So I've finally upgraded from an Elite 7 to a Lowrance HDS-8. I'm really big on using my electronics and love importing waypoints from Google Earth onto an SD card to upload to my graph. Does anyone know how to download the satellite imagery of the lake you are looking at, convert the file, and upload that imagery as an overlay onto your graph?

I've been researching a lot of old tutorials and most of them are vague about the actual downloading and importing process. A lot I find also recommend using "Nav Planner". Is there a way to avoid buying their expensive software? (Its also only for PC's, is there a Mac equivalent?) Is there another software program you can use?

Any help or tips you have about how you better utilize your graphs would be appreciated!


Edit: Sorry Mods, just realized there is a sub just for this, feel free to move.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/6243374/1/Lowrance_SONAR

On the above thread all the links with articles about what I'm looking for are dead links. Anyone know where to find these webpages?

Maybe try calling lowrance, they could point you in the right direction. I would love to learn how to do the same!

Doooooood!! You rock!! Thanks!!

Love to see the Martins Maps loaded for an HDS unit!

You can definitely enhance your Lowrance HDS units. Its called AT5 Mapping.

Everything was covered by 6-8 foot of water on Lake o the Pines. Screen shots show boatlane poles & each has a white waypoint also.

But HDS12 split-screen running 35.5mph over the Boatlane Hump:



Another split-screen running 45.4 down the lane:



Lastly, a shot of a Palestine creek bend with stumps & laydown:



Only can overlay Insight Mapping, hence split-screen with Navionics on some shots.

Will add that Image Overlays work best on certain lakes and not others. LOP, Palestine & Rayburn are good examples for shallower water and creeks. While Falcon & Canyon(since water levels dropped >30ft) can show deeper points & humps.

Some "satellite" images are actually aerial photography. Not that it matters. And you have to be find historical images available when lake is in low water conditions.

Takes a lot of effort to build a historical lake overlay, but worth it.

Does anybody know if this still works?

It can still be done, but is more challenging to do secondary to changes in the SAS planet and Google Earth programming.

There are a couple of threads on the the new way to do this over at the bbc forum.

Most recent video on how to do this