Adding a map or chart to lowrance elite 5 dsi fish finder

[Uncle Donkey]

A friend mentioned that Missouri Dept. of Conservation has downloadable maps for various lakes in Missouri. We downloaded to micro usb. Don't really know how to proceed from there. Any help would be appreciated.
I have a Elite 5 dsi that is a few years old.

Thanks,

[CatFan]

What is the file extension of the file you downloaded?

[vic n]

I don't think the two are compatible. I think the Mo maps are for use on a pc, and the Lowrance or H'bird units require specific coding

[Uncle Donkey]

Thanks guys for responding and helping an old hillbilly. I do think I can download coordinates and add them as waypoints on my fishfinder. Is that correct?

[CrappiePappy]

Thanks guys for responding and helping an old hillbilly. I do think I can download coordinates and add them as waypoints on my fishfinder. Is that correct?

You can do it manually, one at a time ... I know for sure, because I've done that for around 300 waypoints, myself. (I have an extra power cord & used a portable jumper battery, and did all the downloads while sitting on the couch)

You may need to convert the waypoint lat/long numbers to the compatible "GPS" coords for the Elite 5DSI ... I used this website : GPS Coordinate Converter, Maps and Info
(you enter the coords from your Dept of Conservation map, click on the "Convert & Map" button, then use the lat/long coords that appear under "GPS" ... then manually enter those coords into your Elite 5DSI as "new waypoints" ... but only if they show up on the map on the converter page on the correct lake.)

This might also be a possibility for bulk downloads, but I've never used it and don't know anything about it. It's just the only thing that comes up when I Google "bulk download of waypoints to a elite 5 dsi".
Discover Hidden Lowrance Elite-5 DSI Tricks You're Missing. 28 Tips From the GPS Experts!

It's a $75 program to purchase, but has a "free trial" ... but doesn't say how much can be done on the "free trial", or how long it's good for.

In any event, you'd still have to enter the coord's into the program (on your computer) and then download them to a micro sd card, before uploading the bulk data into the depthfinder.

My guess is that it would work, but the program is not really specific to the unit. It's just a side function of the program that happens to convert (in bulk) coord's and then you can load them into your unit. If that sounds a little skeptical ... it is ... but then it's coming from a guy that doesn't even have a map card for his unit, and uses the base maps of the 4 or 5 lakes he normally fishes. The unit IS out of date & out of production ... so I personally don't see the benefit of putting any more money into the unit, when I can manually convert & add waypoints for free.

... cp

[Uncle Donkey]

Sorry to take so long to get back. The files are .gpx

[Uncle Donkey]

Hope it is alright with you that I call you Pappy. Thanks for your help. Not getting much time to work on this. Will get back to the thread as I soon as I can.

[CrappiePappy]

Hope it is alright with you that I call you Pappy. Thanks for your help. Not getting much time to work on this. Will get back to the thread as I soon as I can.

"Pappy" is fine ... it's what my fishing buddies call me !!

There's still a few of us running E5DSI units, so any questions/solutions are still relevant to us. So, please do let us know what you do and what results you have.

There's also a 87pg discussion about the unit, with lots of info that may be of some use : http://www.crappie.com/crappie/fishi...-chartplotter/ ... not necessarily for this particular question, but still a good resource for E5DSI owners.

... cp

[CatFan]

Sorry to take so long to get back. The files are .gpx

GPX files aren't maps, they are collections of waypoints or tracks. Probably the locations of fish attractors.

You should be able to load them, assuming it's the right version, by copying the GPX file to a microSD card, inserting the card in the unit and then going to the waypoint menu and selecting "Load from Card".

[CrappiePappy]

GPX files aren't maps, they are collections of waypoints or tracks. Probably the locations of fish attractors.

You should be able to load them, assuming it's the right version, by copying the GPX file to a microSD card, inserting the card in the unit and then going to the waypoint menu and selecting "Load from Card".

Yeah, CatFan .... it definitely needs to be the "right version" (of coordinate numbers). I found that out when I tried to use the "version" posted by our fish & wildlife guys. I couldn't get ALL of the numbers in the space provided by the E5DSI unit, so I left off the last digit or two (to make it fit) .... thinking those were "inches" or a "foot" of Long/Lat. That's when I punched in those shortened numbers on the converter website .... and found out my waypoints were being placed somewhere in the deserts of the Middle East

When I looked closer at the converter site, I realized that there are FOUR different GPS coordinates versions : Decimal Degrees - Degrees/Minutes/Seconds - GPS - UTM .... and the Elite 5DSI unit only uses the "GPS" version numbers (after conversion). The map on the converter site confirms where the waypoint coords are, as soon as you put in the numbers. I figured out that the "GPS" version numbers were the only ones that would work, because that was the only version that had the correct amount of numbers that would fit the available spaces in the coordinate lines of my unit. Lesson learned

... cp