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I just learned that Johnson Controls owner of Lakemaster and Dr. Depth is coming out with a new product that combines the two. Evidently this new product can be used to map your own lake and then use this private map on your own lakes. This will be nice to have if you want to get better accuracy on the current lake master maps.
[QUOTE=Moveon;517358]I just learned that Johnson Controls owner of Lakemaster and Dr. Depth is coming out with a new product that combines the two. Evidently this new product can be used to map your own lake and then use this private map on your own lakes. This will be nice to have if you want to get better accuracy on the current lake master maps.[/QUOTE]
These new mapping programs will allow people to make their own hydrographic type maps of their own lakes. You survey the lake with your Humminbird Depth Finder and GPS combo Unit (late models) and can also add SI data to the maps. Take the SDHC card and put it into your laptop of desktop computer and use the accompanying software (something like a mini auto cad program) to make the topographical maps on your own computer. Then you load this map onto the AutoChart SDHC card. Take the AutoChart Card and put it back into your Humminbird Depth/GPS combo unit and display a Lakemaster type map of your lake.
I heard that the AutoChart Pro version may sell for about 250 dollars.
The only problem that I would have with this is that I don't think we will be able to update our current Lakemaster IN/OH or Great Lakes Maps with this new program. Those cards are locked and can't be written to without endangering the data on them. If that were not the case then one could get the AutoChart program and update the data on the IN/OH and other Lakemaster card and make them more accurate.
Remember that IDNR did the survey on the most of the lakes in IN for the Lakemaster IN/OH card. The number of tracks on the lake determines the amount of data points and the accuracy of the map. less data points = less accuracy and more assumptions on the depth's in between each data point. If your tracks are 100 yards apart vs. ten feet apart it will make a huge difference in the accuracy of the map. And if the tracks do not criss-cross each other the accuracy will be worse.