Topic: Automapping with Helix12 G2N MEGA.

[Reelcrazy]

I have this unit on my boat. I fish mostly in the Hudson River in upstate NY and in the Adirondacks Mountain Lakes. I am attempting to decide which auto charting feature is right for me. I looked at Navionics coverage of the areas I usually fish and the Sonar chart option shows what looks like 1 foot contours but they look generic and I can see areas that are not accurate just from my own recollection.

Lake Master has no HD maps of anywhere that I fish that I can tell. So it has the Generic couple contours that are not even close to accurate. I did use my allotted 8 hours of Autochart live which was nice besides at the shoreline where you cannot get the shoreline gets moved around which I am guessing is fixed with the zero lines card. My only problem is I run an Apple computer and refuse to buy a computer just to upload my maps and make them nice.

Navionics advised me to use their Sonar Chart Live I have to buy a Sonar Server by digital Yacht.

So to use Humminbird's Autochart Live I need Humminbird PC, plus a zero lines card, a Windows based computer (I have heard parallels doesn't work well and its cost prohibitive)., and a standard SD card. I use the mapping feature and download to SD card. I then upload that information to Humminbird PC. It is compressed and turned into a mapfile which I then download onto my zero lines card.  

Or I get Navionics, and a sonar server. I do my charting and upload to Navionics which at some point returns an improved version of the area based on my charting. Im assuming this used a generic SD card as well? Oh and I pay 99 a year for map updates.

Humminbird needs to allow the internal processor of their units to convert the raw mapping data instantly to the zero lines card and remove all of this downloading uploading nonsense! Make the Apple and PC guys much happier. 

I guess I am leaning towards Navionics due to more available current data existing and the fact that I do not have a PC. Am I missing anything or off base?

I attempted to send this message to Humminbird Greg but it was blocked. Maybe its better that its public so anyone else with these questions can see answers.

Thanks everyone!

[Reelcrazy]

I also wanted to mention that for me having a real time display of the area I mapped is important. When I am actively mapping an area on a camping trip I most likely will not have the service to upload to Navionics servers. Not to mention by the time they update the map I will have already left only to return the following year. I am guessing but not sure this is where the Sonar Server comes in. Allowing me to see my new Data in real time. Navionics advised once the information was sent to them I would no longer have my real time mapping data available until they convert it and update their maps. So anyone that is using Navionics with a Sonar Server if you are charting an area and do not want to lose the map data for a couple weeks do not upload it. I could be wrong on this but it is how I read it.

[Bob B]

I have this unit on my boat. I fish mostly in the Hudson River in upstate NY and in the Adirondacks Mountain Lakes. I am attempting to decide which auto charting feature is right for me. I looked at Navionics coverage of the areas I usually fish and the Sonar chart option shows what looks like 1 foot contours but they look generic and I can see areas that are not accurate just from my own recollection.

Lake Master has no HD maps of anywhere that I fish that I can tell. So it has the Generic couple contours that are not even close to accurate. I did use my allotted 8 hours of Autochart live which was nice besides at the shoreline where you cannot get the shoreline gets moved around which I am guessing is fixed with the zero lines card. My only problem is I run an Apple computer and refuse to buy a computer just to upload my maps and make them nice.

Navionics advised me to use their Sonar Chart Live I have to buy a Sonar Server by digital Yacht.

So to use Humminbird's Autochart Live I need Humminbird PC, plus a zero lines card, a Windows based computer (I have heard parallels doesn't work well and its cost prohibitive)., and a standard SD card. I use the mapping feature and download to SD card. I then upload that information to Humminbird PC. It is compressed and turned into a mapfile which I then download onto my zero lines card.   

Or I get Navionics, and a sonar server. I do my charting and upload to Navionics which at some point returns an improved version of the area based on my charting. Im assuming this used a generic SD card as well? Oh and I pay 99 a year for map updates.

Humminbird needs to allow the internal processor of their units to convert the raw mapping data instantly to the zero lines card and remove all of this downloading uploading nonsense! Make the Apple and PC guys much happier. 

