Anyone familiar with Dr. Depth?

If so, pros and cons? Not much info on it.

It could be called Mr Depth. Can't remember. It is a underwater mapping program.

I might could use it on this project I am working on.

I'm only familiar with what is on the DR.Depth website. I have given some thought to using the Lowrance log files I record while fishing to create contour maps of the lakes I fish. I'm fairly sure that these maps will never be available for purchase as there is just not enough demand. My desktop PC is getting old and I'm waiting until I get a ruggedized laptop since the software is locked to a particular PC. That my be a while as I have two boys to put through college over the next 6 years.

If I knew that I could create a contour map that my Lowrance unit would read over top the Mapcreate file, I would give it a try. I could then take depth soundings when I went fishing and, over time, create an accurate contour map of the lakes I fish.

Cane Pole,
Not a Dr. Depth user myself – my wife put her foot down on this one… but WarrenMN (aka: Warren Parsons, walleyemapper ) off the Yahoo Si site has been using it and doesn’t seem to mind sharing information about its use. He does all of Doc Samson’s mapping and sells some to the Wally guys on the side. I would contact him and see what you both can come up with. I tried his web site but it keeps giving me a “Page Cannot Be Displayed”.
http://walleyemaps.com/

Keith,

Have you ever used oziexplorer? If not, you can download a shareware version.

You can import bmp images, make and calibrate maps with 2 known waypoints. I have already done it with my SI images. Only problem is it has the Gages on the maps. I don't think the SI has a hide screen menu function. I can cut and past around the gages, but that sure reduces the map size.

It is just a hobby. Lots better than mowing the grass.

Gregg, I tried the walleye link. No luck. I will get on yahoo and chat with him about the Dr. Depth.

Hi guys, googled myself and ran into your questions. Greg, sorry on the web site. Microsoft changed things and a couple ten thousand of us are out in the cold now. Where does an elephant sit.

DrDepth or www.drdepth.se isn't actually a moving map software like Fugawi or Ozi Explorer but a program for collecting data to make your own maps. You can use the Lowrance sonar logs you've recorded in it or you can hook it up to a laptop in the boat and you'll have a great way to view a ten color representation of the range of depths you choose or it can set itself to the minimum/maximum range of what you're already gone over.
It can run on older machines, back even to 300 mhz by displaying just a colored dot by depth, which works almost as good, or if you got a faster machine it can actually compile a map as you go. You can down load the demo to play with and inside it has a special function under FILE - Demo that will let you run one of four files Per's set up from data he's collect so it looks like its doing it real time.
I like it cause its simple and it limits how far out it tries filling the map so you see where you need to go over to fill in areas.
It also can export contour lines in the SHP format so you can import them into the MapEdit program the users group on Yahoo has set up to make maps that will run on your Lowrances just like Lake Master or Navionics.
The program can also make a 3D map as you go but that takes a little better processor.
Lately I've been playing with a Humminbird 997 I picked up and DrDepth really works nice with it. Just wish I could make my own maps to run in it like we do for the Lowrances.
It also will make a colored raster map that you can use in most of the moving map softwares like Fugawi and Ozi.

WarrenMN

WarrenMN,

How does drdepth perform in shallow waters, like 8 foot and less?

The automated part is all a function of your sonar. As shallow as your sonar will read, DrDepth just records what comes down the NMEA pipe line. My set ups don't like going under 2.5 feet. And thats another nice feature of DrDepth, you can set it to run in hand input mode too, all though I haven't tried it. I guess it can be set so that you hand put in a depth in those "too" shallow of areas for the sonars to read and it will pull the coordinates to go with that depth. You just have to still have the GPS part hooked up and running
Per is great for answering questions if you have any.

Warren

PS, I forgot to add. A lot of times the sonars will give glitch depth readings. I think Per put in a filter some how that catches most of that. We had some problems with the new Lowrances giving bogus readings for a while this summer and DrDepth seemed to catch them.

I use DrDepth everyday when I am on the water. When I study new structure, the map it creates allows me to find the sweet spots faster. It is easy to use and learn. In order to use it in the boat you must have a sunlight viewable laptop but it still creates the maps easily at home with the Lowrance log chart data.http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/attach...1&d=1191188281