HDS 8 Gen 3

[wellpastcold]

Originally Posted by bvogelzang2002

i'm thinking of upgrading to the HDS 8 Gen 3 from an HDS 7 Gen 1. I fish mostly walleye on Sag Bay, LOTW and similar waters. Does the Gen 3 make a lot of sense if you aren't getting the Structure Scan feature and, what level of mapping does it come with? Am I likely to need a Navionics or Lake Master card as well to get the detail down to 1' gradients? if so, any suggestions on which would be the best one under the circumstances? Thanks

As other posters have said, the processor speed is a huge upgrade. In real life terms this will give you much better chart performance with chips like Navionics. This is one of the reasons I upgraded. I also fish LOW and the charts are crucial on the Canadian side. The point 1 receiver goes with the upgrade perfectly. If you pull the trigger on the upgrade you will be happy.

[bvogelzang2002]

I'll be over that way next week. i'll stop in and let you know how it goes.

[bvogelzang2002]

after a lot of thought and watching you tube videos i went with the Navionics + chip. i have already used the update feature and it was easier to use than i thought. you simply download the info off the chip into your computer and follow the directions. i can upload maps from anywhere in north america in a few minutes. seems like a much better way to go than just getting a gold or platinum chip that can't be updated. when my chip gets full it can be emptied and refilled. pretty neat deal imo.

[Andre (wallyandre)]

If by any luck you got a smartphone you can improve the map by connectiong you're Gen3 to the Navionics Boating App and you will be getting live map and once at home you can sent those logs to Navionics.
3 weeks ago I went fishing on a lake without any map and not even a contour on the Navionics Webapp. Now that lake is available on a card or on a Navionics App

[bvogelzang2002]

I downloaded the Navionics app. how is my droid connected to my Gen 3? there is a wireless feature on the Lowrance. use that or is there a cable you used to connect them? thanks.

[ozarkeyes]

Your Gen3 is wireless. Use your smartphone or iPad as a hotspot(link to the internet). You should first install the Lowrance GoFree App on your phone. Its listed in the Google Store.

Go to HDS Settings, scroll down to Wireless the menu on screen choose 'wireless devices'- that will show your HDS Gen3, you will see 'Network Key' that will be used to connect your phone.

Now go to your phone settings, and choose wireless you will see HDS network listed choose it, to connect to it you will need to enter the password which is the 'Network Key' from the HDS and the phone will connect and there you have your ability to use GoFree app to up load and download maps to your HDS while on the water!

Your smartphone will mirror the HDS but you can not control the HDS with it. You can connect an iPad to the HDS and you can see and control the HDS with an iPad, and use it as the hotspot if it has phone/internet capability.

[bvogelzang2002]

thanks ozarkeyes. i downloaded the app etc. here's another question. when i'm fishing and using Bay chart function i only get detailed 1' contours when i'm within .5 miles on the chart screen. outside of .5 the screen reverts back to a macro look with no contours at all. it's an all or nothing situation. i'm using the fish n chip view when this happens. if i turn it off i get a screen with much less detail, 4' contours . does the fishnchip only work when you're zoomed into .5 or closer? i was thinking of going back online and reloading the Saginaw Bay map to see if this helps. any ideas or thoughts?

[bvogelzang2002]

should read 'using chart function' delete "Bay'.