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| Need some help here...
I have a Lowrance X15 that's virtually brand new (came on my new rig) I was impressed with Shep's from a sonar standpoint but also think the Garmin 240 is hard to beat for the money...and I just happen to have one in a box in the shop...
So I"m trying to get with the times on all this Hot Spot, Memory Card, Downloadable, etc. etc. maps and stuff for the GPS portion...
I just got back from Gander and Scheels and could not find anyone there worth a crap that had knowledge of this stuff, yet they all tried to sell me $150 worth of something I don't even know I want.
So my question to you is...(cuz I'm either selling my X15 and buying a Garmin GPS map or keeping my X15)
Can someone please tell me which of these units has better, more accurate software available.
Here's what I know so far:
Garmin- has more lakes in my region available buy I have to spend $120 to buy WI, then another $120 to unlock MN, and another $120 to unlock a portion of Canada..etc.etc.etc. or am I misunderstanding what the kid at the store told me and what I read on their web site..? Seems like Garmin maps need to be downloaded or ??? I have no idea how ya get'um in the unit.
Lowrance X15..I got some CD unopened called Map Create 6 what the heck is that..? ( I dont' want to mess with it if I"m gonna sell it) and what is available for the X15?
The kid at Gander tried selling me a Fishing hotspot box for $150 but the thing only had like 2 lakes that I fish in Wisconsin, but I think it included MN and LOTW and a few others in Canada.. said it had a memory card I just plug into the unit. Are there others available for the X15 that maybe have a few more lakes in Western WI...?
I want something that shows bottom contours and dangerous areas if possible.
Somebody please help me...I know I"m not the sharpest knife in the drawer... But I have someone interested in my X15 and I really want to figure this out...
It was so much easier when I called my lake map "Grandpa"..
Thanks,
Curly | |
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| Mark,
Ask me about this at the MI Banquet. You can do better on that price. I did some research on the Hot Spots maps for the Garmin. Eric has the Garmin 162 on his Lund.
Fred J | |
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| Fred,
Didn't see this till I got home tonite...I'll try and call you tomorrow, maybe I should call Eric as well...
Shep..you out there...? I think of you as our resident X15 expert...any thoughts..?
Mark
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| Mark,
I don't think the Garmin will hold a candle to the X-15 sonar-wise. Absolutely the best I've used. Garmin has a great rep as far as GPS goes. Navionics had some accuracy issues with the HotSpots maps for the Lowrance units. They say they got them fixed, and reissued newer MMC's recently. I traded my Region 5(WI,MN,LOTW,IA) for the new Region 10(WI), and also bought Region 9(MN, LOTW) for $129. Haven't gotten a chance to use them yet, so I don't know how much better they are. I can tell you, thet they have a LOT more lakes on them for both WI, and MN.
Go to www.navionics.com and then to the Hotspots maps section. You will get the details there of all the lakes they now have.
I don't know what all lakes the Garmin HotSpots have, and don't know how accurate they are. Like I said, Garmin has a great rep in GPS, but I wouldn't trade my X-15 for anything but a Lowrance. You just can't beat the sonar, IMHO. That is so much more important to me than the mapping. The GPS is accrate as any. It's just how the maps were converted and digitized that causes the inaccuracy. It's a tool to help navigate. You still need a good map, and a compass.
The MapCreate 6 is mapping software for the X-15. It will do a great job on roads, train tracks, bodies of water, restaurants, motels, city streets, etc. What it will not do is contours and details on a body of water. I haven't even used mine yet. hehe
My advice is to keep the X-15. Should you decide to sell it, I want first crack at it![:bigsmile:] | |
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| Thanks Shep....
My thoughts (and sometimes I have short cirtuited wires) was to Dump the X15 because I really thought the Garmin 240 sonar was one of the best units I've ever used and then was going to put a 162 GPS map next to it because there seemed to be more lakes in my area available on Garmin's software. I will check out the Navionics web site..Thanks...
Should I decide to sell it Steve Hulburt has already contacted me, he has first dibs, you are second should he decline.
Here's what has honestly put the doubts in my mind..
My dad has both Garmin and Lowrance hand helds that he and my Mom use for aviation navigation when flying their small Cessna type plane. In the past year they have contacted by phone for help both companies and then had problems with their Lowrance.. They said Garmin's service was hands down 10x more friendly, helpful and timely than Lowrance. I have talked to several guys in the boating industry who have said the same thing...
That's what I'm more worried about than anything else..and I know there have been problems with the X15's. I have a friend who has had his X85 in 3x's and each time it's been gone for over 3 weeks. I know another person who had a problem with a Garmin 168..sent it in and had a replacement unit back within 5 days... I just don't hear about that kind of service from Lowrance unless I"m talking with a pro-staff guy who is gonna paint a rosey picture anyway..
I didn't want this post to turn into Lowrance vs Garmin customer satisfaction from service issue but what the heck...that's partially what discussion boards are about as long as the posts are done in a tasteful manner.
I'll call you later today..
Thanks,
Curly | |
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| Hey Mark,
Let me know what you find out as far as differences...this post is quite informative. But I still want your X-15 if you decide to part with it.
