No depth contours on new Lowrance HDS units?

[SteveW]

I bought an HDS 7 with Insight in May. Really happy with the unit especially after the software upgrade until August when it would no longer turn on. I called Lowrance from the water that day and had a replacement 3 weeks later. I took it out fishing for the first time yesterday in Lake Erie. There were no depth contour lines. I made sure that I had the depth contour lines enabled and they were. I just got off the phone with Lowrance and they said that the first unit I had was installed with an Insight map from a different vendor and the new mapping vendor has missed a lot of the places that previously had depth contours and other mapping features. He said the engineers are aware of this and will more than likely be looking into fixing this issue. He also said that they will be going with a different vendor in the near future because the contract with the previous vendor ran out and it would be way too expensive to resign with them. Has anyone else had this problem or heard of this? I hope this isn't true and I'm not stuck with very sparse spot soundings for who knows how long.

I have attached before and after pictures:

[jackpot41]

you are absolutely correct in your info.....
looked at a new HDS 8 at Cabela's in Dundee last weekend, the electronics guy explained the new units don't have any where near the quality of contour lines that the old one's had....They even have them marked differently in the store so they know what they're selling!!!! Bill (from Cabela's) suggested the basemap version and then adding a navionics chip, i know not the cheapest solution but still a solution.......Hopefully they will provide an upgrade to solve this HUGE glitch!!!!

[SteveW]

Well I've been calling Lowrance off and on explaining that they were breaking their own warranty not giving me a compairable unit after they replaced my broken unit. In all I called at least six times and wrote them two emails. All but the last time they explained that there was nothing that they could do for me. This was even after I had talked to the technical support managers like Linda Colt suggested. Finally someone at Lowrance didn't want me calling anymore and offered to send me a Fishing Hotspots East card to replace all of the features I lost when they didn't "resign with their mapping vendor". I have attached a picture of what this card shows when it is in full screen. Look at it compared to the detail of the GPS map that I had when I initially purchased this unit. You can't see the depth contour lines and the only way to tell what depth they represent is to zoom in so your boat takes up the entire screen. Notice that the picture I attached is zoomed in further than the picture with the initial software I purchased the unit with. I can't believe people are letting Lowrance get away with this! Luckily for me Cabelas has heard of Lowrance doing this to many customers and has agreed to refund my money for the unit even though it is outside of their normal 6 month return time frame.

[geareng]

I also had a unit that was returned this summer. When I received the new unit I noted that the contour lines on the maps were removed and were replaced with depth numbers at various locations. I also called Lowrance and was told that this manner of showing depths was the way the company was going in the future. Didn't like it at first, but I have gotten used to it because the contour lines they had for the lakes I fish were not accurate at all anyway. But still, I feel that the lines were a good tool for getting an overview of the structure of the lake especially when you fish a lake for the first time.

[SteveW]

Well, if you want the depth contours even though they are no where near as good as the ones that came on your first unit call Lowrance and ask for a manager. Explain to them what you are missing and that you want what you paid for and they should send you the Fishing Hotspots map card for your location like they did for me.

[VernH]

I also had a unit that was returned this summer. When I received the new unit I noted that the contour lines on the maps were removed and were replaced with depth numbers at various locations. I also called Lowrance and was told that this manner of showing depths was the way the company was going in the future. Didn't like it at first, but I have gotten used to it because the contour lines they had for the lakes I fish were not accurate at all anyway. But still, I feel that the lines were a good tool for getting an overview of the structure of the lake especially when you fish a lake for the first time.

No contour lines in the future? How do they show a sharp break line? Rows of numbers right next to each other?

Sounds like a real step back to the GPS units of 15 years ago.... before decent mapping units.

This is really disappointing news.

Perhaps just showing numbers is the European parent company influence? Is that how mapping units built for the European market work?

I can understand having no depth info at all, just show the rough outline of the lake. The first generation mapping GPS units did that. As the years went by showing contour lines became the "gold standard." Lowrance had been a leader in that.

Imagine a auto type GPS unit with no roads. I suppose placing the road name every few hundred feet would do instead.

Contour lines are the "roads" of a lake.

I've had Lowrance equipment for almost 20 years. Spent more than $6000 on boat electronics over the years, much of it to them (and that is nothing compared to some here on WC.) I kept buying Lowrance cuz it was good stuff. I'm looking for a new $1500 combo unit next spring. It appears now I can walk into a Lowrance dealer, see one unit in action. Buy it and if it has problems, end up with a different unit with less "functionality" (I hate that word but marketing people love it.)

I thought the HDS units are premium units, but they appear to have non-premium features.

Vern

[SteveW]

Vern,

Just a note: The spot soundings that now replace the contour lines are not any closer together showing breaks. The closest ones I saw together were about 50 yds. if I zoomed all the way in. Completely unacceptable to me especially since I spent extra money for the Insite software to be installed that told me contour lines would be more accurate and included on more lakes when I purchased the unit.

[yarcraft91]

No contour lines in the future? How do they show a sharp break line? Rows of numbers right next to each other?

Sounds like a real step back to the GPS units of 15 years ago.... before decent mapping units.

This is really disappointing news.

Perhaps just showing numbers is the European parent company influence? Is that how mapping units built for the European market work?

Vern:

I suspect we've already heard the truth- Lowrance decided to use a different electronic map provider because the original Insight map provider wanted too much money for their product. If so, price point won out over information content. Simple answer for future HDS purchases- don't pay extra for internal maps- buy map chips from other vendors instead. For buyers like SteveW who got the older units with better maps- hey!- Lowrance already bought a license to provide every one of those buyers with the older-style contour-line maps and the buyers paid for that, so provide the maps, already!!
:frypan:

[SteveW]

I just wanted to add that I learned of a new web site company/product review tool made by google called Sidewiki. This is a free install for your internet browser that lets you visit a company web page and permenently attach a review to the site. The review is hosted by Google so the company can't remove it. Lowrance now has their first review attached to their site. If you don't have Sidewiki yet and want to see what it looks like here is the link to my review:
http://www.google.com/sidewiki/entry/107323640010608238248/id/EirenXmwSmaJPbL5ICHvSMgi540

[Burr]

At least you got a replacement unit.