Lakemaster chips

[Farley]

O.k., so I've done a search on this subject but still have a few questions, first off, am I to understand that when you buy the Lakemaster software for your GPS, you actually buy the chip with the Lakemaster info on it? so say I have the IFinder h20 and get the lakemaster chip, can I take the chip out and put it in the GPS on the boat at my cabin and use it, they are both Lowrances. Or do you have to purchase a chip for every GPS you want it on?

Second, what do I need to transfer waypoints from the pc to the GPS and from the GPS to the PC? I am planing on getting the Lakemaster CD-Rom also and I am guessing I'll need some sort of cable to connect the GPS to the PC for data transfer. Do you put the data on the card then into the GPS or can you transfer from the PC right to the GPS and bypass the chip alltogether?

I guess what I am asking in short, is how do you guys transfer data (waypoints) from your PC to your GPS?

[Farley]

Also would like to know if I buy the Lakemaster CD-ROM, can I load that onto two different computers or do I have to register it to one computer?

[Tom7227]

I just got an iFinderPro. As I understand it you work off the chip. There is no cable connection to the computer. I bought the LEI MapCreate 6 software + the card reader. You have to use the LEI card reader because you have to "register" the chips. You only can register 5 chips on the iFinder. I bought a couple of 512 meg chips and can download huge areas onto them - WI, MN, IA, ND, SD, + more. You create your maps and save them onto the chip - I think you can then also save it onto your PC. As you create waypoints/routes/tracks this stuff gets "added" to your map. You can take a chip and use it in other Lowrance products - I bought an iFinder for my daugther and was able to use chips back and forth.

The pre-loaded chips with lakes and such don't count as part of your 5 cards. You just plug them in and away you go.

I am trying to decide whether to buy the LakeMaster or the Navionics chips. LakeMaster is $100 for 275 lakes in MN, Navionics is that plus a bunch in Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan, and parts of the Miss. River for $200. Any thoughts on which way to go?

[Kylersk]

I had the Navionics version but thought the load time was too slow. I returned it and bought the Lakemaster Chip and PC software instead.

[EJ]

Lakemaster has more High Def. (1' contour) lakes than Navionics and also zooms in much closer which is of greater value with a handheld and a small screen.

EJ

[Hookmaster]

Farley,

If you talk to Lakemaster, they will usually let you put it on another computer that you own. Give them a call.