Garmin Releases New Upper Midwest Map

[MN Mike]

I've been emailing back and forth with Garmin's Lake Map team, yesterday they informed me that they have released a new product called Upper Midwest Fishing Guide.

Here's a little info from thier site.

Includes more than 9,500 lakes with bathymetric contours, including more than 500 lakes with extra detail, such as highly defined depth contours, detailed shoreline and bottom structure, plus up to 1 ft contours for many lakes.

Includes regional and state-wide road coverage to help you get to the water.

Allows you to search by lake or by city (using Basecamp™ software (DVD only) or your compatible device).

Includes Basecamp software (DVD only), which allows you to view and organize your maps, waypoints, routes and tracks between your chartplotter or GPS and your computer.

Coverage Map:

Garmin also let's you ' test drive ' the map to a certain extent with a interactive link you can click on and zoom in on lakes you're interested in.

Looks like a product with great coverage for the price they are asking compared to the Lakemaster product, I'm sure some lakes won't have the detail Lakemaster did......... yet but as time goes on, more will get added.

It's good to see we will have something to look forward to when the Lakemaster product has run out.

FYI: For those that are interested, Garmin says they cover Lake of the Woods, Rainy and Kabetogema in 1 foot contours.

Mike

[OnAFly]

It's good to know someone is filling the market share that Lakemaster apparently didn't want

From, the map below, it looks like they cover the Canadian side of LOW and Rainy. I'm kind of regretting buying the LM CD for my Oregon.

[Iceboy]

I have a Lakemaster MN map that I can't for the life of me get to authorize with Lakemaster or Garmin, so I can't use it. Never again. Navionics FTW!

[MN Mike]

Iceboy,

Do you have the Garmin Lakemaster CD or the MicroSD Card?

If you have the CD, you need to create a free account at the my.garmin site.

Once you have done that, register your Garmin GPS device, when you have done that, then activate the map.

The my.garmin site is very handy for keeping track of your GPS device, updating the software on these and updating the maps.

Let me know how it goes.

Mike

[mainbutter]

So I just was given an eTrex 20 for x-mas, and was looking at maps this morning. I've never purchased maps from garmin before. If I purchase this map, will they continue to update new map information, and will the updates be provided for free for purchasers of this product?

[Jmnhunter]

iceboy, if your having problems activating it, give garmin a call, they have great service and will help you out. I had some troubles unlocking my mapsource for a 2nd GPS unit and they helped me out; it beats using navionics!

[MN Mike]

So I just was given an eTrex 20 for x-mas, and was looking at maps this morning. I've never purchased maps from garmin before. If I purchase this map, will they continue to update new map information, and will the updates be provided for free for purchasers of this product?

I'm not 100% sure what Garmin's update policy is on this Upper Midwest Fishing Guide map but I'll email them and ask, we'll get that info from the horse's mouth

That's one nice thing about setting up a free my.garmin account, when you login, if there are updates available, it will tell you.

Keep us posted on your Etrex 20, they look like a nice GPS.

The more I look at the interactive map Garmin provides for the 'test drive ' of this lake map product, the more I like it.

Mike

[MN Mike]

mainbutter,

Here's the response I received from Garmin on the map question.

I am pleased to assist you. Garmin does not offer an update program for Inland lakes mapping.

The preloaded card can be used in any compatible unit. We are awaiting confirmation on the number of unlocks included with the DVD so I cannot answer that part of your question at this time.

If the process remains as it has been, if Garmin exchanges a unit that was sent in for repair, the mapping will be transferred to the replacement unit. If a unit is lost or stolen, so are the maps.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.

With Best Regards,

Michael H

Product Support Specialist

2nd Shift Marine Team

Garmin International

[fishwater]

MN Mike, is the color and contrast of these new maps as displayed on the Garmin HSOforum viewer essentially the same as how it displays on the Garmin units?

[MN Mike]

Honestly I couldn't tell you but I am sure the display will vary from one Garmin device to the next.

Mike

[hanronson]

Nobody has quoted a price yet so I checked and it's $100.

[gregg52]

thats what i paid for my my lakemaster

[bigbad401]

thats what i paid for my my lakemaster

That is what I paid for my Lakemaster for Garmin when Lakemaster still sold Garmin maps.

[MN Mike]

Well, it looks like the Garmin $50 Lakemaster Cd's are all gone.

$99 for the Upper Midwest Fishing Guide is a HECK of a deal, you would have spent about $600 on Lakemaster products to get what they are offering on this product........ SHHH! Don't tell Garmin

Mike

[bigbad401]

It does look like a great deal. There are a lot of maps on it, too bad I don't have any money for it. Saving time!

