Is there better mapping than Lakemaster VX Premium

[Tone357]

That's a serious question. If there is, I would love to see it. I had no idea VX was this good. I fished with a guy a couple of days ago that had it and he kept saying, "it's the deal"! Glancing over, all I saw was a few more colors, not really taking a close look at it. He said multiple times throught the day that it was "the deal". So I decided to buy it on his recommendation. He was right! It's incredible! I would have bought it a long time ago if I had known it was that good. I think Humminbird's ad agency didn't do a very good job presenting it. What an upgrade!

[78Staff]

I have Navionics Plus and C-MAP Reveal - Lowrance is my main mapping/waypoint setup, but have considered trying the VX. Only have the single Helix 12 so not sure how much it would get used, ie I would be splitting screen with M360 if I used it. But I did play around with the trail one boat app and the mapping did look very good. C-MAP is excellent in several southern states - where they actually mapped vs just importing decades old bathy charts, etc - AL, GA, SC, NC, TN too I think - CMAP is very good in those states. Florida, not so much :(. I prefer N+ for Florida - seem to have more accurate contours, especially in creeks where for whatever reason CMAP just kinda blobs everything out as a Red 0. :(.

[Tone357]

I have C-map in my Lowrance which sits next to my Apex. It's not even close in comparison.

[SLYDoggie]

From Humminbird, the VX card has the most function and is the most updated with HD lakes. The best card for you is going to depend on whether Lakemaster or Navionics has HD mapping for the lakes you fish. If you have Humminbird, and Lakemaster has the lakes you fish, then the VX is going to be the way to go... As long as you have a VX supported control head.

[Bjxds]

I have C-map in my Lowrance which sits next to my Apex. It's not even close in comparison.

So which is better?

[Tone357]

So which is better?

VX, by a long shot!

[Bogeypro]

I don't know...I just got the new vx and I'm not really impressed. It has more shading, big deal. I actually don't like the regular color patterns...

[Tone357]

I don't know...I just got the new vx and I'm not really impressed. It has more shading, big deal. I actually don't like the regular color patterns...

I wasn't either until I turned off depth highlights and turned on depth shading. And you can adjust or change the color patterns.

[bobcoy]

Like most things it is required you read and experiment with the features. VX can be as plain or complex as any mapping gets. You get to decide. If you don’t put in the time, you won’t get all the benefits. Navionics has great mapping as well. If you have HB and Minn Kota stuff, VX can’t be beat! JMO Bob

[78Staff]

I wasn't either until I turned off depth highlights and turned on depth shading. And you can adjust or change the color patterns.

I agree, switching to shading makes a big visual difference.

[Tone357]

Like most things it is required you read and experiment with the features. VX can be as plain or complex as any mapping gets. You get to decide. If you don’t put in the time, you won’t get all the benefits. Navionics has great mapping as well. If you have HB and Minn Kota stuff, VX can’t be beat! JMO Bob

Well said Bob! And getting the app on an Ipad will speed up the learning curve.

[78Staff]

Any Florida users of VM Premium? I did the free trial and it looks pretty good so thinking about pickup it up to go along with my other cards.

Does LM VX Premium work like the other cards, ie users can uploade more detailed data that is available to everyone? Or is it official HB updates only? How often do they update the maps?

[Wayne P.]

Any Florida users of VM Premium? I did the free trial and it looks pretty good so thinking about pickup it up to go along with my other cards.

Does LM VX Premium work like the other cards, ie users can uploade more detailed data that is available to everyone? Or is it official HB updates only? How often do they update the maps?

Lakemaster doesn't have a Sonar Charts function like Navionics has.

The separate Auto Chart Live is that function and the software is built-in the unit and your data can be shared via Chart Select.
Auto Chart Live is creating contour mapping in real time with the unit, not processed by Lakemaster like Navionics does Sonar Charts.

