# GPS Chartplotter with Satellite Imagery



## Vertigo

I'm considering a chartplotter that can display satellite imagery, but I've heard mixed reviews. Is satellite imagery worth having? I fish inshore around LOTS of oyster bars, limestone rock, etc., and anything that can display the kind of detail Google offers would be helpful. 

Best deal I've found is the Lowrance HDS-5 Gen 2 with a Navionics Platinum + card. Anyone using that setup? If so, what's your opinion? Any other recommendations?

Thanks


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## MAV181

I have the hds 7 touch. Its great. I was a garmin guy and made the switch. The imagery is not as good as say google earth, but it is a nice feature. You can adjust the sat overlay to your liking.


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## formerWAflyfisher

I have the HDS-7 gen 2 with a Navionics Platinum chip and I would not spend the money again. I love the Lowerance unit and their charts are pretty good but when your out on the water the Navionics charts and Photo overlay is not much help. I fish the 10k mostly and your better off with a Ipad/lifecase and google earth and a cheaper chart plotter like the HDS4. Just my two cents


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## Vertigo

Since I'd be buying just for the satellite imagery, I'm getting the message that I'd probably be better off waiting until there are significant improvements in that feature. I'd go the Ipad route except I understand that they're not much good in direct sunlight and not really saltwater-proof.


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## [email protected]

> I have the HDS-7 gen 2 with a Navionics Platinum chip and I would not spend the money again. I love the Lowerance unit and their charts are pretty good but when your out on the water the Navionics charts and Photo overlay is not much help.  I fish the 10k mostly and your better off with a Ipad/lifecase and google earth and a cheaper chart plotter like the HDS4.  Just my two cents


So are the satelite images that come with the navionics maps not clear or not accurate? Im really interested in the Lowarance unit for the sole reason of having the satelite images and dont want the ipad for same reasons that Vertigo stated.


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## formerWAflyfisher

The images are clear just not detailed enough. Also things change in the 10k sometimes bars or channels are off. For the most part there really good. But the level of detail just isn't quite there. Nothing beats local knowledge. Especially when you running and trying to look at the chart plotter. Most of the time the waters is so shallow I can see were I am going. But I have to say that does not stop me from hitting bottom on a regular basis. All things being equal I much prefer the brail method over photo overlay.....


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## MariettaMike

All the chart plotter satellite image maps I've seen are weak in detail compared to those available with online cell phone apps. Even the cell phone apps lose detail when you cache maps for offline use. Maybe its a Bing/Google thing that doesn't allow all the detail to be saved to memory.

The best portable GPS satellite image I've seen available is with the GPS Kit app on an iPhone. I've tried several for Android and they're slow, crash, or have ads getting in the way unless you pay a monthly fee.

My advice is buy a heavy beach towel to put over your head to shade your phone for sunlight use.

Georges Bar with & without flash (sun) and a zoomed in shot of that little uncharted bar on the East end that gets hit fairly often. The first & last time I hit it I was actually using this app in the sun while on plane. Lesson Learned: stay away from prop scarred areas while running.








http://gpskit.garafa.com/gps_kit/overview.html


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## MariettaMike

Rock bars don't show scars, and you can't see them without clear, calm water in bright sunlight. (Mason's Creek at Homosassa)


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## swaddict

I have the HDS 5 gen 2 with the Navionics platinum card and feel that the satellite overlay is pretty close to google maps. I find it very accurate in the areas that I fish, the ML and IRL. Maybe it's varies with different areas, but it works well for me.


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## jsnipes

Bumping this thread -- any significant advances? Also want it mostly for the google earth images. Tempted to just buy an iPad


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## Haler

https://floridamarinetracks.com/

Have you guys looked into this? It was recommended to me by a friend for my simrad go9, looks pretty damn good and rave reviews on the web


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## reallyshallow

Haler said:


> https://floridamarinetracks.com/
> 
> Have you guys looked into this? It was recommended to me by a friend for my simrad go9, looks pretty damn good and rave reviews on the web


I just got Florida Marine Tracks and it blows Navionics out of the water. Well worth the extra $$$.


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## Str8-Six

The satellite overlay on the platinum navionics chip is not worth the money Imho. It does not zoom in as much and not as detailed as let’s say google earth on your phone.


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## Heat_PCB

x2 for Florida Marine Tracks...mine GO7 loaded up the standard display on accident the other day and it was painful. 

