I bought a new Garmin echoMap 73sv over the winter and have spent the last week on a fishing trip getting to know it.  I haven't gotten much use out of the side view yet, but the pictures it and the down view give look pretty good. The part that has amazed me is the accuracy of the built in maps. I'd been using a Lowrance with the Fishing Hots Spots chip for a couple of years and the mapping left a lot to be desired. I just thought all maps were like that. On the trip I am on currently, I fish several off shore under water humps and islands that don't even show up on the Lowrance. I'd marked waypoints that I could come back to, but those were just one point on a piece of structure that might cover several acres. Even while fishing, you often get blown off your spot, and the Garmin would make it easy to get right back on it.  The contour lines almost never lined up with what the sonar was showing me on the Lowrance.  In contrast, the Garmin is spot on all the time. I would be looking for the edge of a 5 foot flat that comes out of 30 feet of water. And I could locate any section of it just by using the map. It's what I expected the GPS to work like when I bought the Lowrance, but it was never found in real life. Garmin's maps showed me several new spots that I have never seen on any paper map I've ever seen.  For you guys who have had quality GPS mapping, I'm sure you are going well Duh... But for me, this has saved me many hours just in the past week alone. For you fishermen getting ready to buy a new unit with GPS, do your homework and make sure the mapping is top notch. It sure is on the Garmin with LakeVu HD Ultra maps.

I really enjoy my Garmin 93SV, but my experience with the mapping is the opposite of yours.  

I'm on the southern end of Lake Champlain in NY.  Almost every day I'm out fishing, I go under a railroad trestle.  My Garmin's chart view shows me missing the trestle and going across land about 20 yards away.  When I leave the lake and head up the Poultney River, the Garmin shows my boat going through the woods parallel to the river!

Maybe I have some GPS/chart setting wrong, like the wrong map datum or something? 

I still love my Garmin 93SV!

Tight lines,

Bob

With 17,000 maps built in, I'd have to guess that there are many of those that use old data and have not been remapped lately. Have you tried to use QuickDraw Contours to record the section you fish?

9 hours ago, Scott F said:

With 17,000 maps built in, I'd have to guess that there are many of those that use old data and have not been remapped lately. Have you tried to use QuickDraw Contours to record the section you fish?

No, I haven't.  I didn't think the 93SV offered the option of modifying or adding to the charts on the chip.  I know I read the instruction manual cover-to-cover at least three times.  I'll have to look into it... thanks.

Tight lines,

Bob

If you didn't buy your unit in the last few months, you can download an update which gives you the Contours feature free. Look it up on their web site.

Garmin's site says the program works with the echoMAP series, but on the program page, on the "compatible devices" tab, only the echoMAP 50 and 70 "dv" and "s" models are listed.  :-(

Darn it!  I was really excited for a minute!

Tight lines,

Bob

How does homeport work for you? It sucks for me. Also can't view your quick draw maps. Very disappointing

On May 24, 2016 at 7:59 PM, desmobob said:

Garmin's site says the program works with the echoMAP series, but on the program page, on the "compatible devices" tab, only the echoMAP 50 and 70 "dv" and "s" models are listed.  :-(

Darn it!  I was really excited for a minute!

Tight lines,

Bob

The software update for the echoMap series includes the 4,5,7 &9 series units.

 

38 minutes ago, bbgobie said:

How does homeport work for you? It sucks for me. Also can't view your quick draw maps. Very disappointing

I haven't used the home port feature.

11 hours ago, Scott F said:

The software update for the echoMap series includes the 4,5,7 &9 series units.

Right.  That's an operating system software update for the unit, but the separate QuickDraw Contours software doesn't work with my unit (non-CHIRP 93SV).

Tight lines,

Bob

41 minutes ago, desmobob said:

Right.  That's an operating system software update for the unit, but the separate QuickDraw Contours software doesn't work with my unit (non-CHIRP 93SV).

Tight lines,

Bob

I have a non-CHIRP 73sv and it works on mine, so I'm sure it will work on yours. If it doesn't, contact Garmin support. You can also look up the operator manual for Quick draw contours and it might help.

41 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I have a non-CHIRP 73sv and it works on mine, so I'm sure it will work on yours. If it doesn't, contact Garmin support. You can also look up the operator manual for Quick draw contours and it might help.

That's good news!  I'll have to see if I can download and use it with my Mac.  I have to borrow a PC to do my software updates because Garmin doesn't care about Mac users!  ;-)

Thanks for the info!

Tight lines,

Bob

You're right, Scott.  The QuickDraw Contours feature was included with the software update for my 93SV.  I see it on the Navigation page menu.  I hope I get a chance to get out on the water this weekend to try it out.

Thanks very much for the information.  I appreciate it.

Tight lines,

Bob

just a tip if you haven't figured it out yet, for the quick draw to work you have to have a micro SD card in your unit

best of luck!!