Navionics app

[SDS]

Fished today and used the Navionics app on my phone as reference during scouting and the initial setup.

The app contours put me about 500 feet from the actual depths? The Navionics app is infamous for a lack of detail but I have never had such an inaccurate map.

Anyone out there know if all the Northern Illinois Lakes on the Navionics app this inaccurate?

[aanderud]

Fished today and used the Navionics app on my phone as reference during scouting and the initial setup.

The app contours put me about 500 feet from the actual depths? The Navionics app is infamous for a lack of detail but I have never had such an inaccurate map.

Anyone out there know if all the Northern Illinois Lakes on the Navionics app this inaccurate?

I don't know specifically about Illinois, but in MN it can be that far off. However, it should be obvious which lakes have accurate soundings and which ones do not based on how many contours you have and how much detail is listed. For instance, if you look at the minnesota state DNR HSOforum with the free map, and the map looks just like the navionics map, and both have something like 5 foot contour increments, then I'm never surprised if it's 500 feet off. However, if the navionics map shows 1 foot contours listed and what looks like a lot of detail, then it's usually not that far off.

So, that's pretty subjective and may not answer the question precisely, but to summarize again, the amount of detail on the maps here in MN is usually indicative of the amount of precision. Lower detail and less contours usually means the information is older and less precise. I'd guess the same is true in IL.

For example, I just looked at the web app for navionics, and I noticed two northern illinois lakes very close to each other with varying degrees of detail (well, they may have been southeast wisconsin....but close enough) -- Lake Como I would not expect to be very accurate, as the contours have a bigger increment and what seems to be less detail. However, I'd expect Lake Geneva to be more accurate.

[KirtH]

Depending on the data that was used and if Navionics has actually surveyed it, sometimes data is used from sources outside of Navionics. You can follow this link and fill out a error report

http://www.navionics.com/en/customers

[Coryy]

I have been using the app and have not run into any trouble with it thus far.

Let me get in touch with the Navionics man I know and see what he has to say.

Hopefully I will have an answer soon. The only thing that I can think of is that the GPS receivers in phones are not very accurate.

[MNBEEF]

Can anyone help me with using the overlay tabs? Not sure how they work. Can I see a mark on my contour map that a friend sent me from his app?

Thanks Beef

[BartmanMN]

You need to have the Community layer turned on for that to work. The Overlay's are just for imagery to be added to the terrain.

[brian6715]

My experience with the app has not been good, at all. It works good for waypoints, but the lakes I have tried to use it on it has been pretty terrible for depths. Just an fyi, these lakes are mostly in Rice County, including Mazaska, Cedar, Fox, Roberts, and French.

It's especially terrible on West Cedar, we were in a spot where our motor was hitting last summer and the app said we were in 14 feet. Anyone who knows Cedar should look at the app's map of West Cedar, it will make you laugh if you know the lake well.

[MNBEEF]

When I tap the screen the only thing that pops up are the cross-hairs and a question mark. I tap on the question make and I have 2 main buttons on top, edit map and route to. under that I have distance , magazines, weather and marker.

Do I need to do something prior to tapping the screen and getting the cross-hairs?

Thanks

MnBeef

[KirtH]

If you have an iPhone I might suggest the Navionics+ upgrade or add on this has the SonarCharts high def layer. Go to the Navionics web app and zoom in on the lakes you fish click on the Sonar Icon on the lower left to turn on SonarCharts layer you may find better accuracy with SonarCharts which data acquired from more recent and community sonar logs

More info on the app is available under mobile products tab