Contour Elite

[FISHINGURU]

Anyone out there used this bad boy yet? What stores carry them?

Thinking about picking one up before I go out of town this week, hoping I could find one locally without having to order it because it probably wouldn't make it here in time.

[Red Cabin]

Yes, this is a very helpful tool with lots of features!

[Ed Carlson]

What version Contour Elite do you need, and where do you live at?

[Ed Carlson]

Gander is handling the Contour Elite LakeMaster software, but most stores do not have the new LOTW and Dakota's in stock yet.

If you need it fast and need the New LOTW or Dakota's versions Contour Elite, a direct order from Contour Elite should put it at your door before Friday.

The Monday federal holiday will slow things down in the mail this week.

[FISHINGURU]

You know it, I need the LOTW software. Your thoughts were exactly like mine but the bad news is I'm leaving town Thurs morning. Sounds like I might be SOL this trip.

[Ed Carlson]

Call Contour Elite/LakeMaster, see if they can overnight it. Or if they can tell you were one is on the way maybe?

[jigginjerk]

If you are in mn. Order tonight from lakemaster and you should have it weds.

[FISHINGURU]

I went ahead and gave them a call, they said they were not in many retail stores yet so I just ordered it from them direct. They said if I live in MN there's a good chance it will be at my door tomorrow afternoon. That would be sweeeet!

[Ed Carlson]

KEWL...prepare to be amazed...it's really SWEET!

May I ask, are you installing it into a laptop to use on the Go?

Real time GPS integrations is easily achievable as is real time tracking and data collection to refine your mapping. You need a GPS receiver to do real time tracking. For marine you will need the interlink to the sonar/gps system your running to collect real time deth and other data.

Hooking to a hand held is relatively simple, usually USB/NEMA.

Hooking to a depth finder and GPS requires a more specialized connection. Some are as simple as the USB, most need the data link cable with the NEMA connection. A call to your sonar vendor will help determine what cable would be required to link to the sonar/gps you own. It's achievable with all the main players at a fairly low cost. My Garmin 5112 marine/sonar/gps data link inter phase ran me about $50.

It may take a couple e-mails to support to get the connection figured out and how to set the laptop to recognize the link. CE is good with support when needed.

[FISHINGURU]

I don't know how well it would go over if I told the ol lady I need to take her laptop with me up north, women will die these days without facebook!!

I'm not sure how it all works to be honest, I just seen all it's features and options and decided I HAD TO HAVE IT lol. Depends how quick I can learn before my trip it's kind of all crunch time. I do have a H20C that I always have with me with the LOTW/Rainy chip.

[Ed Carlson]

Getting up to speed with it is fairly easy.

Once you get that deer in the headlights look under control and the Ooooo's and Ahhhhhh's settle down...your good.

I'm cruising for a used/rebuilt dedicated laptop just to drag out in the field. The top Hard Use Toughbook contenders are not very cheap. Many less expensive will do it just fine as long as they have good connectivity options. Basically I'm looking for water resistant and 2 - 3 gigs. 2 gigs is plenty, 3 would be better.

I may have a deal about settled on a reconditioned ToughBook RNB Eagle Series laptop, my top choice, if I can swing it. A really nice field use laptop unit.

[FISHINGURU]

Can I transfer the spots I find off of the CE and put it on my H2O? I guess my plan so far was to look at the CE on my computer at home in 3D and just mark the spots I find on my H20.

One other thing I'm curious about, could I put the CE disk in my PS3 and search on my big screen lol? Now that would be stellar!!

[Ed Carlson]

Yes you can pick points, save them in a file, upload or send to your hand held unit.

The PS deal...unknown? Shoot an e-mail off the CE/LakeMaster and see what they say. I'm thinking no...but I'm curious too. You would need to upload it to the PS3, not sure if it would let you do that or not...or if you would wish to.

You have 2 downloads off the disk. So use them wisely Grasshopper.

[broman]

Can I transfer the spots I find off of the CE and put it on my H2O? I guess my plan so far was to look at the CE on my computer at home in 3D and just mark the spots I find on my H20.