[bobcoy]

Wayne, It has been some time since I have looked at the sonar charts. Can they be trusted for accuracy or does it need to be a situation that you need to verify it all the time? I know some of the stuff from Canadian outpost lakes was totally bogus several years ago. I would guess that is still the situation. I had heard there was some kind of checking by Navionics for Sonar chart input. Not sure how that could be done without trusted input from trusted users. Bob

[Wayne P.]

Wayne, It has been some time since I have looked at the sonar charts. Can they be trusted for accuracy or does it need to be a situation that you need to verify it all the time? I know some of the stuff from Canadian outpost lakes was totally bogus several years ago. I would guess that is still the situation. I had heard there was some kind of checking by Navionics for Sonar chart input. Not sure how that could be done without trusted input from trusted users. Bob

Sonar Charts is no different than Auto Chart or Auto Chart Live as far as accuracy. Most of both is fake data (interpolated) between actual measured depth and location.
The main difference between the two is Navionics does a lot more of it or at least used to.
The original point with Sonar Charts is enough re-recorded data is blended to correct errors and actual data replacing interpolated data.

Even commercial mapping is not data collected for every square foot of terrain, either manual or software interpolation is done to fill in-between actual measured data.

The setup of the unit recording the data has to be correct to even have close to accurate data.
1. Depth Offset to add the depth that transducer is submerged so 10' deep was from the surface, not the transducer.
2. GPS antenna above the transducer so depth and location are at the same place.
3. Data collected as close as possible in perpendicular passes so there isn't so much interpolation used to fill in-between measured points.
4. Recorded at a speed slow enough to have data saved that represents depth changes as the Track Points are recorded. Humminbirds create a Track Point every second by default. A Track Point has the depth and location. You have to know how many feet per second your speed is, so a fast depth change is recorded as it happens.

When Sonar Charts was first activated, every body of water that had contour lines got another set for Sonar Charts that were interpolated based on the shoreline shape. The submitted sonar logs corrected the interpolated contour lines. That was later changed to only creating interpolation close the actual recorded data, not hundreds of feet/yards away.
A new body of water with no contours/no coverage by Navionics Nautical Charts, got the whole lake filled in (interpolated) along with the first submitted sonar logs.
The second lake I did for Sonar Charts was a new one that no company even had an outline for. When they processed my data, they had to change their world-wide base map to even have the zero line (shoreline). They applied my data which was about an hour of data and then filled in the whole zero line with fake contours to be corrected by more submitted data.

I'll post an example of fixing interpolated contour lines next.

[Wayne P.]

I pretty much knew the whole bottom layout before there was Sonar Charts. This is the new lake (420 acres, electric-only) and after about 20 sonar logs. The location of the map curser is all fake (interpolated) and not even close to reality. I had not recorded any data there.




After I saw that, the next time I did a concentrated sonar log in that area since it was a major bottom feature (a fishy place). I had seen that during the time the lake was being filled. After my new data was processed and I updated my map, this is what it should look like.

[bobcoy]

I think that is a similar situation with those remote lakes I was referring to. Very little data to make comparisons with. Perhaps that might happen someday. Part of the allure of remote lakes is the venture into unfamiliar and somewhat untamed nature. Gives you a sense of what it was like with only one portable fishfinder and little assurance what is around the bend! Bob

[bobcoy]

That is really cleaning up a general map with some nice detail. In the 70’s the maps I had access to were from the 30’s with CCC maps they created with string and drop weights through holes in the ice! I had to mail in to the Minnesota DNR and pay for copies to be made and shipped. They could give you hints of structure, but certainly no detail. Of course that was before GPS and finding something you thought might be there was not easy. Even if you found that hole or hump, you might not be able to find your way back the next day. Most of those trees looked very similar to be triangulating by site. Good thing there were fish almost everywhere back then. Enough old guy stuff. Bob

[Wayne P.]

I used to request a copy of the sonar log tracks I had submitted so I could see where to fill in the contour map. This is one of them and was at the lake the examples above were done---

[JiMinneye]

Well said Bob! And getting the app on an Ipad will speed up the learning curve.

Can you tell me more about how you use the Lakemaster Chip with the app on your iPad?