I guess I am leaning towards Navionics due to more available current data existing and the fact that I do not have a PC. Am I missing anything or off base?

I attempted to send this message to Humminbird Greg but it was blocked. Maybe its better that its public so anyone else with these questions can see answers.

Thanks everyone!

You don't need to use a PC if you are using Autochart Live .... to get more than 8 hrs data all you need is the Zero Lines Card.

You only need to use the PC if you want to bring the data into the PC version of Autochart or Autochart Pro.  You don't need the regular SD card for Autochart Live either.

[Reelcrazy]

I thought that using autochart with zero lines wasn’t good because it would fill up.

[rnvinc]

1st  ...: Humminbird PC is free waypoint management software for Windows only in your HB account  ... HBPC has no mapping functionality - except to be able to view your waypoints in Google Earth  ...

2nd  ...: The Zero Line card is lake outlines of thousands of bodies of water with no Contour data  ... You create that Contour data  ... Contour data is small / it's unlikely you will ever fill up the Zero Line card  ...

The HB unit contains 8hrs of internal memory for storing AutoChart Live data  ... If you need more Contour data - insert a Zero Line card and the unit will download the internally stored AutoChart Live data to the Zero Line card  ...

Then you can again use the internal 8hrs of AutoChart Live memory  ... or create AutoChart live map data directly to the Zero Line card  ...

As Bob mentions - the AutoChart PC software is used for converting Sonar logs to LakeMaster mapping data by recording Sonar logs to a blank SD card, importing those Sonar logs into the AutoChart PC software, converting the data, export the converted data to a Zero Line card - which can then be used in the HB unit as a fully functional LakeMaster map card  ...

Rickie

[Reelcrazy]

So the zero lines card holds more than 100 hours worth of contour data? From what I have been reading (and correct me if wrong) that’s what it holds. It took me like two days of trolling to fill 8 hours of internal memory. It didn’t result in a very massive amount of mapped area especially when done in detail. 100 hours while quite a bit more is still not substantial.

I was told in order to store massive amounts of actual map data you record raw data to a blank SD convert it to a map and upload to your Zero lines card. Which would require Autochart and a PC. Am I way off base?

[Bob B]

Where did you get this 100 hours of data information?

I don't know how many hours of data you can put on a zero lines card, but I'm sure it's a lot more than 100 hours.

[Reelcrazy]

Thank you Bob, I talked to WayneP and he quickly set me straight. I was kind of bundling Autochart live, sonar logs, and Autochart PC together mentally. He advised me that if I allowed Autochart live to be uploaded to my zero lines card I can record for a lifetime and probably not fill the card. The sonar logs if loaded onto a zero lines card would fill it up rapidly if I understood right.

[rnvinc]

Thank you Bob, I talked to WayneP and he quickly set me straight. I was kind of bundling Autochart live, sonar logs, and Autochart PC together mentally. He advised me that if I allowed Autochart live to be uploaded to my zero lines card I can record for a lifetime and probably not fill the card. The sonar logs if loaded onto a zero lines card would fill it up rapidly if I understood right.

You did indeed understand correctly  ...

Sonar logs can be written to the Zero Line card but they are much larger file data than AutoChart Live data  ...

Rickie

[einsteins]

Sorry kind of new to this...
So if you have data on the ZL card from a mapping run on an area... and you have a lakemaster card in the other slot.
When you return to the area that you previously mapped will the mapped data/contour lines show up on your map screen automatically ?

Make sense?

Thanks

[October1]

Where did you get this 100 hours of data information?

I don't know how many hours of data you can put on a zero lines card, but I'm sure it's a lot more than 100 hours.

I read the 100 hour statement somewhere and seen it on a Catfish Edge video also. So that info is floating around out there somewhere. I wish I could remember where I read it.

[rnvinc]

Sorry kind of new to this...
So if you have data on the ZL card from a mapping run on an area... and you have a lakemaster card in the other slot.
When you return to the area that you previously mapped will the mapped data/contour lines show up on your map screen automatically ?

Make sense?

Thanks

Yes - if you have the transparency set (in the AutoChart Menu) to see the AutoChart Live data  ...

Rickie