FMT has my vote for inshore. I previously had the App version of Navionics...navionics is a distant, distant 2nd.


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## jsnipes

Need a texas marine tracks now...


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## SWFL_Gheenoe

x100 for the Go7 with FMT chip. 
I think Louisiana and Texas are in the process of being mapped by the FMT group too


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## Egrets Landing

Vertigo said:


> I'm considering a chartplotter that can display satellite imagery, but I've heard mixed reviews. Is satellite imagery worth having? I fish inshore around LOTS of oyster bars, limestone rock, etc., and anything that can display the kind of detail Google offers would be helpful.
> 
> Best deal I've found is the Lowrance HDS-5 Gen 2 with a Navionics Platinum + card. Anyone using that setup? If so, what's your opinion? Any other recommendations?
> 
> Thanks


This problem was solved. 
This video shows the differences for all over the state in random places. If you want to be able to zoom in to like 100" with clarity and see where to fish, this works. It also corrects all of the missing and inaccurate features on the others and shows you where to run as well.


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## Smackdaddy53

jsnipes said:


> Need a texas marine tracks now...


Then all the googans will be all up in places they don’t need tk know about...


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## jmrodandgun

SWFL_Gheenoe said:


> x100 for the Go7 with FMT chip.
> I think Louisiana and Texas are in the process of being mapped by the FMT group too


I believe Standard Mapping has a chip with safe travel tracks. Their Louisiana One card is OK at best, and not worth the money they are asking. 

Hopefully FMT will only map the long way around the marsh. The last thing we need is more people burning flats. Plus there is so much crap in the water around here, I don't even see how it would be possible.


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## Heat_PCB

jmrodandgun said:


> I believe Standard Mapping has a chip with safe travel tracks. Their Louisiana One card is OK at best, and not worth the money they are asking.
> 
> Hopefully FMT will only map the long way around the marsh. The last thing we need is more people burning flats. Plus there is so much crap in the water around here, I don't even see how it would be possible.


If you could post the lat/long of where you are talking about, that would help us all avoid the area


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## Egrets Landing

jmrodandgun said:


> I believe Standard Mapping has a chip with safe travel tracks. Their Louisiana One card is OK at best, and not worth the money they are asking.
> 
> Hopefully FMT will only map the long way around the marsh. The last thing we need is more people burning flats. Plus there is so much crap in the water around here, I don't even see how it would be possible.


I had never seen the LA Standard Mapping chart until just a couple of days ago. A friend I have had the LA chip and I took a look at it. The chip I was provided had low res poor quality images, not natural color, and processed to only as high as 4 meters which makes it very fuzzy on a GPS unless you are zoomed way out. Perhaps the higher quality files were erased from the chip I had. I don't know for sure but I think that is unlikely. But if not, that leads me to believe the raw data that was used to create it was probably 4 meter resolution which for fishing purposes is not so good as the images went fuzzy quickly when you zoom. Honestly, I thought it left a lot to be desired. I didn't see any tracks on it to run. It looked like just NOAA data on top of the photos they use for those grey/blue glossy maps. Those folks had the market cornered for quite some time as there was nothing else available to use except Navionics which has a pretty poor rep in that area driving people to any alternative. 

As for tracking in LA it's definitely possible. FMT did not map the long way anywhere. Similar detail is being provided in LA as was provided in FL and the imagery is going to be of similar quality as well allowing zooming with clarity to as close as 100'. Thousands of posts, stakes and markers have been marked. And every platform and piece of infrastructure no matter the size or location was noted. FMT will be as different from Standard in LA as it is from the maps they have and that Navionics has for Florida. Everything was done from scratch the hard way and the fisherman are sure to find it to be a welcome addition to their charting options. The LA release is scheduled to be largely complete within a month and will be out in limited release to some LA guides while some testing takes place before final release to the public. So what will the photos look like and how will it stack up to Standard in terms of what you can expect to see on your boat? Here are a few shots of the LA Standard Chip I was provided compared to the same place of what FMT is working to release in terms of an image (its just the photo - the map features included are not shown). The images speak for themselves just as they do in Florida.


Standard

FMT

Standard

FMT

Standard

FMT

Standard

FMT

Standard

FMT


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## iMacattack

On my list of "things I want" is one of these charts. I was sold months ago when I had the opportunity to use FMT chip versus my Navionics Platinum + chip. A buddy of mine was on my boat and brought his chip. We ran from Key Largo to East Cape using both chips. (Actually once I saw the detail and clarity of the FMT chip compared to mine we used it all day.)

