Fishing a Waypoint

[barbarian]

I know it’s been discussed but it’s not the easiest topic to find with search.

I’ve got 2 HDS units and both connected to a Point 1. My point 1 puck is near transom. How can I use point 1 puck for direction on bow unit but not for positioning. Say I’m graphing and see a brush pile on side scan. Mark it and now I want to troll to it and sit TM on top of it. I think as it is now, I’d sit the motor on top. Or if I’m trolling and see a brush pile below TM. I set a waypoint. I don’t want the point 1 position but the position of the bow unit.

[bmwnc2]

I have carbons. You go into network and data sources. You then set your GPS to local, heading can stay global on each unit. Set your helm to use point 1 for GPS and heading. Set your bow unit to use point 1 for heading, and internal unit for gps location. Not sure which HDs units you have but that’s how I do it. Same setup

[barbarian]

I have carbons. You go into network and data sources. You then set your GPS to local, heading can stay global on each unit. Set your helm to use point 1 for GPS and heading. Set your bow unit to use point 1 for heading, and internal unit for gps location. Not sure which HDs units you have but that’s how I do it. Same setup

Thanks. I have carbons too.

[CQB]

Here is my .02 cents as well as my argument for installing your point 1 near the trolling motor. Crazy right, you never see GPS pucks on the front of the boatu....no, hear me out. When you mark a brush pile/rock/whatever...on sidescan/downscan/sonar etc... you are not using your GPS location data from your GPS, you are using the installed map data (MGRS/Latitude Longtitude/WGS 84), not GPS location of your boat, so it does not matter where your point one is located. Even if brush pile is directly under your boat, you are using map data, not boat GPS data, just in that scenario your boat just happens to be at the same location as your map data waypoint. Think about it like this, your scanning 100ft either side of boat and you mark a large rock pile 75 ft to the right of your boat, you touch the screen and place a waypoint, the waypoint shows up way off on the right of your screen, not where your boat is because the rock pile is a fixed object and is always in the same place with the same map coordinates no matter where you are when you mark it. Every piece of permanent structure on a lake has a fixed map coordinate. You can take a paper map, find a hump, a tree, a dock...anything, put the map coordinates in your Lowrance as a waypoint in your garage, and now you have to go find it with your GPS. This is why I argue to have point one near the Bow/Trolling motor (where you have no interference). Its like land navigation, walking in the woods with a handheld GPS to find an open field on a map full of trees you see on a map, now you have to walk to it and find it, so you want your GPS device on your boat as close to you as possible when you go back to your waypoints and you should be spot on your marked waypoints on your lowrance (minus the 2-3 Meter margin of error). I hit my structure waypoints every time since I changed my way of thinking and moved my point one to the front of my boat.

[Marc Marcantonio]

Here is my .02 cents as well as my argument for installing your point 1 near the trolling motor. Crazy right, you never see GPS pucks on the front of the boatu....no, hear me out. When you mark a brush pile/rock/whatever...on sidescan/downscan/sonar etc... you are not using your GPS location data from your GPS, you are using the installed map data (MGRS/Latitude Longtitude/WGS 84), not GPS location of your boat, so it does not matter where your point one is located. Even if brush pile is directly under your boat, you are using map data, not boat GPS data, just in that scenario your boat just happens to be at the same location as your map data waypoint. Think about it like this, your scanning 100ft either side of boat and you mark a large rock pile 75 ft to the right of your boat, you touch the screen and place a waypoint, the waypoint shows up way off on the right of your screen, not where your boat is because the rock pile is a fixed object and is always in the same place with the same map coordinates no matter where you are when you mark it. Every piece of permanent structure on a lake has a fixed map coordinate. You can take a paper map, find a hump, a tree, a dock...anything, put the map coordinates in your Lowrance as a waypoint in your garage, and now you have to go find it with your GPS. This is why I argue to have point one near the Bow/Trolling motor (where you have no interference). Its like land navigation, walking in the woods with a handheld GPS to find an open field on a map full of trees you see on a map, now you have to walk to it and find it, so you want your GPS device on your boat as close to you as possible when you go back to your waypoints and you should be spot on your marked waypoints on your lowrance (minus the 2-3 Meter margin of error). I hit my structure waypoints every time since I changed my way of thinking and moved my point one to the front of my boat.