Thanks, | |
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| Ok I went to Navionics.com and it appears that the 2003 maps include the same thing as the Garmin maps do, including a few more in my area, Garmin I checked out on their site to get a lake listing.
What has changed....
Old Lowrance was more inclusive in terms of region, new maps have a few more lakes but if I want WI & MN I have to spend $260 or $129 each.
From what I understand based on what the kid at the store told me. Garmin you buy the CD, get an unlock code for one region for $99. If you want to unlock more regions it costs you more money but the kid didn't know who you pay for that to get the code...
Garmin guys....help us out here, please tell us how this really works..? If anyone is close to Thornes or a dealer that has knowledgeable people and doesn't have to place a long distance call, maybe ring them up and post what you find out here..
Thanks,
Mark | |
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| Anon...
appreciate your input...and yes the majority of my fishing and guiding is done on lakes I know like the back of my hand and can visually see most of the water on them..I.e. mapping isn't needed.
However I anticipate more and more heading to MN and Canada, particularly MN and the larger bodies of water where mapping might be a desireable thing to have.
I'm not sure how long you been following this but I have a new X15 that came on my new boat...If I"m going to sell it and get my money out of it now's the time...
Great units, I saw Sheps run last season and was darn impressed, closest thing I've seen to a paper graph clarity yet. However in the past few years I have become a huge fan of Garmin, particularly their 240 (I've run three of them in the past 21/2 seasons), good products at an affordable price and so far I understand their service burries Lowrance, which I guess is what this whole thing is really about..!!
Bottom line...I'm sure I would love the features of the Lowrance, I just finished studying owners manuals on both units for that past 3-4 hours and the X15 has more than the Garmin..no doubt there, most of the features I probably will never have a use for to be quite honest.
It has come down to what I have confidence in and which company I feel more comfortable having $1,000 worth of stuff screwed to my consol and which company I would rather rely on if my unit goes down right before a tournament or when I have clients to guide.
Right now it's a real[:devil:] [:halo:] , I would love to keep the Lowrance but I am very gun shy about depending on them for service if I need it.
Thanks for your input...you are on the money and I do agree with you as far as features are concerned.
Time to find the factory reps from both companies in my area...how they answer my questions and address my concerns will determine my decision.
If nothing esle I"m learning a bunch...which is always fun.
Best,
Curly
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| Curly, give me a call. I know a guy in the Twin Cities that I think can help. We can set up a time to go this Winter if you want to. I will contact him if you want me to. He works at Capra's in Blaine MN. Would be fun to go into the cities and look around anyway. [:devil:] | |
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| Hey Mark-
for what its worth-
I have a Garmin 76 MAP hand held with the hot spots candada map. I used it for a full week on Eagle last year. The map is great, but not the most accurate. I would not rely on it ver much. It is nice to see where you are relative to everything else. But once I put my tracks and waypoints and hazards in it was much more useful.
Ther is another company that sells software for GPS, I think they are at lakemap.com. I have not used them but they have a ton of lakes.
Food for thought.
Cory | |
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| Mark,
I have only had to return one of my Lowrance units in 15 years. That covers about 8 or 9 units. The unit that I sent back was my GlobalNav 310. It was temp sensitive, and would go out on hot sunny day, if I didn't have a wet towel draped over it. After the season, I called Lowrance, and they sent a UPS label for the return, and about a week later, I got a brand new unit back.
Also, I have talked with their tech support recently, and have gotten good responses nad help. Also, if you recall, Luke Morris had an excellent chat here. I've talked and e-mailed back and forth with him. He's a great guy, and I have even more confidence that Lowrance will take care of me.
I just don't see anything but a Lorance on my consoles, and bow, for many years to come. | |
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| Shep...
I remember Lukes chat and he did a great job.
If you wouldn't mind sending me his email addy at my office I would like to contact him.
Any company..Lowrance, Garmin, others..will have a problem now and then with their units..They are electo-mechanical machines...I'm glad your service experiences have been positive.
Like I used to tell my employees when I was a sales manager..."it's what happens after the sale that matters most"...! That's what keeps customers coming back.
Mike...I'll call you tonite.
Curly | |
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| Mark, this is what i have..Jomusky uses the same set up as well and we like it.
We use Garmin 12 hand helds mounted with RAM mounts on our dashes. When we are done for the day, we take our units in the house, plug em into the pc and download the info into Garmin Mapsource software. When you buy the CD I think you get one region included, then you have the option to unlock other regions for $99 per region (least that's what it was last summer). I have Wis, Minn and Ontario unlocked.
Although not every lake in these 3 regions does not have the depth contours and hazards you are looking for, it still does have every lake outline in the software. The software is awesome for managing waypoints and routes. I can load up for LOTW if I want to, or save it to puter, delete whats on the handheld, then load up Minn waypoints and routes that I have already saved.
Although you can't see the contours and what not on the gps as you use it (it's just a plotter), when you download the info it will populate it on the computer map and you can see it there.
I have not yet gone to a dash mount gps mapping unit like a 182 (??). The reason why is due to lack of functionality, i want it to be poratable for ice fishing/hiking,what-ever.