The cost, while more than some, is worth every penny plus some! Buy the FMT chip, support folks like Egret Landings!

Cheers
Jan


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## slewis

NSS9 EVO3 w/ FMT gets installed tomorrow and I cant wait to check it out. Been running my iPhone w/ Navionics app for the past 2 years :|


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## jmrodandgun

Your right about the zoom being terrible with the Standard Map card. When I bought mine I actually ordered a card from legend cartography, a card that I had owned once before and had similar resolution as the FMT screen shots you posted. Well, unbeknownst to me, Standard Map sued Legend Cartography and whatever the outcome was Standard Map ended up with Legends Website. When I got the card in the mail it was a Standard LaOne card and NOT the Legend card like I had ordered. I emailed and asked if it was the same card to which Standard Map confirmed it was the same card. This turned out to be a lie.

The Standard Map LaOne card is not nearly as good as the card Legend use to produce.


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## Egrets Landing

I was advised that Legend somehow stole the imagery that Standard was using and used it as their own and that prompted a court mess. I took a look about a year or so ago at the Legend site to see what they had out there and from I could see it looked like a complete rip off replication of what Standard had been producing. Maybe Legend got the raw photo data and they just processed the raster to a higher degree of clarity. Not sure. But from what I could see, I would have likely taken a similar stance to Standard because I could not tell the difference between the two. The Standard photos have a very unique uniform appearance and so copying them stands out as a sore thumb. It would be really hard to get original data and make it look like what Standard had. The data set is not a very high res image set as far as I can tell and the detail in the photos is not so good and whatever has been done to them makes them dull blue grey in appearance and not natural actual colors. That is what I found so interesting about it. They wanted to steal or copy a data set that I think is really totally unremarkable in every way but at the same time very unique in the appearance. But it appears the court did not agree it was copied illegally and Standard lost their suit with Predjudice and also had to pay the defendants legal costs according the final decree. Surprising. It is a lot of work to put these maps together and to deal with the images. No one wants their proprietary work to be stolen by someone else and sold as their own. It looked like a rip off to me but I wasnt hearing everything so you have to appreciate how that turned out. I always welcome competition but fair competition. With respect to the Standard Chip I was provided, I don't know if what I have is typical of what is now being sold today. All I know for sure is that chip wouldn't come close to working for me on the water. I can tell you this, the map and photos FMT releases will be very different in every way from that chip you have similar to what you see in the Florida map products.


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## jmrodandgun

I think you got a hold of the Legend site after Standard took it over. The Louisiana unleashed card from Legend was very different. Also a federal judge in New Orleans ruled in favor of Legend in a summer judgement. I believe the buy out happened outside the courtroom.

Either way the Standard Map kinda sucks for $300 and the images you posted are exactly what you get with the standard card. After a certain amount of zoom the maps switches from that funny pink and blue color over to a more natural looking color.


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## Egrets Landing

jmrodandgun said:


> Either way the Standard Map kinda sucks for $300 and the images you posted are exactly what you get with the standard card. After a certain amount of zoom the maps switches from that funny pink and blue color over to a more natural looking color.


I'm really surprised about this. I thought Standard had a good LA following because their chart was said to be much better than Navionics. Don't most people find the maps really good or is it Navionics is just super bad there so its the best of a bad group? From what I have seen, I am just not seeing anything that good about it. Navionics in FL is much better than the Standard Chip I borrowed and I find Navionics nearly useless in FL for most places I run.


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## jmrodandgun

Egrets Landing said:


> Don't most people find the maps really good or is it Navionics is just super bad there so its the best of a bad group?


It's a combination of that and the Standard Map plastic roll up maps being around for so long that it's what most people in the region are use to. For someone like me who fishes the east and west part of the state, I would have to buy the $400 Navionics card or two of their $200 cards. The dividing line goes straight through Golden Meadow for the Platinum+ Marine maps. So if you fish Laffitte and Houma, you need their most expensive card or two separate cards.

The La One card also has a bunch of tide data and some roads. My house in Baton Rouge is also clearly visible. I think they could have gotten more out of the map if they cut out some of the areas that aren't very useful. When I get home today I'll look around, it seems like I've found a few areas on the Standard Map with much better clarity on the higher zoom, but it may be my mind playing tricks on me because I spent so much money on the stupid thing.


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