Discussion on Lowrance Elite 5 DSI/Chartplotter ....

**CrappiePappy** · 10-29-2012, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by Woodworker42

CP, I was able to mark my waypoints with the boat sitting in the driveway. Thanks for your help; now I just need to "field test" them, but they show on the map where they should be, so I don't anticipate any problems.

I don't foresee any problems finding your spots, either. Just remember to set your unit to "return to vessel" before you start trying to ease up on your waypoints. Otherwise, your chart could be showing your last location (or home). And when you get the chart showing where you are on the lake, and get close to your waypoint ... click on the +/- buttons to zoom in/out (as needed) until you get headed towards the waypoint, then continue to zoom in until you get the closest range (20ft) showing at the bottom right of the chart screen. That's the maximum accuracy range of the unit ... but, if you're heading is on course to move the "triangle" (boat icon) directly over the center of the waypoint icon, then you should start seeing the cover come on the screen when they do intersect.

I start my waypoint search with the whole screen in chart mode ... then when I get zoomed in to around the 50ft range, I switch to the split screen ... and when I get zoomed down to the 20ft range & the triangle is about to connect with the waypoint icon, I switch to full screen sonar. I know that if I get off course for some reason, I can always switch back to split screen & circle back to reconnect with the waypoint. And I've got a few marker buoys handy, in case conditions are such that I can't stay on my spot !! I just flip a marker buoy out (into the wind) well past the spot, so I can keep track of where the spot is when the wind blows me off course or the boat drifts off course while I'm catching/landing/measuring & placing the fish in the livewell !!
Putting a marker buoy well past the spot, & into the wind, allows me to ease back into position while not having to monitor my depthfinder. That also allows me to watch my poles more closely. And it also gives me a visual aid, sort of a rangefinder deal, when/if I decide to cast to the spot from a distance, rather than drift up to or over the spot.

... cp

**rumrunner** · 10-30-2012, 07:34 PM

[QUOTE=
As I understand it, you can mark a waypoint (while on the water) with a couple of button presses ... but, I haven't tried that, yet. ... cp

[/QUOTE]

cp it really is that easy just the enter button twice.but the unit assigns a number so if i save more than one i have to rename them so i know where they are by the name.it is kind of a pain, more work than i want to do while fishing but not bad if i'm just out looking.i haven't been able to go back to my saved spots using the unit but reading your last posts gave me some clues.
thanks for this thread!

**rumrunner** · 10-30-2012, 07:38 PM

away, great idea and sounds very useful!thank you for doing the work on this

**Barnacle Bill** · 10-30-2012, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by rumrunner

cp it really is that easy just the enter button twice.but the unit assigns a number so if i save more than one i have to rename them so i know where they are by the name.it is kind of a pain, more work than i want to do while fishing but not bad if i'm just out looking.i haven't been able to go back to my saved spots using the unit but reading your last posts gave me some clues.
thanks for this thread!

You don't have to rename waypoints. As you enter them the unit will number them sequentiality. Up to 3000

**CrappiePappy** · 10-30-2012, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by rumrunner

cp it really is that easy just the enter button twice.but the unit assigns a number so if i save more than one i have to rename them so i know where they are by the name.it is kind of a pain, more work than i want to do while fishing but not bad if i'm just out looking.i haven't been able to go back to my saved spots using the unit but reading your last posts gave me some clues.
thanks for this thread!

I thought it was "Enter button twice" ... but I wasn't sure. Thanks for confirming that !!

Any new waypoint gets a number assigned ... but, I don't think it will assign the same number to two different waypoints. So, why would you have to "rename" the new waypoint ?? I've got 98 waypoints marked, and they're "named" with the number assigned to them in the order in which I entered them. And they ALL have the same icon. I could have used various other icons from the entry menu, but chose not to ... since they're all going to show up on the chart map, once I've got the chart map on screen (acquired position & returned to vessel). I'll know what type of cover the waypoint is marking, once I get it in the sonar beam ... so I really didn't see a need to give them "names".

And I'm not going to pull up the waypoint listing screen, & search through up to 3000 waypoints to find a specific "named" spot .... when I can simply open the chart screen & zoom in/out to find them. Am I misunderstanding what you're saying/doing ... or oversimplifying what I'm doing ??

... cp

**CrappiePappy** · 10-30-2012, 08:22 PM

I'm adding this thread : http://www.crappie.com/crappie/side-...ml#post2073181 to here, just to keep all the discussion info together.

... cp

**rumrunner** · 10-30-2012, 09:01 PM

i rename my spots so i at least know what area of the lake they are in and some names identify specific spots.i do use the waypoint list.i didn't mean you had to or should.sorry i brought it up!
i've still got alot to learn about using my elite 5.

**CrappiePappy** · 10-30-2012, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by rumrunner

i rename my spots so i at least know what area of the lake they are in and some names identify specific spots.i do use the waypoint list.i didn't mean you had to or should.sorry i brought it up!
i've still got alot to learn about using my elite 5.

No, no, no

... you have no reason to be sorry for bringing it up !! I've still got lots to learn about this unit, too, which is why I started the thread. I was just curious about why you named your spots, and you've explained that ... so now I know. I didn't mean to sound like I was disrespecting your choice to do so, just explaining how I've been using mine, and looking for alternatives that I might have need of in the future.

This thread is not just to help ME figure out my unit ... so any input is welcome, as there are other owners of this unit that might benefit from the discussion.

So, thanks for your input, and I hope you continue to contribute to the discussion.

... cp

**fpt** · 11-04-2012, 02:26 PM

I have a new Elite 5 DSI. The location icon on the chart does not always refresh when drifting slowly. The issue seems to be associated with slow speed; if I speed up with the trolling motor the chart rotates and the icon moves to what appears to be the correct location on the map (Navionics KY Lake map). Could the close proximity of the trolling motor head cause a problem with satellite acquisition? Is there a minimum speed necessary for the GPS to work? Would the external antenna accessory make a difference?

Thanks, fpt

**away** · 11-04-2012, 05:48 PM

G'day

The problem that you describe is not uncommon with most GPS or plotter devices. These "domestic" devices have an accuracy of somewhere between +/- 3 metres and +/- 5 metres. When drifting very slowly, this small amount of error may mean that the plotter does not update itself because it "thinks" that it is still in the same place. It is only once the plotter moves outside of the area of error that it will then update itself. It is for the same reason that people relying on very accurate locations have to use a very expensive device known as a Differental GPS.

It is unlikely that your trolling motor head would be physically blocking out sufficient satellites from the "view" of your Plotter's antenna, but I wouldn't really be able to tell without seeing a picture of how you have the unit mounted. You can check whether the unit is receiving enough satellites to obtain a "fix" by going into the "System" menu and then select the "GPS Status" menu. I doubt that electrical interference from the trolling motor would be an issue. GPS/Plotter units are generally quite resistant to electrical noise.

If you are homing in on a brush pile or other structure that you have coordinates for, then as you begin to slow your speed across the water it is often useful to have the unit in split screen mode so that you can watch the sonar simultaneously with watching the plotter.

I hope this helps.

Cheers

Thread: Discussion on Lowrance Elite 5 DSI/Chartplotter ....

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