I purchased a Navionics Platinum Map chip from Bass Pro Shops about six weeks ago.

I had this Platinum chip in my Lowrance unit one windy night while fishing and decided to take it out and put in the regular Premium chip. When I did I felt something hit my hand and I couldn't see what it so using a flashlight I found a small 3/8" wide by 1/2" long "thing" on the floor of the boat.

Not knowing what this "thing" was I waited until I had better lighting and then realized that it was something that had fallen out of the Navionics Platinum case it was installed in.

For those who don't know, and I didn�t know then, the "thing" was a "micro chip" about 3/8" wide by 1/2" long which slips into the bottom of an "adapter case" the same size as the regular Premium chip. Difference is the "micro chip" comes out of the larger "adapter case" with no more effort than simply removing it from your Chart plotter with your fingers!!!!

Since this was a $200 investment I wrote Navionics and asked what was up with this and basically I got the reply to "put it back in and to be careful" with it in the future.

WHAT??????

A small $200 electronics part used in marine applications, in a Chart plotter that is very near the water and the "micro chip" comes out with ease and you�re supposed to ......... �be careful� ???????

I asked if I should glue the micro chip in the bigger case or what and was told "no, that isn't advisable".

The reason for the �micro chip� is apparently so it can be used in other devices and it is retrofitted to the larger Premium sized "adapter case" to fit in Lowrance and other Chart plotter type units.

So ........ after all that, does anyone else have any experience with something like this? Any ideas how to secure the �micro chip� in the "adapter case"?

Obviously Navionics isn't listening or they don't care as they have my money and if their design is not sufficient to hold the �micro chip� in place and it gets lost.... Oh well!!!!!!!!

This sucks!!!!!!

I will have to look at mine when I get home. I don't remember mine being a microchip. Mine is a Humminbird so maybe thats the difference.

There are a few of the chips that are made for units that use Micro SD cards. I didn't know that until I went looking at them today online.

No problem with it having a Micro SD card or chip but certainly a problem with the ease of the micro chip" coming out of the "adapter".

That and the response from Navionics to "be careful"!!! Seems the "micro chip" should be firmly, securely affixed at the factory as this was purchased for the size and type of units I'm using it in and would never have a reason to pull the "micro chip" from the "adapter" and use it elsewhere.

I haven't had a problem with the micro chip coming out of the adapter; only that I put it in my HDS unit and went to Falcon for a tournament and it didn't work. I had just bought my HDS unit and it needed a software update before it would work with the Navionics 2010 Platin card. I was a little salty with Lowrance until I took the update and haven't had a problem since. I've just found every so often an udate for electronics is necessary and I don't take my memory chips out of devices. I bring my electonic devices in with me at the end of the day of fishing to prevent theft.