HTML BuilderStep 1. After paying & downloading to your laptop or PC with a card reader. Unzip your download to a folder in your documents on your computer/laptop. You may need a free unzipping program like winzip or WinRar or 7zip to do this. ( don't get sucked in to pay for it) Extract them to the folder you chose on your PC. ( Right click & look for unzip or extract)
Step 2. Copy the new ( UNZIPPED ) folders to your Micro SD card.
( I use sandisk and Samsung 32gb in the HDS)
32Gb is the maximum size the latest Lowrance HDS Live & Pro accept to read data.
16Gb for the older Elite Ti2 model
The MICRO SD card now gets put into your Lowrance Chart Plotter.
These maps won't work in Humminbird or Garmin. ( Sorry)
Step 3. Depending on what map you have, utilise your built in maps ( Navionics or C-Map) and zoom in to that location. ( Or if you live at the lake map you purchased, no need to locate your area)
You find your maps in > More options > Chart Source ( on the HDS model). If you purchase several maps you may see the names like Lowrance If you see "Lowrance" click on that
You will not see the Lakes maps Titles listed , you will only see the Tab " Lowrance" appear
Step 4. By now you are back to a white screen and cannot see anything ( Don't panic).
Look in your settings on the screen menu, you might need to go "back" & maybe just above your Charts and look for > Chart Options > then "Shaded Relief" . Give it a tick/ tap (maybe an orange triangle in the corner appears & so does your new imagery) (Get used to doing this for other maps) Check tutorials below.
** Simrad users select "Insight" as your main Chart Source, and then find "Shaded Relief"
Step 5. If you are struggling and still only get the white screen, zoom in closer starting at Step 3 again.
Step 6. ***** Troubleshooting Further****
Check the file you copied onto the card is NOT the .Zip file. ( it must be unzipped on the PC)
You can view the card contents in the file settings on your chart plotter.
*If you have a special Navionics or C-Map card, remove it from the machine to view these maps (Their card encryption overrides everything to do with maps)
*Maximum size sd card is 32GB
**** This next fix has been done several times now to get the maps working****
In the Chart Plotters Main Settings ( The gear cog picture) for some models there is sometimes a tick box in Charts for a YES/NO display option. Make sure it's YES. YES for charts
*Ensure your files are inside the the file/folder on the card exactly as when you unzipped. You only want to see the location names as 1 folder. Not the data contents. names all over the card. Take your time copying the main folder, some folders have many sub folders of data in them.
If you bought 5 maps, you will see 5 folders on your card.
***Do not reuse and copy to an old Navionics card you might have. It has encryption that will not allow the maps to be seen in the Lowrance.
Any new additional maps will have to go through this procedure to add the shaded relief notation to them. Get familiar with those chart options button locations & you will wizz through it. The rest will disappear into the system under the title "Lowrance". ie say you got , C-Map, Navionics , " Lowrance" that is normal.
INFO : Sometimes a good old turn it off and on again solves everything. There have been cases where I have not zoomed in far enough for a new map and ended up unticking the "shaded relief" option & had to re-tick it to see the imagery. So it will happen, it may get muddled but you will get there.
But once you are up & running and your zoom maps are visible you don't need to go to Shaded relief.
Some users with the Older Ti2 models have mentioned the map quality looking a bit poor. Yes the chart plotter machines like all screens get better quality resolution & bigger processors each new model. And the "low tide maps are a lower resolution than the general satellite maps so there will be quality differences.
What maps would suit me?
The Maps of areas you love to visit in your boat
Q. When I turn on my Chart Plotter it says "loading maps"
& gives me options to view the maps.
A. Yes, your card is inserted correctly & working & all the maps are loading. You can choose to simply ignore the maps with a "No" until you are ready to search for your current location later.
If you have 10 maps like me on 1 card there can be a fair bit of "No" button pushing.
HTML Builder