Navionics App

[student]

I've had the opportunity to see the app and last years Lakemaster chip side by side for Lake of the Woods, and I must say, I am amazed at the detail for the Lakemaster chip. The Navionics app has some of the detail, but nowhere near the detail that the LM chip has. For example, Sixteen mile reef isn't even on the Navionics app.

Not sure what the newest version is, I have version 4.3, so maybe that is the reason why I am not seeing the detail I was hoping for, but for the price, I can't complain.

Thanks for the help.

[hydro]

I think it depends on the lake, but there are differences for sure. I have the Lakemaster 2008 PC software, as well as the Navionics app on my phone. So far they are pretty close.

I wonder how long it will be before Lakemaster has a phone app of their own? The Navionics app has to be eating their lunch these days!

[SkunkedAgain]

I would always expect the chip to be better, but for the cost, you can't beat the Navionics app compared to what you pay for the chip.

[DTro]

Actually the chip and the App are exactly the same. The difference referred to here is between Navionics and Lakemaster.

[SkunkedAgain]

Whoops, I've never been accused of being smart. Sorry

[fishwater]

I think part of this is the method they use to represent their data that constitutes the maps. Lakemaster tends to make contours jagged and erratic. Navionics tends to smooth the contours. Aside from missing structure and gross mistakes in the data by one of the companies, they are both generally really good at defining actual macro structure. I think if you compared the two companies maps on a well known and mapped piece of structure, the Lakemaster would be voted to be superior because we presume the jaggedness represents reality. It doesn't for the most part, it's a perception thingy and choice of the company on how to represent the raw depth data.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

You sure about that? Maybe smooth means missed.

[fishwater]

Naw, that would imply that the depth data along any single Lakemaster contour line was actual data taken by a scan following that path. That's not the case, they are interpolated from scanned data sets; the boat rasters in a grid for the most part.