HDS Chartplotter with Navionics chartcard

[Peahead]

SushiHunter has loaned me his Vancouver Island Navionics chartcard to use in my HDS 5. I am now not sure it is compatible to the HDS models.
It is a 2G913XL3 and several years old so suspect that is my problem. All I can get on screen after I insert the card and I select "chart data" and select "navionics" is a rudimentary "chart" with brutal mapping. Mapping/chart is extremely basic and not anywhere near a navigable chart. Shorline resembles something my 6 year old daughter would draw with Islands missing and no depth contours, reefs or any detail at all. Its not much better then Lowrance's own charts that come in the unit.

Before I go out and buy a card can I assume the card Sushi loaned me is infact an incompatible card for use in an HDS ?

Greg

 

[SeaWolf]

The Navionics Card has a number of different files, for instance the file for Barkley Sound is different than the one for the East Coast of VRISL. I have the older 337-DF, and you have to get into the menu, and load the proper chart for the area you are in. Sometimes you have to guess and do trial and error until you get bottom contours and details showing. Until you point it at the right file you get the rudimentary outlines. Hopefully yours is the same.

 

[SeaWolf]

Took a quick look at the HDS-5 Manual. You have to press Menu twice, Highlight the correct Navionics Chart type press enter, then select Chart Data press enter, then select the desired map data option, press enter. Think of it as loading the specific file for where you are.

 

[vetteman]

For what it's worth, I just pulled the card out of my HDS 5 to see what I was using. It's a Navionics 13XG2. It covers British Columbia and southern Alaska on the one card.
Dave

 

[Peahead]

Thanks for the help SeaWolf and vetteman. I will take a look and try what you suggest - Yeah Vetteman my card is Vancouver Island which apparently does include Georgia strait /Howe Sound/ Vancouver area so we'll see. I will report back here after I get back from Ukee in a few days.

 

[Peahead]

Took a quick look at the HDS-5 Manual. You have to press Menu twice, Highlight the correct Navionics Chart type press enter, then select Chart Data press enter, then select the desired map data option, press enter. Think of it as loading the specific file for where you are.

Thanks yeah got out to the boat to see if I had done those steps and yes I had followed those steps . The only chart data options I get are "Lowrance" and "Navionics" These options are available with chart card inserted or not. When I select Navionics I get rudimentary charts with no detail . I see no place whatsoever that I can select a specific area ..... It seems like my HDS may not reading/recgnizing the card because I see no difference with the card inserted or out of the unit.

Eventually I may have to take this back to West Marine but rather solver this before I have to do that , obviosly....

thx for any input ....

 

[Peahead]

Bump...
Ok talked to West Marine and went on the Navionics site,
So far it seems that despite my sd card being a Gold card and despite the fact that Navionics compatibility chart confirms absolutely that a Gold Card should be compatible........

EDIT - new info from Navionics - A MMC format card apparently will not work in a HDS Chartplotter/sounder:
While the card I borrowed is a Gold card and while I thought it was SD/MSD card and it fits the the HDS slot perfectly, it is possible it is a MMC format card.
According to Navionics the difference is that MMC has 7 metal contacts rather than 9 contacts as on a SD or MSD. On the Navionics compatilibility chart it does state all chartplotters as using SD/MSD Navionics cards but doesn't say anything about MMC compatability . Interesting though if the card I have is a MMC, because it worked fine in the LCX112c and the LCX112c on the compatability chart is listed as SD/MSD compatible onlty too !

Looks like I will need to buy a SD ( Gold or plat+) card for my HDS chartplotter to work as the MMC card seems to be the cause of the problem .

 

[Peahead]

Confirmed. My borrowed 2004 MMC Nav Gold card ( with 7 metal contacts on it) will not work in the new line of HDS chartplotters.

To solve the issue I am picking up a NAV Platinum 913P+ ( Van. Island) which is an SD card ( has 9 metal contacts on it) for $269.00 from West Marine. Alternatively a new Gold SD card 2XG ( most of Canada) for $239.00 would do the trick too. This is a 9 contact card as well ....

 

[Sushihunter]

Thanks for the help SeaWolf and vetteman. I will take a look and try what you suggest - Yeah Vetteman my card is Vancouver Island which apparently does include Georgia strait /Howe Sound/ Vancouver area so we'll see. I will report back here after I get back from Ukee in a few days.

The card does cover Howe Sound, and both sides of Vancouver Island from about Seattle, WA to just north of Port Hardy, BC.

Near as we can tell, the card from 2004 is an MMC card and not the newer SD card, which is why it is not working in the HDS unit that Peahead has.

Oddly, the Navionics Compatibility Chart does not seem to mention the MMC card. That same data on an SD card will work fine in the HDS unit. And thanks to the wonderfull copy protection that Navionics uses, you can not copy the data to an SD card (or anything else!), and in fact must use their propriatary card reader to use it with their charting program for the PC.