04-10-2017, 02:15 PM
[quote kentd71]i am looking at a Helix 7G2 DI and probally the N also . My main thing I want is the Autochart Live or maybe learns Insight Genesis. So how much mapping can be stored on a sd card? A 3 square mile lake ? I know 8 hours recording time on the zero lines card but then don't you have to format it or something on a computer? can the new data be stored on a regular sd card? What is the contour spacing? I may have to look at a 9 for the dual card slots but my limit now is $6-700
I have asked these questions in the stores and no one can answer them. One of the lakes I fish at has some mapping info for it and that is all.[/quote]
Ok I think I can help clarify some things for you.
Humminbird's Autochart live has been an amazing tool for the lakes that I fish that are un mapped. Now with the latest update you can not only map depth but weedlines and bottom hardness as well. Anytime I am out fishing I am usually recording.
So there are two different kinds of recordings that you can do. The regular recordings can be saved to a regular SD card that you can buy from wherever. In order to see the maps that you created you must first take that recording and process it though the autochart pc program. Then once it has been processed you have to save it to a Humminbird zero lines SD card and put it back into the unit itself to view it. This is kind of the old way of doing things before Autochart live came out but these new units will still do it this way if you choose to. This method works with the xx9 and xx8 legacy series of Humminbird fish finders as well.
Now the new Autochart Live way allows you to instantaneously view your maps in real time while you are out on the lake driving around. You have a few things mixed up with this so I will try to clarify. First the head unit itself will hold up to 8 hours of recordings without an SD card installed. Once that is full it will alert you and if you keep recording it will erase all of the previous work that you have done. If you wish to keep recording at this point you will need to install a Humminbird zero lines SD card in the fish finder, a regular SD card will not work here! As soon as you install it in the graph it will pop up with a window saying all of the Autochart live data has been transferred to the zero lines card. Then you can go about recording as you would normally. As long as the zero lines card is installed in the graph it will automatically save all of your recordings to it, so you don't have to manually go in and change any of the settings.
Now as far as how much a zero lines card will hold I am not sure. I was worried about that when I first bought mine as well but I was told that you will most likely not fill it up in your lifetime. I think that is a little bit embellished but you get the idea. I will tell you this, I have been mapping 6 lakes in my area that are all about 10 miles long and 4 miles wide and I have about half of each of them mapped and haven't even touched the capacity of the zero lines card.
There are some other things that you should be aware of that Humminbird doesn't publish very well. First, an autochart Live recording cannot be modified without the autochart pc program. So if you forget to turn off the recording once and go tearing off down the lake with it on and your graph looses bottom for a second, there is not way to delete those bad data points without buying the program. The best price I have found for just the zero lines card is $73 and the program which comes with a zero lines card is $140 so I would highly recommend buying the program when you buy the zero lines card.
Next, your recordings should be taken at 5mph or less and make them short ie stop and start the recording often. Don't just turn it on and fish all day without stopping it. This will make it so if you have a bad set of data you can solve just that file and not deal with the rest of the good data.
Also your autochart live recordings that are saved to a zero lines SD card are not viewable on any unit that does not have autochart live on it. So if you were to say have a helix 7 G2 at the dash that you make the recording with and then have a legacy series (any of the 6xx, 7xx, 8xx, 9xx, 11xx) at the bow and want to see those maps you will have to have the autochart pc program to do the conversion to make it in a format that the older units can use. If you do the recordings the old way they are visible on any unit that has an SD card slot.
The contour spacing of the maps that you create can by modified by you in the settings menu for the autochart live. The smaller you make the spacing the more your unit will lag when loading the maps. It will go all the way down to 1ft intervals but I personally like it at about 3ft because in my lakes there are dramatic drops so this gives me a good balance of contour lines without being too cluttered.
I would also highly recommend to anyone that you get the networking capability in any new fish finder. I realize that it is more expensive but there are many reasons that make it worth the extra expense. If you ever decide to add an accessory to the your boat like an Ipilot Link system, Cannon Link, radar, another graph etc you will need the ethernet capability. Also if you ever decide to sell your unit you will have a much more desirable unit that will in return fetch a better price. Right now the old networkable 899s are still selling for $500-$600 when the non networking 897s are only in the $200 range. Just something to think about. I have a full ethernet network in my boat and it is amazing! I have the helix 10SI at the helm, a Helix 9 GPS at the bow and a Ipilot link on the bow as well. So no matter which piece I drop a waypoint on it shows up on all 3. Pretty incredible technology.
