Has anyone taken satellite map coordinates from Google Earth and entered them into a Lowrance unit with a Navionics card, and accurately created a waypoint?  Can this even be done, or can waypoints only be created on the water?   

I imagine so, it can be done with HB

You need to input the complete longitude and latetitude numbers.

Tom 

I did hundreds of them in years past when all you could get was written ones.  Your lat lon numbers have to be the same like degrees/minutes/seconds.  If they are listed differently your wpts won't be accurate.  If they are different then you will have to use a conversion program to change them to the same coordinate system before you input them.

If you are doing a map survey with your sonar GPS unit at home for example you can use the cursor to mark a spot and add the way point depending on how accurate the map chip is, if that is what you met by manually.

Tom

Thanks for your replies.  I found the coordinate settings on my Lowrance units were Degrees/minutes and not Degrees/minutes/seconds. Makes a big difference.

16 minutes ago, Wannabe bass angler said:

Thanks for your replies.  I found the coordinate settings on my Lowrance units were Degrees/minutes and not Degrees/minutes/seconds. Makes a big difference.

You need seconds! When you use the cursor function does it way point the exact spot when you go back to the way point?

Tom

15 hours ago, WRB said:

You need seconds! When you use the cursor function does it way point the exact spot when you go back to the way point?

Tom

I think his unit is expecting degrees and fractional minutes. N 35 22.1234

I changed the settings on my units to include seconds. I'll see how it works when I get on the lake this weekend. 

Create your placemarks in Google Earth and save the folder as a .KMZ file (in Earth on the left side pane just right click the folder and select 'save-as') and then use a free GPS program like GPS Babel to convert to .GPX.  Put that .GPX file on micro-SD card and insert into your unit and import the file.  No need to manually enter each one.  It might sound complicated, but once you do it one time it's super easy....Few clicks on the computer and you've got your new waypoints on a card ready to go.  

 

Google Earth can open .GPX files too, so you can export your existing waypoints from your unit and view in Earth.  

 

I don't use DMS format on either Earth or my Lowrance...I prefer straight decimals (like this, 38.56742).

 

It's not inputting to Navionics, it's putting the waypoints on your unit....Which will display them on whichever background map you choose/use.  

I'll have to try that. Thx.