Side scan vs. Down Imaging

[Southerly]

buyer beware - make sure it shows contours for the bay if that's where you plan to fish. some stock charts contour lakes but not coastal.

[Memory Maker]

I'm just excited to find something that shows contours without a chip. I didn't have a chance to confirm though, the demo showed it, but there wasn't a rep there to talk to and I was in a hurry.

Yeah the Lowrance Nauticpath showed the contours ....... been using it for years and comes w/alot of the Lowrances

[chex]

Found this compatibility chart

http://www.starmarinedepot.com/pdf/guide.pdf

[DOGFISH]

Update:

Looks like the fish and chip is now merged into the gold. The platinum has a Chesapeake chart 634 #MSD/634P, $194.99. The gold is the area I previously mentioned.

However, there are a few of the Fish and Chip cards left around the country, in the West Marine system for $144.99.

I am at work so I thought would update this. The fish and chip cards, when gone they are gone.

[jffoley]

Fish and Chip: USA EAST: MSD/FISH-E

Gold: All USA & N. Bahamas: MSD/1XG


This is how Navionics labels the package, such as USA East for Fish and Chip. The last number is the Navionics part number. The Gold has alot of information for cruisers, such as port information and marina information. As kayakers you may not need this information. I think the Fish and Chip and the Gold are $199 at West Marine. Better check the latest price. It has been a while since I looked at these.

Also, keep in mind that West Marine will price match. It must be a regular price from a regular company such as Defender, Cabelas, Bass Pro. Just print out the page or bring it up on your smart phone to show them at the store. They won't match E-Bay, because that is not a regular company. Alot of that stuff are close outs or out of business sales.

PS: Fish and Chip show changes in depths as little as one foot. They also can be updated.

Thanks Don! I saw both on West Marine's website for $194.

I got a reply from Navionics:

The 16XG-3 is a legitimate, current product available by special order for units that are restricted to cartridges of a memory size of 1GB or smaller. It is the same information as what is available on the 1XG (and retails at the same $199), but is just a coverage cut out of the larger area.


Pretty much the same price for less area so I suppose if you want the Gold chip just get the 1XG that covers all US coastal waters. One other thing I found is that the chip is on a micro SD with an adapter to fit the SD slot.

Don, Will West Marine match online retailers like Amazon or Starmarinedepot.com ? They have the 1XG for $165:

http://www.starmarinedepot.com/Navio...amas+Gold.html

[DOGFISH]

I don't see why not. The StarMarineDepot seems like a regular web site. Keep in mind the managers make the decision. That one seems straight forward. Sometimes they won't match Amazon, because Amazon deals through other companies, which are sometimes closeouts. That price is not that far off.

[Yak Fish]

Update:

Looks like the fish and chip is now merged into the gold. The platinum has a Chesapeake chart 634 #MSD/634P, $194.99. The gold is the area I previously mentioned.

However, there are a few of the Fish and Chip cards left around the country, in the West Marine system for $144.99.

I am at work so I thought would update this. The fish and chip cards, when gone they are gone.

I just got the gold, but it doesn't show the 1' contours or have the fish and chip merged. Did I get an old one?

[Southerly]

I just got the gold, but it doesn't show the 1' contours or have the fish and chip merged. Did I get an old one?

my chip's only a few months old. i'm promised free chart upgrades for a year. now, all i have to do is figure out if there are upgrades and how to register/do the upgrade. pls post any info you get on this; same here.

[Yak Fish]

my chip's only a few months old. i'm promised free chart upgrades for a year. now, all i have to do is figure out if there are upgrades and how to register/do the upgrade. pls post any info you get on this; same here.

After reading this post, I'm upgrading as I type this. It is free. I just went to Navionics and started upgrading after I registered. You'll need to download their software and plug in your card to your computer. It will recognize the card automatically and set you up with the appropriate download (I hope).

Here's the link to get you right to the download at the navionics store page:
http://store.navionics.com/freshest_..._webstore_page

I've been downloading the chart for 30 mins now and am only a third of the way there. I hope this gets the 1' contours. That would be awesome.

[Yak Fish]

I got the update and checked it out on my FF, but it basically looks the same. There may be some more written information, but it's hard to remember if it was there before. I would really like the closer contours since we fish smaller areas and look for a little more detail.

[Southerly]

i got the H-bird FF software upgrade with ease, but wasn't able to successfully get the software to view 'movie' files recorded from the FF.

i will try H-bird (again) and Navionics later this week. thanks

[Capt C-Hawk]

I purchased an HDS 7 for the boat last year and added the navionics gold mid-atlantic. With all the upgrade talk I pulled the chip and put it in the card bay and went to the navionics store. Had to create an account, and as reported the store saw that a free upgrade was needed. After it completed I was given the choice to add the pc app which allows you to view and work with the charts on your computer. (also free and really cool)

So now I just went to Star Marine Depot and ordered a Lowrance Elite 4 DSI Fishfinder Chartplotter. Already have the needed navionics, so step 1 in outfitting the new yak is complete. Now off to Bass Pro to see MKF and also pick up some scotty rod holders. I'd order those as well, but can't visit that place without spending something.

[DOGFISH]

I just got the gold, but it doesn't show the 1' contours or have the fish and chip merged. Did I get an old one?

Possibly. When you start up your FF do you see a menu for fishing. My FF starts the chip automatically, some have settings. You can also check on any upgrades to download.

PS: Remember that one foot thing is what they advertise. If you had every one foot change, you would have nothing but lines on your screen. You will get many many more contours with the card. At least I did. It make a big difference.

[DOGFISH]

I don't mean to be talking about West Marine products all the time. I am really not promoting. However, I did see something in the catalog last night that was interesting and may be to some here. I was further looking into the DI vs SI decision, which I have to make.

I came across a Lowrance kayak scupper hole kit for their transom/skimmer type transducers. It will fit scupper holes from 1 1/2" down to 15/16". It will mount the transom mount trasducer to the scupper hole kit and into the kayak scupper hole. This may be a real option for many on this site. It was in the West Marine catalog, so it should be on their web site also. Do your research. This may help some with the decision on FF/GPS units.

I have always used Humminbird, so not an option for me.

[Yak Fish]

Possibly. When you start up your FF do you see a menu for fishing. My FF starts the chip automatically, some have settings. You can also check on any upgrades to download.

PS: Remember that one foot thing is what they advertise. If you had every one foot change, you would have nothing but lines on your screen. You will get many many more contours with the card. At least I did. It make a big difference.

I do have a menu when my FF starts up. I can go into simulator mode or regular. I then also tried to navigate through the chart options but I didn't see anything with finer contours. Like you said, 1' countours would pretty much dominate the picture, but I get exactly what I see on paper charts. I think that's good and all, but a finer option would be great. I think I'll give navionics a call to make sure I understand everything correctly. Thanks.