Is there a program that can read the lake info on the Navionics Premium chips? I would like to do some research when I'm off the water.

Thanks!

"NavPlanner" is the hardware/software to do just that.

Download an Emulator from the Lowrance website, buy a SD cardreader at Walmart, Bestbuy, etc and start viewing. The Navionics chip will load slow , just as it does on the water.

BTW-- Make sure its the SD reader and NOT the SDII.

Question:

Can you just rip the whole card to the hard drive so it'd load faster?

And another:

Is there a provision for backing up Navionics cards? To be very clear here, not for any bootleg purposes, just as a back-up? I'm gonna be buying one soon, my first, and was wondering if this is possible. I've found many times that it's good to have back-ups of software. Is there any security written on the chip that would prohibit this?

Disregard, just looked on their website and this seems not to be possible. I guess if something happens to the original they get to gouge you for another.


Jay

not sure if this helps but I just got the Navionics Explorer cd
from Cabella's--$19.95 for all 10,000 us lakes plus one free
hi-def download. Can't go back and forth between your chip but you can do all the research you want and note waypoints for special spots to use once you're on the water--all you need is a notepad and a gps.

All your waypoints and tracks will be saved on your units, not on the nav cards. Load the info on a blank SD card to the emulator on the computer then insert your nav card in the reader and the waypoints will show up.

+1

Are you able to view your navionics card lake maps on the pc this way? I thought it would lock up the card if you tried this. Can you be more specific on the card reader your using?

Gouge??? Wow. Thats tough. I am guessing the other chart makers let you make copies of theirs?

Navplanner will allow you to view ALL of the lakes on the chart via a card reader and plan routes/waypoints. $99

Explorer is an inexpensive, but powerful, PC program that has 10K fishing maps on it with Google Earth overlay, Waypoint/Route management, data transfer, 3d rebdering, and a lot of other functions. $19.99

"Gouge??? Wow. Thats tough. I am guessing the other chart makers let you make copies of theirs?"

And if everyone else gave theirs away for free....Would You? You're trying to make me out as the bad guy. I'm NOT looking to bootleg your product. I'm NOT a criminal, so don't even go there!


"Gouge" might have been a little harsh. I do not feel that the original price I paid for your chip is too high. Let's make that very clear. I know a lot of research has been done to create this software. I am not complaining one bit about the price I payed for "my chip". Yes, once I paid for it, the info on that chip became "mine".

What I do not care for is the fact that I payed for the info on that chip, and if something were to happen which renders that chip useless, I would then have to re-pay for info that I've already purchased. That's where the "gouging" would begin. That just ain't right, IMHO.

I know why y'all write the security onto your chip, it's to prevent bootlegging of the product. And most software creators do this. But I've never thought it was right if you can't back-up the software for your own use. "I paid for it once, why should I have to pay for it again if something happens to the original"?

I know, this has been a debate that's been raging since the first piece of software was ever written. But you see what side I'm on.

No offense intended to y'all particularly. It's a precedent that was set long ago by many other software companies. I do not think it's fair, and never have. I have many thousands of dollars worth of software for various app's. And have backed up everything I can to avoid spending that money all over again if some catastrophe were to occur. But with some of it, the makers are unbending on this matter, and I would take a loss. It is something that just is the way it is, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it.

Jay