Thread: Discussion on Lowrance Elite 5 DSI/Chartplotter ....

Originally Posted by jos3ywales

I went to walmart today looking for a micro sd card 2MB. Lowest one they had was a 4 gig and i think I seen where someone said not to use anything over a 2 gig in the Elite 5 DSI is that right?

That is correct !! ONLY a 2GB micro-sd card will work in the Elite 5DSI.

I spent quite a bit of time at Wal-Mart & other "electronics" stores, and could not find the 2GB card/adapter/reader ... which is why I purchased online.

Depending on whether you need just the micro-sd card & adapter card, or the micro-sd card/adapter/flash drive reader combo .... you're looking at between $4 - $15 depending on where you order it from. Here's a link to check out some prices : https://www.google.com/#q=2gb+micro+...38670747007557

... cp

just bought 2 on e bay $6.00 each new sandisk

Hi guys. I'm a Newby to this website. Please help someone who is technologically challenged when it comes to computers. How do you acquire the emulator program you mention to download to my pc. I went to Lowrance's website but could not find help there. Any help would be appreciated. I purchased my Elite 5 DSI unit this past summer and have not had much experience with it yet. I especially need help with the gps functions. Thanks.

Originally Posted by ChargerOne

Hi guys. I'm a Newby to this website. Please help someone who is technologically challenged when it comes to computers. How do you acquire the emulator program you mention to download to my pc. I went to Lowrance's website but could not find help there. Any help would be appreciated. I purchased my Elite 5 DSI unit this past summer and have not had much experience with it yet. I especially need help with the gps functions. Thanks.

Charger ... let me save you from having to read back through all the pages in this thread !!

The emulator program is not really all that good, as it contains menu items & settings that are not all on the Elite 5 DSI. It can cause confusion, if you learn from it & then try to execute it on the water.

We will try and help you with anything you need to know about the unit. Just let us know what it is that you're trying/wanting to do, and we'll get back to you !!

But, if you really want to play with it .... go here : http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Suppor...uct-Emulators/ and download the "Elite 5" Emulator (17MB).

... cp

Pappy, I'm thinking about getting this unit for my kayak.

After having yours for some time now has this unit increased your ability to catch for fish?

Originally Posted by SoonerBorn74

Pappy, I'm thinking about getting this unit for my kayak.

After having yours for some time now has this unit increased your ability to catch for fish?

Honestly, Sooner ... I'm hesitant to say. I've had the unit for awhile, but circumstances have kept me off the water (in my boat) more than I'd like, so I really haven't had the opportunity to put it through it's paces long enough & under enough different situations to tell.

I can say that it's a huge step "up" from what I used over the past 40 some years. Mostly I was using b/w 2d low end units, and mainly using them as "depth" finders ... while occasionally finding submerged cover. And I never fully trusted the "fish ID" symbols to represent actual fish, so I learned to use those units more to keep me in a specific depth of water. But, that was back in the days of Bass fishing a lot, and Crappie fishing cover that was visible.

This unit, for me, is going to be beneficial on account of the GPS and DSI capabilities ... as I branch out to lakes I'm not so familiar with, and where there's less visible cover available. Also, I'm in the process of adding, or transitioning to, more methods than I used to use ... such as spider rigging, & slow trolling. Being mobile & being able to fish more open water areas, being able to mark those spots, and being able to get a more "picture quality" image of what is underneath ... makes this unit, to me, worth the price I paid ($475).

If one is wanting a unit that shows a downscan image (picture quality), and is willing to keep the boat in motion fast enough to render such an image ... this unit will do that. If you're going to be sitting still a lot (anchored, tied off, drifting) then a 2d capable unit might be a better choice. I believe that's why this unit has been discontinued and replaced with the HDI system ... but, personally I don't miss the 2d imaging.

As to your question of whether or not the unit has increased my ability to catch fish ... I'd have to say "it probably will". How ?? .... by the GPS system allowing me to get to a marked spot faster/easier, being able to mark a spot on the fly & not have to depend on memory and triangulation ... by the DSI system allowing me to distinguish what it is that I'm actually seeing on the screen & not having to guess ... and by the fact that I can use the base map (or add a map chip) to navigate on unfamiliar waters ... all of which will likely save me time & effort, lending to more time spent actually fishing.

... cp

Question: I hope this has not been asked in this thread, I have the elite 5 DSI combo at the console and the newer Elite 5 HDI combo at the bow. I purchased the Navionics eastern card platinum, the card will read on the new HDI and will not read on the DSi. When I load the card on the DSI it will not recognize that there is a card in the slot. When I go to chart options it gives me 2 choices Lowrance and Navionics which gives me the same basic map that is preloaded on the unit. I have not previously tried to load any cards in either unit until now. Any suggestions??

Double check which units the Platinum card is compatible with. I have the Elite 7 DSI and seems like I read somewhere the Platinum would not work on one of the units but I can't remember which. I have the next one down from yours in my E7, gold or something like that.