I am sure this is a lot to take in and I'm not sure it all makes sense so if you have any further questions let me know. I can even go out into the boat and make some videos for you if you would like to see something specific. I was very frustrated when doing all of this research myself but someone on another forum helped me tremendously so now I can do the same [bobhappy]
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I have asked these questions in the stores and no one can answer them. One of the lakes I fish at has some mapping info for it and that is all.[/quote]
Ok I think I can help clarify some things for you.
Humminbird's Autochart live has been an amazing tool for the lakes that I fish that are un mapped. Now with the latest update you can not only map depth but weedlines and bottom hardness as well. Anytime I am out fishing I am usually recording.
So there are two different kinds of recordings that you can do. The regular recordings can be saved to a regular SD card that you can buy from wherever. In order to see the maps that you created you must first take that recording and process it though the autochart pc program. Then once it has been processed you have to save it to a Humminbird zero lines SD card and put it back into the unit itself to view it. This is kind of the old way of doing things before Autochart live came out but these new units will still do it this way if you choose to. This method works with the xx9 and xx8 legacy series of Humminbird fish finders as well.
Now the new Autochart Live way allows you to instantaneously view your maps in real time while you are out on the lake driving around. You have a few things mixed up with this so I will try to clarify. First the head unit itself will hold up to 8 hours of recordings without an SD card installed. Once that is full it will alert you and if you keep recording it will erase all of the previous work that you have done. If you wish to keep recording at this point you will need to install a Humminbird zero lines SD card in the fish finder, a regular SD card will not work here! As soon as you install it in the graph it will pop up with a window saying all of the Autochart live data has been transferred to the zero lines card. Then you can go about recording as you would normally. As long as the zero lines card is installed in the graph it will automatically save all of your recordings to it, so you don't have to manually go in and change any of the settings.
Now as far as how much a zero lines card will hold I am not sure. I was worried about that when I first bought mine as well but I was told that you will most likely not fill it up in your lifetime. I think that is a little bit embellished but you get the idea. I will tell you this, I have been mapping 6 lakes in my area that are all about 10 miles long and 4 miles wide and I have about half of each of them mapped and haven't even touched the capacity of the zero lines card.
There are some other things that you should be aware of that Humminbird doesn't publish very well. First, an autochart Live recording cannot be modified without the autochart pc program. So if you forget to turn off the recording once and go tearing off down the lake with it on and your graph looses bottom for a second, there is not way to delete those bad data points without buying the program. The best price I have found for just the zero lines card is $73 and the program which comes with a zero lines card is $140 so I would highly recommend buying the program when you buy the zero lines card.
Next, your recordings should be taken at 5mph or less and make them short ie stop and start the recording often. Don't just turn it on and fish all day without stopping it. This will make it so if you have a bad set of data you can solve just that file and not deal with the rest of the good data.
Also your autochart live recordings that are saved to a zero lines SD card are not viewable on any unit that does not have autochart live on it. So if you were to say have a helix 7 G2 at the dash that you make the recording with and then have a legacy series (any of the 6xx, 7xx, 8xx, 9xx, 11xx) at the bow and want to see those maps you will have to have the autochart pc program to do the conversion to make it in a format that the older units can use. If you do the recordings the old way they are visible on any unit that has an SD card slot.
The contour spacing of the maps that you create can by modified by you in the settings menu for the autochart live. The smaller you make the spacing the more your unit will lag when loading the maps. It will go all the way down to 1ft intervals but I personally like it at about 3ft because in my lakes there are dramatic drops so this gives me a good balance of contour lines without being too cluttered.
I would also highly recommend to anyone that you get the networking capability in any new fish finder. I realize that it is more expensive but there are many reasons that make it worth the extra expense. If you ever decide to add an accessory to the your boat like an Ipilot Link system, Cannon Link, radar, another graph etc you will need the ethernet capability. Also if you ever decide to sell your unit you will have a much more desirable unit that will in return fetch a better price. Right now the old networkable 899s are still selling for $500-$600 when the non networking 897s are only in the $200 range. Just something to think about. I have a full ethernet network in my boat and it is amazing! I have the helix 10SI at the helm, a Helix 9 GPS at the bow and a Ipilot link on the bow as well. So no matter which piece I drop a waypoint on it shows up on all 3. Pretty incredible technology.
I am sure this is a lot to take in and I'm not sure it all makes sense so if you have any further questions let me know. I can even go out into the boat and make some videos for you if you would like to see something specific. I was very frustrated when doing all of this research myself but someone on another forum helped me tremendously so now I can do the same [bobhappy]
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