handheld gps/ lakemaster chip?

[slick2526]

Are any of the handheld gps unites capable of using a lakemaster chip and a memory just like the HB depth finder units?

[MN Mike]

Lakemaster is exclusive to Humminbird these days, so if you're thinking of using your current Lakemaster chip in a handheld device, it's not going to happen, it will only work in your Humminbird.

Before Humminbird bought Lakemaster, you could get a Lakemaster chip for handheld GPS devices, they were made for Garmin and Lowrance ( Humminbird never made a handheld ), you just had to make sure that when you bought the chip, it was made for the brand of handheld you had, the chips themselves were branded with the GPS manufacture besides the Lakemaster's name being on there and would not interchange.

Keep in mind that whenever you wanted a different State, you had to buy another Lakemaster chip.

When Humminbird bought Lakemaster, Garmin came out with the Upper Midwest Fishing Guide, it contained all of the Lakemaster data at the time and quite a few lakes were in 1 foot contour, this would have been data from about 2010 or so.

The Garmin UMWFG costs about $70 - $80 today if you look around on some online stores and that chip contained 7 States, Lake of the Woods and lake data into Canada, pretty good bargain when you considered how many Lakemaster chips you had to but to get that same data.

Most Garmin handhelds accept the MicroSD cards these days if you are looking at buying a handheld, just double check to make sure that option is available.

Hope that answered your question.

Mike

[slick2526]

Thanks mike. I use my phone with the navionics app during the winter but I would like another option for lotw and I am not interested in buying a smaller HB unit and a separate card just for LOTW. I will have to keep a eye on this garmin chip and a handheld unit.

[fasternu]

I have an older Lowrance H2O handheld gps, and I use my Lakemaster chip that I take out of my hds5 all of the time. Of course, the chip is a little older, is made specifically for a lowrance unit, and you can't mix and match brands.

[reddog]

I have an older Lowrance H2O handheld gps, and I use my Lakemaster chip that I take out of my hds5 all of the time. Of course, the chip is a little older, is made specifically for a lowrance unit, and you can't mix and match brands.

Make sure you don't update your HDS or they will take the Lakemaster compatibility out of it with the newest update.

[fasternu]

Make sure you don't update your HDS or they will take the Lakemaster compatibility out of it with the newest update.

I have updated my HDS and everything has still worked just fine, no problems at all. Are you talking the lakemaster compatibility with the HDS? I haven't heard anything about this issue.

[reddog]

Do not go above v2.5. V3.0 takes Lakemaster compatibility out of the HDS units according to WC post.