One other thing I'm curious about, could I put the CE disk in my PS3 and search on my big screen lol? Now that would be stellar!!

No, it won't work with a PS3, XBox, etc. It only works on Windows operating system based computers.

[croixflats]

Yea, Contour Elite is pretty sweet. I ordered mine on a late last Wednesday and got it Friday. I'm sure if you ordered it early today and they got in the mail you should get tomorrow.

Does not take long to figure out.Going to be a handy tool and I think its going to help us approach a body of water in a new light. Thanks for the tips Ed. Been wondering about a good laptop to install it on. Was not sure about how to hook it up to the GPS/Chart plotter. Ed have you compared the Fish eye view with the Fish eye view Garmin has on their units. Running those 2 side by side got to be killer.

[FISHINGURU]

Bummer, I forgot about it being a Windows only program. Maybe I can run it from my computer to my big screen lol. Not a big deal if it don't work just thought that would be pretty sweet to do some scouting on the TV.

Yeah I got the order in about 9am this morning and once I told him my addy he said good chance I'll get it tomorrow, but with my luck I'd guess it comes Thurs when I'm about halfway up north.

Atleast I'll have it when I get back so I can do some logging of all my monster eyes!!

[Ed Carlson]

The Garmin Fish Eye View is a good comparison point, with the two systems. But I give the nod to the CE as being much higher in detail. The Fish Eye is dependent on the mapping quality just the same. And unfortunately at present that is lacking in our region. They need to expand the LakeMaster Inland Waters to all regions Inland in 3-D and Fish Eye with enhanced Mariners View...it's coming soon I think.

You hit on an interesting point of sofware evolution there, and one I'm keen on tinkering with it more myself.

Garmin is not one to sit on there hands about anything, they like to set the pace others need to fallow.

They are very likely headed to a format that would integrate these two mapping potentials on a on-board marine mapping unit. Imagine that once?

The 5200 series has a ton of processor potential open for use...a lot of extra ultra fast processor potential....unused. It has a alot of speed in the mapping even in the Fish Eye View.

Garmin could do it both easily now if the right arangments were made between all parties concerned...if you get my drift.

With that in mind that is why I foresee all my graphs and GPS units to be Garmin for many years to come.

[croixflats]

Boy it would be nice if all them stars would line up and soon. They are going to have to or they loose the little momentum they have in the market.

[croixflats]

Well Fishinguru did it arrive.

[leech~~]

What's the cost for one of those packages?

[croixflats]

$149 or if you have a previous Lakemaster product like LM pro an upgrade is $125.

[Whopper Stopper]

$149 ??

I called Gander in Forest Lake yesterday and asked if they had Contour Elite and was told yes they did. I asked how much and they said $100. Now you say $149.

WS

[croixflats]

Gander must have thought you were talking about the regular Lakemaster chip if not they are selling CE way cheaper than Lakemaster themselves are..

[Ed Carlson]

Likely that was the case, a misunderstanding.

Be sure to ask for the Contour Elite LakeMaster Edition, and not the LakeMaster lakes edition.

I don't believe Forest Lake has the Contour Elite Series in stock just yet, but they can order them in for you per customer request.

Soon they will be an in-stock item in most all Ganders in the MN/ND/WI regions. As product availability increases.

[Ed Carlson]

Boy it would be nice if all them stars would line up and soon. They are going to have to or they loose the little momentum they have in the market.

Just for fun, take a look at the Garmin 720 or 740 (Coastal) series Sonar/GPS once. This unit has the potential to do what we would like or quickly be a prime candidate to be updated to do it. They offer preloaded mapping in the coastal version, and will be doing so for Inland Lakes too.

I love this unit, and would really like one myself...or the next gen of it. Great size and all the cool bells and whistles Gamin has to offer. Price is in the ballpark when compared to like sized sonar/gps units....but it's all touch screen and the screen is HD quality, and can communicate wirelessly with Garmin handhelds to share GPS data. The wireless link is a key one needs to watch. Wireless data sharing to a laptop is just as achievable with the right Garmin software.

If you need something new to dream on,...drool over..look at this once and see what you think.