I took some Google Waypoints off of Google Earth and downloaded them to my Lowrance HDS10. When I went to the waypoints on the lake, they were way off (100 yards). Has anybody else tried this???????? Are the Google waypoints off for security reasons?

Yes

Thanks for the confirmation. Sucks, but for national security reasons, I'm glad they do it.

I have used some and they were not that far off...

Have moved my waypoints between Google Earth, Lowrance unit and Navplanner and they all line up good for me.

Just remembered, something I did several years back to check. I marked a waypoint on Google Earth at an exact spot on the ramp that I could identuify fairly accurate then transferred it to my GPS. I then checked it on my my GPS and it was about 10-15' off not much more than that. Give that a try maybe.

Just a shot in the dark --- is the waypoint format the exact same as used by the GPS unit (Lowrance default is degrees + minutes)? If not, you need to convert.

C.

Thanks for the heads-up. I think that is the problem. You can choose what coordinate system you want to use on the Lowrance units. The Google coordinates are Degree/Min/Sec and I think my unit is set up for decimal degrees. I will change the default format when I enter them and see what happens.

In Google Earth you can select Tools in top menu bar, Then Options,in the 3D View page you can select the format to Show Lat/Long. This will let you match Google Earth to your Lowrance. You can also go into Lowrance Menu's and change format there to match Google Earth. Like you, I prefer the Degree, decimal Minutes.

I transfer from Google Earth, through a free download called "GPSBabble". GPSBabble converts the google codes to your specified Lowrance output. All the points I have done are very accurate.

Follow this dude's advice:
http://www.hightechfishing.com/googleearth.htm

Great info guys. Thats what makes this forum so good.

Just wanted to give an update. I used Fishmark's link and imported the waypoints to my Lowrance units and it worked perfect! Thanks again.