Your argument at the end, including your handheld gps comparison contradicts your beginning argument.

The important part of this entire discussion is that when marking a waypoint, you are recording the position of the gps antenna in use at that moment (whether the internal gps antenna or the Point-1). For most users advanced users with bow and console units networked with a Point-1, they place the Point-1 as close as possible to their StructureScan and 2D Sonar transducer, as long as there is no interference there, and then they set their console unit to get its GPS data from the Point-1, and its Heading data from the Point-1. The bow unit is set to get its GPS data from the bow unit's internal antenna, and its heading data from the Point-1. By doing this you will hit your waypoints no matter whether they were saved by the bow or console unit, and no matter which unit you use to return to them.

Many installations with the Point-1 at the bow cause magnetic interference issues when the trolling motor is stowed and you need the heading and gps data when running down the lake or river. Proximity to the magnets in the trolling motor causes interference.

[CQB]

Your argument at the end, including your handheld gps comparison contradicts your beginning argument.

The important part of this entire discussion is that when marking a waypoint, you are recording the position of the gps antenna in use at that moment (whether the internal gps antenna or the Point-1). For most users advanced users with bow and console units networked with a Point-1, they place the Point-1 as close as possible to their StructureScan and 2D Sonar transducer, as long as there is no interference there, and then they set their console unit to get its GPS data from the Point-1, and its Heading data from the Point-1. The bow unit is set to get its GPS data from the bow unit's internal antenna, and its heading data from the Point-1. By doing this you will hit your waypoints no matter whether they were saved by the bow or console unit, and no matter which unit you use to return to them.

Many installations with the Point-1 at the bow cause magnetic interference issues when the trolling motor is stowed and you need the heading and gps data when running down the lake or river. Proximity to the magnets in the trolling motor causes interference.

My beginning argument is plainly, simply rather, that it does not matter where the GPS puck is, the waypoint is saved using MAP data (coordinates), not GPS data....otherwise you could not mark structure with a waypoint on sidescan, your boat is 50+ ft away, i would bet my entire yearly salary on it and my 2015 Skeeter ZX 225 to go with it. The important part is that when you mark a waypoint you are using MAP coordinates and using GPS to get back to those MAP coordinates saved as a WAYPOINT. it LITERALY has NOTHING to do with recording the GPS location at that moment. That is asinine. land NAV/Map reading 101.

[CQB]

Another example, at least on the HDS units, you can scroll back through your sonar history from 2 miles behind you and mark a waypoint on a stump, again using map data for waypoint coordintes, not current location of GPS data. the waypoint shows up on your screen, a mile behind you, then you use your GPS location to navigate back to the waypoint, stop 200 ft, drop trolling motor, troll to casting distance with your point one up front, and cast.....dead on.


Lets use another example for Marc. Your in your GPS equipped car....you type in your navigation system my address in Washington to come fish with me for some on the water training since your not grasping the concept, you have never been to my house, so you can not drop a waypoint at your GPS location....You are using MAP DATA on the navigation system to mark a waypoint that is 500 miles away and using the GPS puck on your car to navigate to it.....

[Marc Marcantonio]

My beginning argument is plainly, simply rather, that it does not matter where the GPS puck is, the waypoint is saved using MAP data (coordinates), not GPS data....otherwise you could not mark structure with a waypoint on sidescan, your boat is 50+ ft away, i would bet my entire yearly salary on it and my 2015 Skeeter ZX 225 to go with it. The important part is that when you mark a waypoint you are using MAP coordinates and using GPS to get back to those MAP coordinates saved as a WAYPOINT. it LITERALY has NOTHING to do with recording the GPS location at that moment. That is asinine. land NAV/Map reading 101.

I admit I took map reading 101 at the beginning of my 25 year Army career, so maybe they are teaching a different version these days...I am not disagreeing with your point that you are recording a spot on a map. I am pointing out that your gps antenna location makes a difference when finding that point on the map; otherwise there is no reason for the Point-1 in the first place. There is little difference between using a Point-1 at the bow, or the Bow HDS internal antenna (both are roughly the same spot).

