Is Autochart Live recording at bow my only option?

[OperationEagle]

I plan on installing a Helix 10 DI using a trolling motor mount at the bow.  I will also have a Helix 7 SI at my console using a transom mount.  

Here is my question/dilemma. I am interested in using the Autochart Live feature that comes on the Helix 10.  I fear that since it is operational only when using my trolling motor, it will be time consuming to do this live mapping.  

Is this fear justified or is mapping using a trolling motor tolerable or some reason advantageous (as compared to mapping using the main motor).

What other options should I consider?  Having a helix 9 or 10 at the console is cost and space prohibitive, so getting two Helix units w Autochart Live is not an option.  

Looking for thoughts and ideas.  Certainly I can't be the first to have this dilemma?

[Wayne P.]

I do a lot of sonar logging to get contour mapping so I have some suggestions for you. I use Auto Chart Live, Sonar Charts Live, and Sonar Charts.

As you navigate, your unit draws a Track on the Chart view. That Track is made up of Track Points. Every Track Point has the depth and location. Those Track Points are created every second. When you are recording sonar logs or doing the Auto Chart live, those Track Points are what positions the contour lines.

With your unit on the bow with the transducer on the trolling motor, your sonar data and position data are at the same place. That makes your mapping accurate. If you put the unit on the console and transducer on the transom without adding an external GPS antenna at the transom, your map will be inaccurate by the distance between the GPS antenna and transducer. Additionally you should set the depth offset so the depth is recorded instead of the distance between the transducer and bottom, if you don't, your map will be inaccurate.

You seem concerned with the speed of doing mapping, think about this: the unit creates a Track Point every second, how far do you travel between Track Points at the speed you want to go? If the depth changes in a short distance, will there be data to indicate that at the speed you want to go?

I did a 420 acre lake that is electric-only using a bow unit to record the data for the Navionics Sonar Charts program. It takes time to get accurate contour mapping and the ONLY accurate part of any contour mapping is what you pass directly over. The mapping software will create contour lines much wider than what you record, all programs do that. You have to overlap those lines to blend them so most if not all of the contours are real and not fake (interpolated).

 

 

Examples:

This is the 420 acre electric-only lake I did with sonar logs processed by Navionics Sonar Charts program:

 

This is the same map with Sonar Charts Live contours overlayed on it. The wide line at the top is a single track created by the software program. The darker area at the bottom is blending several Sonar Charts Live tracks:

 

This is same lake with some Auto Charts Live tracks overlayed on it:

 

 

[00 mod]

So to dummy it down a little bit, 2 mph is less than 3 foot per second. Something like 2.9XX feet per second.  I will be making my maps at around 2 mph.

Jeff

[WIGuide]

Good info here for you. If you're on a lake with no contours and you just want a general idea of what the contours are you can always leave your tm down and idle around. Not ideal, but it'd be quicker than trolling all over. I think most of the time though you'll be fine with just using the tm.

[OperationEagle]

Thanks Wayne.  Great in depth info there.

WIGuide, yep I did think about leaving the TM down and use the big motor to cruise.  That's probably what will end up doing.

Now I need to understand how I save all of this data.  I will be using a lakemaster card in one slot.  Do I save the data onto an empty micro SD card?  Or does it need to be a zeroline card.  I know that there is also 8hrs worth of space on the unit itself.

Lots of tech to figure out and get used to!  I am looking forward to learning all of this on the water after the ice melts.  Just want to be prepared.

[Wayne P.]

The unit writes the Auto Chart Live to the unit's memory. You transfer that map to a Zero Line Card and that deletes the map in the unit's memory. You can do that anytime you want or wait until the 8 hours of memory are used up.

You can record sonar logs to a blank memory card to be processed by Navionics for Sonar Charts or computer software (Auto Chart and Auto Chart Pro) to create contour maps on your computer to be copied to a Zero Line card.

The sonar log recording and Auto Chart Live is two separate and unrelated functions. You can do both at the same time.

Auto Charts is private Lakemaster mapping and has the same adjustability as a Lakemaster map card.