Can you guys give me the advantages of adding a Lowrance Point One device to my electronic ? I have 2017 Gen 3 Lowrance units (12 at console and 8 on the bow). Thanks in advance for your help !

From what I've been told adding the point 1 ensures your map will stay pointed towards your waypoint. Otherwise you get the "hunting" effect. Mine will dang turn all the way around when facing a waypoint which is extremely frustrating!

If you haven’t ever had your graph spinning in circles while staring at it, you don’t need a point1.

If you are looking for precision and on time updates to your position, it’s a must! Brush pile fishing with out one is impossible! I only have one on my console graph and when trying to find a waypoint, I’m constantly going back to console graph to see where I’m pointing!

I shows you on your graph which way your boat is pointing without the need to be moving. It has an internal compass which allows you to see where your boat is pointed when standing still. I just mounted one and can’t believe I waited this long. Let’s say you mark a brush pile, go back to it with your heading sensor on and the point one will show you if your boat is pointed at the pile. Get within casting distance and hit the pile on the first cast. Offshore fishing just got easier. Needs switchable power when installing, connect to neama.

Thanks

Is your front graph not a lowrance?

I installed one like 3 years ago and I've had the hardest time calibrating it. I've never been able to drive in a circle slow enough or accurately enough to officially calibrate it. It shows me driving sideways across the lake most days.

Try turning circles on the trolling motor.

If you use Point 1 on your console graph while driving down the lake it can do some funny things. You don't need Point 1 at the console as you're not sitting still while in the cockpit. I keep my console graph extension on the GPS Course instead of the point 1. Front graph gets Heading Up from Point 1 so you can line up waypoints.

I've tried that to, it times out! I've given up at this point. Sometimes I just don't plug in the NMEA and let them run on internal GPS lol.

I'll give that a try next time I'm on the lake Shotgun thanks!

This may help those that are having challenges setting up console and bow graphs with Point 1:

https://youtu.be/Oh1YJUQeOxQ

He does a great job explaining how to set up both graphs properly.

If you are an off shore fisherman like me you will love it! it keeps your gps map from spinning around and you can really dial in the location of your cast to structure. I only have it on the bow of my boat.

You only need ONE Point1 on your boat. It connects to the NMEA2000 network, and if all MFDs (the display box) are connected to the NMEA2000 network, you can get the advantage of the Point1 for all connected map displays.

As stated, having the Point1 will stop the map-spin problem that can develop when the boat is stationary, or virtually so. This map spin isn't a Lowrance defect; it's a fact of physics. When the boat is moving, the software can compare where the boat used to be with where it is "now". That lets it establish a line of travel, so it can adjust the map so that where you are going is at the top of the map, for instance. When you stop (or drift slowly), the software doesn't have meaningful points to compare. The Point1 has a magnetic sensor in addition to a GPS antenna. It is the magnetic sensor (compass) that gives the map software a frame of reference. If you install a Point1, be sure to go into any connected mapping graph and enable the external magnetic compass on the NMEA2000 network.

With respect to correcting map spin, the spin will be corrected whether you mount the Point1 at the bow or the stern of the boat - it will still correct map spin for any corrected unit (when properly configured).

Whether you mount the Point1 at the bow or the stern depends on how you use your equipment. When you save a waypoint, you are saving the location of the GPS receiver, not the location of the transducer. This will introduce a bit of error because the unit is often not over the transducer. A unit at the console could be almost 8 feet away from a transom mounted transducer, but a stern mounted Point1 is very close to the transom mounted transducer. If you save a lot of waypoints based on viewing the transom transducer, set the GPS antenna to the Point1 for the unit you use to save those waypoints.

If you save waypoints on a bow mounted unit for what you see with a trolling motor transducer, keep the GPS antenna for THAT unit selected to "internal" to get the best accuracy in actual waypoint location. Note that it is possible to set the GPS antenna to internal while setting the magnetic compass to "external". It's not an all or nothing choice. As I've shown, the setting choices are often not the same for all units on a boat when the goal is to get the best accuracy and performance from all units.

If you usually record waypoints using the console unit and transom transducers, you would get even more waypoint accuracy with the Point1 mounted at the stern. Use the Point1 GPS antenna for the console units, but continue to use the internal GPS antenna for the bow unit. When you view a stored waypoint while standing at the bow unit, you'll be given a much more accurate representation of where the actual waypoint is located (bearing and distance). The magnetic compass should be set to "remote" for all units.