[CQB]

I admit I took map reading 101 at the beginning of my 25 year Army career, so maybe they are teaching a different version these days...I am not disagreeing with your point that you are recording a spot on a map. I am pointing out that your gps antenna location makes a difference when finding that point on the map; otherwise there is no reason for the Point-1 in the first place. There is little difference between using a Point-1 at the bow, or the Bow HDS internal antenna (both are roughly the same spot).

Cool....im at 23 years, currently at JBLM...and no map reading is the same since we came in about the same time apparently....Ok, on the map data...but when you have a 20+ ft boat I will argue that location does matter and there is actually quite a bit of interference near the transom....and I take your point to ref the stowed motor but as you say, just use the local GPS data on your stern when traviling at high speeds, you dont really need heading accuracy until you are fishing offshore waypoints

[barbarian]

I think y’all two are debating how to skin a rabbit for lack of a better phrase. And as that saying goes, there is more than 1 way to skin a rabbit. Putting the point 1 at the bow vs changing by bow unit to use the units location will both work just about identically. And I don’t think there is any big advantage over the other. Interference theories go both ways. And once the people like me learn and actually change the bow unit to read correctly and not be off by the length of the boat all is equal.

[Marc Marcantonio]

Cool....im at 23 years, currently at JBLM...and no map reading is the same since we came in about the same time apparently....Ok, on the map data...but when you have a 20+ ft boat I will argue that location does matter and there is actually quite a bit of interference near the transom....and I take your point to ref the stowed motor but as you say, just use the local GPS data on your stern when traviling at high speeds, you dont really need heading accuracy until you are fishing offshore waypoints

First, thank you for your service. Sorry for getting off-track but fyi, I can throw a stone from my front yard and hit JBLM (North Fort to be precise). I live in Steilacoom, even though my avatar shows San Juan Capistrano (I am working in SoCal). I retired from Ft. Lewis (now JBLM) in 1998. So I probably have more gray hair than you. We need to get together and fish. I am retiring from my third career in March, and will return to Steilacoom full time at the end of March.

I do have a 20 foot Ranger, and as a Lowrance prostaffer I have done extensive research and testing with Lowrance units ever since the first green box. But hey, I am still learning and love learning, and there is much still to learn.

I try to be precise with what I say so that others can understand how to enjoy electronics to their fullest. Yes, there is interference throughout a bassboat. Go to most any Lowrance article in WesternBass.com and you will likely see photos of where my Point-1 is located on the front of my splashwell. I run my boat up the Columbia River through Hanford Reach in water where you an see all the rocks a mere foot below your hull; if you miss the channel the results are not pretty. I follow my GPS Map on my HDS LIVES religiously to stay safe. In the shallowest spots I have a string of waypoints as a route to mark where I need to be, and I run zoomed in. Precision matters. I don't want my GPS signal affected by the trolling motor magnets when running on plane. I have carefully checked my mounting location to ensure minimal interference. Even now, I am using my Ghost trolling motor with the Trolling Motor Compass taped to my deck instead of permanently mounted. This way I can move it around while on Anchor mode when there is no wind, until I find the optimal location to permanently mount it. Yea, I am anal, and I wear that honor proudly.

Let's go fishing when I return in March, and learn from each other.

[alpine4x4]

IIRC, if you mark a waypoint using the waypoint button as you go over something it is marking using the GPS, but if you scroll backwards on your scan or try to mark off to the side on your sidescan by manually placing a waypoint it tries to calculate that location via map data and you GPS location which has been shown to not be entirely accurate. This is how I understand it to work and this is why it is important to have the graph you're doing the marking at tuned to the right GPS source. If you mark at your console via the console graphs location you are off by however much the distance is from the transducer to your graph. This is why many mount their point one by the transom to use it as the GPS source for marking waypoints from the console and reducing the error distance. The front graph should be marking points using its internal GPS and both console and bow should be pulling heading form the point-1.