Chart.

[Mark Saikaley]

Ive made some progress but there are problems that I dont think training DVD's will solve.

Out on the water last weekend after charting hours of data I saved the track and received an error message or some warning, Not sure what, but then all the live Charting disappeared

Since then things have been acting weird. Ive been on a river several times in the last week in the same area with my autochart live on recording. Also using the recording feature for SI layer and had my zero lines card inserted as well as an SD Card because things dont seem to be saved to the autochart  (as in the SI and the Tracks) so Im trying to give the units more options. Well the SI is only being save in the SD card and no tracks or waypoints are being saved anywhere

I am also not seeing all my charted data . not the updates anyway just the charted area from my first visit to this location. I keep adding new chart data by turning autochart live on and seeing it fill up the screen . The messages say it will be saved on the Zero card but its not there when I import to lakemaster/autochart pro. Or it is sort of there but not all. If I import I generally see just the initial recording.
Ive exported the waypoints many times but never see any to import from any sd card.

Also the chart documentation refers to a matrix folder but there is never a matrix or REcord folder on the zero lines card and only record folder on the blank sd card

Also when I try to create the lakemaster map it crashes more often than not.

I also tried reformatting the nav data on the Helix 10 but seems the Charts are still there including most of the scanned areas which I am not seeing on the Zero lines card.
Its really unclear what data is stored where and what is save and what is exports. IT seems like they are all getting the scanned charts from different places . ITs hard to decide to buy training DVD's when I cant even trust the documentation. IT seems its not updated or consistent for the Helix and Ive seen youtube demos of lakemaster pro doing things that I cant with mine such as loading in all the different charted areas to work on as a complete map. I can only do one area at a time

IT seems that something got corrupted on my Helix and or on the Zero card. I have not altered any folders on the Cart and the problems started before I did anything with the card other than chart water with the card inserted. Seems like there are corruption issues

[Mark Saikaley]

I first used my zero lines card May 28th and it created 5 .acu files with date modified stamp May 28th and an activelog file and index.AIC

I then used the card and unit on a completely different lake 100 km away. An error occurred. I think it was when I tried to save the track. So the track didn't seem to be saves and the data cleared.  I had been fishing for only a couple hours so I dint think it was due to a data overflow which results in lost data.  I noticed the Zero lines card I have has a very loose write protect tab. IT slides up and down freely and doesn't lock in place in either the write or protect mode. IT often moves slightly from the write position and I think locks. I suspect that it was in the slightly write protected mode when I trued to save the data. It seems that the Helix unit does not detect that it is locked and acts as though it writes stuff but doesn't

However I have also been having issues saving anything to the Card from the unit even though it acts as though it has.

Now back to those initially written files in the ACDATA folder. They are the same date time stamp and content as the first day I used it and are not updated. in addition to a file explorer compare I also used beyond compare this morning to perform a bit comparison between these files on the Zero lines and 2 different back ups I made along the way. Also no new files had been added when I went to the different lake and charted for a few hours.

However when I returned to the Ottawa River (this is the closest body of water so I'm frequenting it to do the testing). The second body of water is the Big Rideau FYI. I have no data from the Rideau from the one day I spent there. When I returned to the river and scanned the same area but expanded on a grid and tried to save the data (Mind you when the zero lines card is inserted I get a message saying its saving to the card to begin with and the menu on the Helix confirms the slot... In fact the data is not being updated. I get the messages that is will save and delete the data on the head etc.  I saw no signs of the data I charted. 

Next couple times out I recorded the data instead using the record feature on the unit that also records side imaging. This data was recorded and I was able to save it on a separate SD card. I believe it defaulted to this card. I had followed instructions to save the data to the zero lines and ensuring the write protect tab was unprotected but only ever get the Recorded data on the SD card. Exporting all waypoints does not result in waypoint files anywhere.

So it seems I can only record data via the photo screen and get charts off my unit into lakemaster pro. But then again lakemaster pro doesn't seem to behave quite as documented . I cant find any waypoint  data to import. When I try to write back to the zero lines card, it usually crashes. I usually was able to get the data written to the card after several attempts and a couple computer reboots and triple checking the write protect tab, but last night I was not able to repeat the process at all without crashes.

It seems that if I'm able to create the lakemaster update card I can then put this into the helix and that data is read, but when the unit says its recording new data to the Zero lines card its lying as well when I save the track to the card lol.

I'm going to double check the setting on the unit and hopefully Cabelas will exchange the card and lakemaster pro for me since I did not manipulate the card at all. IT seems to be defective at least with the write protect. And maybe some other defect. But its also possible there are issues with my unit since that error. So hoping just the card and learning the setting better.

will update

[Mark Saikaley]

Here is what my zero card looks like now and with the lakemaster files on it a few days ago backed up. I have not been able to create lakemaster maps to the card again since last night . But the ACU files have never changed since the first time out. BTW the unit seems to be functioning normally and fully . Even saying the right things as far as whats supposed to happen. ie saved messages and information message regarding which cards its writing to and when its using memory vs the card. The charts are being displayed on the screen as created nicely . Its only when I take my card and try to find the new data or other other things I saved and then try to use lakemaster that the problems materialize and I see whats messed up or missing. On the water everything seems hunky dory

[Mark Saikaley]

I exchanges my lakemaster pro and zero lines card at Cabelas Kanata. They were very accommodating which I'm very thankful for !  and all problems are gone with the new Zero lines Card. See attached. Maybe now I can spend some time fishing! . Long overdue