mapping

[newblade]

What is the best mapping software out there for the money? How does it work? Do you download to a sd card, take it home and load it to the computer and then it creates a map? Can you put it back on the sd card and view it from the boat on your depth finder - the 797c2??? How important is this in terms of fishing?

[CrappiePappy]

no need to bump a post, it will automatically come to the top when answered.

You're also not likely to get many answers within a few hours of posting ... best to give it a full day (or even two), so that more people can see it and respond.

You might also get more answers, and maybe even quicker ones, if you post your question on the Electronics forum. And, your questions may have already been answered there, too. There are a lot of discussions on mapping software, sd cards, the units that use them, how they compare, etc. If you don't get any replies here, check out the posts in the Electronics section.

... luck2ya .. cp

[WarrenMN]

It all depends on what you want to do. If you want to create maps from scratch and are using a Lowrance with an SD card, DrDepth is likely the best. It lets you record SLG files then convert them with in DrDepth to its format. Then you can go out more than once and add data to an area. It even now has a function that lets you adjust the depth for changes in depth over time which is really good if your working on some where that has a lot of change.
Once you get a map in DrDepth you can export the line data in what ever increments you want in shape file (shp) format and import it into a free ware program called LcmMapEdit. That lets you change it over to a format the Lowrance chart plotters will display like a Lake Master or Navionics chip.
Else you can save it in a color depth format that can be used in Fugawi or printed out.
The next step up is to have it hooked to a laptop to make maps as you go along. Here you can use any type of chart plotter sonar. I use my Humminbird 997 hooked to it for middle to shallower depths but I still have my Simrad and AirMar B256 transducer for very detailed work.
If you use a laptop and you only have a sonar you can hook a USB GPS like Holux for the coordinates. But you can only make the LcmMapEdit maps to use on Lowrances.
If you have questions, ask. Or you can pop over to my site. http://www.accuemap.com/ I've posted one of the maps I did with DrDepth. There also is a link to "Doc" Bruce Samson's site where you can buy DrDepth or Fugawi. You can also down load a demo program directly from DrDepth

The one thing I should add here is if you do decide you want to make your own maps, while your collecting data go very slow. About the same speed as trolling.

WarrenMN

[newblade]

Thanks for the reply and sorry for bumping. I am wanting to buy either a 797c2 or 987c and do the mapping with that. No laptop to do mapping with - be doing good to get one of the above.

[WarrenMN]

There is no way to record the data with a Humminbird with out a laptop. Only Lowrance can do that.
WarrenMN