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Posts: 10
| I am buying an HDS7 next Thursday. Here is my delimma.
1. Do I get the standard basemap version or upgrade to the one with the Insight USA?
2. I still have my Navionics chip from my other Lowrance. ?Can I down load to the HDS7--regardless of which version I get?
3. Do I need the LGC-4000 GPS Receiver?
I fish Ohio Lakes--Alum Creek, Clear Fork and Caesars Creek. Occassionally the reefs and Islands of Lake Erie.
Thanks for your suggestions
Bob |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Insight is up to you, and depends on which bodies of water you fish. You can check the Lowrance website for what's covered. Personally, I prefer Navionics as when you zoom down to closer views it reverts back to the normal two tone view and you lose all the 3D imaging. So it's kinda cool to look at when zoomed out, but you lose it when zoomed in.
I had a huge mess of a hassle when trying to run a standard Hot Maps Premium (09) chip. Long story short, I had to upgrade to the Platinum Charts....not Platinum Hot Maps, the two-chip set of Marine Charts which was a pretty penny. I have an HDS8, so it may not be an issue with the 7's.
And no, you don't need the 4000. It's an add-on that gives you closer positioning and faster refresh rates. |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Ditto to what efly said. You shouldn't have any problems with chips now, the updates should have taken care of any problems.
I would definitely go with the LGC-4000, it'll make the gps faster, it'll lock on quicker and it refreshes your current positioning a lot more than the 3000, way worth it in my opinion! |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | TJ DeVoe - 2/6/2010 8:51 PM
Ditto to what efly said. You shouldn't have any problems with chips now, the updates should have taken care of any problems.
Well I actually still had issues with my Premium chip even after installin the updates. I tried three 8's before I tried the Platinum Charts, which finally cured it. Now it works great. It was just kindof a bummer to have to drop the several hundred dollars on the Platinum Marine Charts, when I'd just dropped the coin on what I thought was a ready-to-go unit. I still like the HDS. I was just disappointed that it didn't work with my chip. And it wasn't like my chip was som antiquated chip. It was an '09. That's like buying a new computer and not being able to load MS Paint and having to buy a $700 Photo Shop program to get rid of red eye.
Edited by esoxfly 2/6/2010 8:46 PM
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Efly, those units you had were the first run of the HDS units if I remember right. In late spring, Lowrance had all their field techs running around to each store in their areas and updating every one that the stores had in inventory do to the issues with the chips. You may of just had some bad luck is my guess. |
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Posts: 676
Location: Wisconsin | There was also another update that came out a few months back that also address some issues with the Navionics display. Might want to check and make sure you have the most recent update to the firmware.
Get the base unit and spend the savings on the chips, you will like the results. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Nah, I had the most current update; the one to allow LSS that came out in like September or October and no joy. I installed it myself on the first one, then Reed's installed the second one for me in store. My unit now was made in August, so it's a fairly recent version. The fact that it behaved the same on all three 8's I put it in, and all three had the update, and the fact that the Marine Charts fixed it instantly, I think it's just a small issue with the Premium chips...maybe even just the North chip, as I know guys down south who are running Premium South chips and not having issues. Hell, could just be the mapping datum on LSC as that's the only place I've had it on.
Edited by esoxfly 2/6/2010 11:06 PM
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Exactly, if the unit you have now was made in August, that's a completely different batch than the unit you had in the spring, not the same, things have changed. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I didn't notice when the first one was made, but I went through two 8's from the same store in one week this fall and my newer (current) one has the issue too.
I got the first one in October and had the zoom problem. Got the second one later that week and had the same issues. All of my issues came in a two week span, so they may have been different batches, but they were bought a week apart, and the newer one still had the issues with the Premium chip. I'm still on my second one, and it didn't work until I put the Platinum charts in it. (The third one I tried was the display model down at West Marine.) I talked to you about it when it was all happening, and you were a great help. It came down to a local bass pro here who runs HDS suggesting that it may just not jive with the North Premium chip and letting me borrow his Platinum charts, and bingo, that was it. So now as long as I don't run Premium in it, it's fine. And I'm not complaining. The Platinum Marine Charts are amazing.
So I'm sure things have changed now, or at least for the sake of new buyers, I hope they have. But both of my units, made as recently as this summer were still having hiccups. That's why I'm waiting as long as I can before I buy LSS...I want the boys in the south to fish it and call out as many bugs as possible before I buy mine this spring.
Edited by esoxfly 2/7/2010 12:33 PM
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Buying a Lowrance HDS7--I have a few questions first!