[gregg52]

i wish i woulda bought garmin instead of lowrance

i'v been so loyal to lowrance and got stung

they are working now but i had to spend alot of extra money to get them right

after paying a 1000 for them

[mainbutter]

So since this map is new.. is there anyone in the metro with the SD cards in stock? I've decided to pick this up, but am leaving for a wedding in a few days and don't want a package to arrive while I'm out of town.

[Lunch_box]

I just received the new Garmin map chip today. I was told this chip was based on the data Garmin acquired from Lakemaster prior to Lakemaster being acquired by Johnson/Humminbird. I had expectations based on my use of Lakemaster chips in my Lowrance and Bird units on my boat. Unfortunately, so far I am disappointed with the new Garmin chip. I am unable to see any contour lines zoomed out farther than 0.8mi. It is very hard to navigate on a small screen because the names of reefs and other locations that are labeled on Lakemaster maps are not shown on the Garmin chip. You don’t see names of reefs that are labeled until you zoom in to 0.2mi so it would be hard to use it for navigation. For example, you couldn’t leave the east shore of Mille Lacs and plot a course to the Boot, especially considering the Boot and most of the other mud flats are not labeled. The vegetation and rock icons you see on Lakemaster chips are also not present. The hazard markers like the ones on Lakeside and 3 Mile reef of Mille Lacs only show up at 0.2mi so it would be dangerous to use this for boating navigation as you would have to be over-zoomed to see the hazard icons. If you are looking at a 1ft contour map like Tonka or Mille Lacs, the lines are so busy you can’t really tell where you are relative to a large area. The background color is very dark blue and hard to see indoors or out.

I plan to call Garmin to be sure I’m not overlooking some settings that resolve these problems but this is my initial assessment.

[fishwater]

Lunch Box -which gps are you using it with?

[MN Mike]

Lunch,

Please do let us know what device you have it in.

I an anxious to hear more about the chip.

On my GPSMap60CSx, I have the Lakemaster Woods / Rainy chip in it. If I have my map detail set to NORMAL, I do not get contour lines until is am zoomed in at .5 miles. If I have the detail set to MOST, contour lines show up at 3 mile zoom.

I suggest checking your map detail to see where it is at, more labels might show up as well.

I'm not sure what you can do with the background color, best to ask Garmin about that.

Mike

[MN Mike]

Looking at my GPSMap60CSx and the Colorado 300, there are many ' tweaks ' you can do to your map settings ( more than I realized ), when waypoints show up, when labels show up and even some color settings, I would imagine yours will be the same, I see a Nautical mode and a Fishing mode, not sure what each means but I guess I'm going to have to find out.

Mike

[Lunch_box]

I'm using a GPSmap78. I just changed the detail to most from normal and it does allow me to see the hazard markers at 0.8 but not less zoom than that so it does improve over the normal detail setting. Changing to most detail also makes the labels visible at 0.8mi. However, there are very few labels on this chip compared to Lakemaster chips. Still tough to say which mud flat you are looking at 0.8mi and zooming in doesn't help since the labels are missing. The only way you can tell if there is a label is to look for a tiny little dot that you have to hover your pointer over to get the label on the status bar.

[Lunch_box]

I should also add that changing detail makes more labels appear. Many of the mid lake flats are labeled but they do require you to search for the little dot and hover the pointer over it to see the label in the status bar. If you are looking for weed icons on Mille Lacs, I don't see those anywhere at any zoom level but they do have little tiny dots you have to hover over that say "Wd" on Prior Lake that I assume are supposed to be weeds.

1ft contour lines on Tonka are so tight on most detail level that it makes the entire lake look grey until you zoom into about 800ft or less and then you have to know where you are because you are zoomed in so tight you wouldn't be able to navigate with it.

As a nice bonus, there appears to be a good level of detail for Rainy River, something you would have to pay extra for with Lakemaster.

[MN Mike]

Took a quick look at the owners manual for that device online and it answered a question I had about the different modes I mentioned above, looks like it is valid on the 78 as well.

Mike

[Lunch_box]

Changing the the marine settings to Fishing does not allow you to see the contour lines from the map chip. Changing the marine settings to Nautical does appear to show the map chip data as light blue contour lines over dark blue background. If you change the marine setting to Off the contour lines are light grey, nearly white over dark blue background.

[MN Mike]

If I turn my Mode to Nautical, my colors for the water invert, water is white, contour lines are blue. Might help see things a little better.

If I turn the Marine Mode off altogether, water is Blue and the contour lines and other info are white.

Fishing mode gives me nothing on the Lakemaster chip.

This is on my Colorado 300 with the Lakemaster data loaded.

Mike