Humminbird Helix Mapping

[ejdelvo28]

I'm going to be buying a Helix 5 DI GPS today, but I'm on a $400 budget, so I can't buy a LM chip for it. I did some research online about what, if anything, is built into the unit for maps. Is there a basic built-in map or does it come blank?

[SkWalter]

Probably depends on the area you fish, but the built in "Contour XD" maps on my Helix 9 showed none of the lakes in the regions I fish for Alberta and Saskatchewan. I'm not sure if that is just my region, Canada, or what detail there is for your region. Might be best to find a unit on simulation and zoom to the region you are looking at to see. Make sure it is set to Contour XD as the maping source.

[lawson2343]

I bought the Helix 7 SI GPS last fall. It came with the Unimap. Basically just an outline of the lake(s).

I have since bought the Lakemaster chip for the area I fish.

This spring I bought AutoChart Pro, since one of the Canadian lakes I fish is not charted. I've been practicing with it and really like it. Depending on where/how you fish, you maybe can get by with AutoChart. It just means you'll have to spend time mapping versus using a prebuilt chip.

AnchorExpress.com beat everyone else on price for both of the chips I bought.

Good luck.

[Green_rider56]

Originally Posted by ejdelvo28

I'm going to be buying a Helix 5 DI GPS today, but I'm on a $400 budget, so I can't buy a LM chip for it. I did some research online about what, if anything, is built into the unit for maps. Is there a basic built-in map or does it come blank?

I have the helix 5 but didnt opt for SI or DI, I still got the GPS one tho, its just a blank water space you can record. I bought the LM chip to help. I figured itd help more than the down & side since it covers the whole lake vs just were you are.

[lawson2343]

Helix 5 comes with unimap.

http://www.humminbird.com/Freshwater...GPS-Combo/?p=2

[Jfraze10]

you will have a blank white lake map land will be yellow

I believe you have to get into the 9 for it to come with mapping

[Jfraze10]

didn't change the units to F Ft and all that but this is what it would look like