Lowrance Gen 3 Lake Map Question

[ndsluggo]

I recently sent my Gen 3 in for repairs. Before I sent it in I had lake maps with contours on lakes such as Devils Lake, Lake Sakakawea and Audubon here in ND in the unit. As I am getting it all setup in my garage now that I got it back from Lowrance, it appears that I do not have lake maps or contours on the unit any longer. It is possible that I loaded them into the unit when I got it new 3 years ago but I cannot remember doing it or how I did it. I know I did not have a map chip (SD card) in the unit so if I loaded them, I must have done it 1 time and they stayed in the unit. I have a Navionics SD (not mini SD) card..is it possible I loaded them from that somehow? Would the unit have remembered it if I borrowed a buddies card 1 time? Just looking for thoughts that might help me remember what I did. Thanks.

[Hawker]

A user cannot "load " a map/chart onto a Navico unit. Base maps are loaded onto the unit from the factory. You can utilize aftermarket chart cards, but they do not load onto the unit itself and are loaded from the card each time the card is inserted, or whenever the unit powers up with the card already inserted.
I'd have to question where you sent the Gen-3 in for repairs and what kind of repairs? Pretty sure the Gen-3's are beyond repair/replacement warranty period now.

[ndsluggo]

Thanks, Hawker, for confirming that you can't "load' the maps up. I have 2 chart options for maps in the unit: Lowrance and Navionics. Neither seems to show me what I had before. Do you know the difference between these 2 options?

To answer your question, I sent my Gen 3 into Navico and they found an issue with the CPU and repaired it.

[Hawker]

Originally Posted by ndsluggo

Thanks, Hawker, for confirming that you can't "load' the maps up. I have 2 chart options for maps in the unit: Lowrance and Navionics. Neither seems to show me what I had before. Do you know the difference between these 2 options?

To answer your question, I sent my Gen 3 into Navico and they found an issue with the CPU and repaired it.

Hmmm, my best guess would be that if there was an issue with the CPU, that whenever it (CPU) was repaired/replaced a different "base map" version than what was on the CPU prior, is now loaded.

Without a map/chart card (SD card) inserted into the unit, your chart source selection would need to be Lowrance. Navionics (without a Navionics chart card inserted) will give you only a very basic outline of a lake or body of water, with no contours at all. Like I said, in all probability, a different base map version than what was on the unit prior has likely been loaded.

[Ltrain]

Along with everything Hawker has said, check your settings they probably have been reset to factory defaults. I don't have the ability to turn mine on to check right now but if I recall there are some settings in the display menus that may need to be changed. Maybe Hawker can expand on that

[ndsluggo]

Thankfully I took before and after photos of the unit, I attached them here. Do they tell you anything? The charts definitely look different. The one that indicates there is a software update available is the BEFORE image.