Also there are some accuracy issues. Last summer on LOTW Jo and I found some problems when we downloaded the waypoints and tracks from the days travels. On the computer map it showed we had actually travelled across land when of course we didn't. The waypoints and tracks were accurate though. If we followed the same route and stopped at the same weaypoint the next day, it was the EXACT spot on the water, not on land as the puter map showed.
I thought it would be kind of freaky if I was using the gps map mounted on my dash, as i was burning along looking at the cursor,it showed that i was actually traveling on land which i wasn't. We saved the map and errors and forwarded to Garmin.
Everyone has these accuracy errors i am told, don't think the Lowarance would be any better. This is all relatively new stuff, it will take some time to get the maps to jive with the actual "real world" gps coordinates.
All i want my unit to do is tell me the safest pre-run route and mark spots that i can go back to every time w/o drifting and searching for humps or what-ever all day. A plotter does that, but the software is a blessing to manage all that data, the units onl;y hold so many tracks and waypoints. | |
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| Thanks Greg..
Safest pre-run routes...YEP..that's what I'm after which of course I can do on plotter. Contour lines would be cool if they were accurate for trolling, that way you would know when breaks/turns are coming up.
Accurate hazards..even better, as you know we are both spending more time traveling to MN and LOTW cuz well the fishing is just soooo much better there.
My father-in-law has a G-12 nice hand held.
I like the screen size of the dash mounts cuz their easy to see when cruizing across the lake at higher speeds. Especially for an old-fart with glasses like me..
I am going to keep the X15, Shep convinced me to at least give it a try, and consider selling the LMS350A and buying a hand held for backup and mount my 240 next to the X15 for sonar backup.
Appreciate all the info...one of these days I'll hook up with you and check out that software stuff..
This whole thread kinda got off track due to the way I explained myself, my concerns were more about reliability and service issues.
Best,
Curly | |
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| Mark,
If you're considering a hand held, I think the new Lowrance I-Finder's use the same Navionics/HotSpots MMC's as the X-15. If so, I'm gonna sell my GM100 after this year, and get one of the new ones. That way, I can borrow my MMC's for the handheld.[:bigsmile:] | |
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| I back off on my statement on the IFinder using the MMC's. Not yet, but soon, I'm told. I'm hanging on to my GM100 a little longer I guess. Lowrance is set to announce new product soon.
X-15 on the bow is way overkill. For that matter, and X-85 on the bow is probably too much. I put the X-51 on the bow of my new boat, and it is a very good unit. Great resolution. I am intrigued by the new 320 pixel units. I did alot of research before I bought my X-15. Looked at them all. Raytheon, Garmin, Bottom Line, Furuno, SiTex. I spent a lot of time, and money. I feel I got the best value in the X-15. Like I said, Garmin may have the edge in the GPS end, but they aren't even close with the sonar. I feel the sonar is the most important function, and GPS/Mapping second. That is why I bought a combo unit. That is why I bought Lowrance. | |
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| Greg explained my views quite well.
A few things I would like to add.
I have had great repair turn around time from Lowrance, haven't had to send Garmin anything yet. Calling Lowrance for info has meant up to a 45 minute hold sesson, yuk. Don't know about Garmin.
In considering mounting a sonar on the bow: I have tried to use the x70a on the front, with a transducer mounted on the motor, didn't work very good. When I would turn on the motor I would loose the depth tracking. I tried a radio interferance filter(Thanks Worrall) on the power line to the sonar. It helped but I still lost a bunch of detail. I contacted Lowrance many times(the wait)I finally was told that the high power and sensitivity picks up the motor interferance. After 3 years I sold the x70 on e-Bay, I am planning on buying a x-71 to replace it. I would like to buy a x-15 and put my x-85 in the front but then I would have the same problem.
E-bay is a great place to sell sonar units. Just put together a good page, no reserve and pics and you will get an unbelievable price. | |
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| Jo,
I have the X-51 on the bow with the AP65 Universal Sonar. It works great. The X-51 is a great little unit. Great resolution, and has performed flawlessly so far. Very inexpensive, too.
I wonder if the universal sonar has solved the interference problem on the higher wattage units?
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| Well here's what's gonna happen, I am going to keep the X15.
I have spoke with someone at lowrance on the phone, I have an understanding of how/why the turnaround time works like it does and most times it should be within 5-7 business days using normal shipping methods.
I expressed my serious concerns with customer service, similar to your findings Joe...long waits, and the way my parents were treated. I am confident that this information will be relayed to the Customer Service Manager. They can only try to fix something if they know there is a problem, we as consumers owe it to ourselves and the companies to let them know what they are doing right and what needs improvement.
I have never questioned the integrity of Lowrance products, they are inovative and have been and will remain leaders in the industry. I did have issues with their customer service and repair departments and they were handled to my satisfaction...
I will no longer be contributing to this thread...great information being shared but my part is over with.
Thanks to everyone who has helped me work through this.
Oh I do have a dual frequency transducer for an X15 for sale if you know anyone interested...first $85 owns it.
Mark | |
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Software for Garmin/Lowrance