CMAP chips in your Lowrance HDS Touch or Gen2

[Sculpin]

Anyone try out the CMAP Max-N chip in their newer Lowrance units yet. I got to try one out for the Bamfield Tuna Shoot Out (thanks HC). Well all I can say is awesome!

I also upgraded my rear HDS 10 Gen2 with a new HDS 12 touch. All I can say is wow! What a great unit. Even with tuna blood soaked hands the unit worked flawlessly and cleaned up really easy. What an impressive piece of kit.

With my Navionics chip, the canyons had sharp triangular white outs right smack in the middle of them. These CMAP chips kick butt for tuna fishing as my good buddy Fishtofino pointed out to me a couple of years ago. I can now see the whole canyon and beyond. I was pretty impressed closer in shore as well when we were jigging off of Cree Island. Pretty impressed with it and the new software update from Lowrance that overlays currents onto the charts (I know, I know, this software upgrade was out for quite some time. I just was lazy in upgrading ha ha).

Anyways. Just wanted to see if any other folks have tried the new CMAP capability with the newer Lowrance units. If you have found any plus's or minus's please post them up.

Cheers,
Sculpin

 

[GDW]

Can my HDS 7 gen1 get that current overlay update?

 

[searun]

Yup, got it. Also got radar overlay with internal compass. Touch screen makes it so easy to access stuff. Still getting used to it. Learning about its capabilities each time out.

 

[Sculpin]

Can my HDS 7 gen1 get that current overlay update?

Apparently it is just for HDS gen2 and touch. I still have (just slightly over a year old ) a Gen 1 head unit in my network and it does not show the overlay features of the new software. I use it mostly for a stand alone radar if traveling and then a stand alone front fish finder while hunting for spots. I have two 7" units up front. The other HDS7 Gen2 is a stand alone GPS chartplotter. I wouldn't have it any other way. I have to have a stand alone chartplotter up front when running. When you split screen these 7" units it get hard to see or concentrate on stuff. The back unit is big enough that you can split screen it and I always have it on chartplotter and fishfinder.

These marine electronics can drive you nut's with them upgrading all the time. Lowrance has a matrix upgrade program out that you have to go into a matrix upgrade supporting dealer and ask about. It is quite reasonable to upgrade to the newer models. I have been doing this for the last two years. The bonus of the new software upgrade for folks that have multiple head unit's is that you just need one chip in one of the head units and it is displayed on all of them. Bit of a cost savings right there. No more multiple chips.

Sorry to get off track. The new CMAP compatibility is pretty sweet if you ask me. The Navionics Platinum card let me down more times then I care to mention. My old Navionics Gold card I will keep forever and was informed not to update it because it is that good. I haven't updated it and it is my go to card. A lot of the Navionics problems are due to something between them and the Government of Canada apparently. Go figure lol.

 

[fshnfnatic]

Have CMAP-MAX on my Standard Horizon chartplotter and love it! Really good contour detail and the entire
canadian pacific coastline in one chip,not 3 or 4 different chips for the same area like Navionics Gold.