Lowrance HDS 9 Carbon

I bought a boat this week and it came with a Lowrance HDS 9 Carbon. Any feedback on this unit?

I took a quick look and the built in base maps seem pretty weak. Is the Navionics chip pretty much the only option? Any feedback on the mapping options?

lindyrig79 wrote:

I bought a boat this week and it came with a Lowrance HDS 9 Carbon. Any feedback on this unit?

I took a quick look and the built in base maps seem pretty weak. Is the Navionics chip pretty much the only option?

I have a Lowrance HDS 7 Carbon at my console. I’ve had it for 3 full seasons now. I use it with the totalscan transducer.

I like it so far. Have not encountered an issue. I use the Insight Maps for GPS. I think they call it the Insight Reveal maps now. The Carbon units are compatible with live sonar if you ever want to go down that road.

Make sure you upload the latest software for it too if you already haven’t.

I have a Gen 3 HDS, the model just before the carbon came out. It has one of the best 2d sonar systems out there. I have the Navionics chip in mine and it is okay. Mine has the side imaging also but gave up on it and took that ducer off to make room for adding my Garmin 93uhd, the side imaging with mine anyway sucked. Otherwise a very good unit in my opinion.

Lowrance has their own line of chips and they are essentially the same as the lakemaster chips. I have navionics and the lowrance chips in my units. Lowrance chips are a bit better.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Lowrance chips are a bit better.

Those are the Insight Maps aren’t they?

Theyve changed the names several times. I think they are now called C-map. They used to be insight. Look on their website for the current ones. Mine are all older. I am getting a chip from a company out of canada for the ontario lakes as they have THE best mapping for that area. They arent cheap though and these chips are only good for Lowrance.

I was reading the manual and I thought it said Navionics or C Maps. However a quick look for C Maps came up inconclusive.

lindyrig79 wrote:

I was reading the manual and I thought it said Navionics or C Maps. However a quick look for C Maps came up inconclusive.

Here is a link the lowrance page where you can find out info the sneak – got you in your search
https://www.lowrance.com/lowrance/type/mapping/

I run gen 3s a 12 and 9. I really like them both. I’d love to have a carbon but my 3s will be great for another few years

Thanks Musky. I am pretty old school when it comes to fishing electronics for some reason. My old boat had a Lowrance HDS probably one of the originals has to be about 15 years old. It had the Lakemaster chip in it but worked very well for me!!

Bearcat89 wrote:

I run gen 3s a 12 and 9. I really like them both. I’d love to have a carbon but my 3s will be great for another few years

Good to know BC

lindyrig79 wrote:

My old boat had a Lowrance HDS probably one of the originals has to be about 15 years old. It had the Lakemaster chip in it but worked very well for me!!

The first year Lowrance made a high definition unit was in 2008, exactly 15 years ago. Those units were compatible with Lakemaster until Humminbird bought Lakemaster, and they ended that marriage.

I’ve still got a hand held H20C unit with a lakemaster chip in it. I don’t use it much anymore, but it has 20 years worth of waypoints, so it has accumulated a lot of information.

Thanks Gimruis! That is helpful information.

You do like the Insights Maps (C-Maps)? Do you feel they are comparable to the old Lakemaster?

lindyrig79 wrote:

Thanks Gimruis! That is helpful information.

You do like the Insights Maps (C-Maps)? Do you feel they are comparable to the old Lakemaster?

I dont know how much updating Lowrance has been doing to their chips in recent years, but I can tell you with 100% confidence that the original lowrance chip I had was identical to the lakemaster chip because I had both and compared them side by side. The other benefit was that you got LOW and Rainy along with the rest of MN all on one chip where with lakemaster it was two chips (no longer the case I guess though).

lindyrig79 wrote:

Thanks Gimruis! That is helpful information.

You do like the Insights Maps (C-Maps)? Do you feel they are comparable to the old Lakemaster?

If you liked the older Lowrance you had, I think you will find this one just as good. I personally think the C-maps are a little better than Navionics mapping.

There’s a new version of these that seemingly comes out every year so it probably gets updated regularly. One thing you should be aware of is when we have a drought, the depths seem a little off.

Lake Minnetonka was down about 16 inches last season from when I fished it in May compared to when I fished it in September. So obviously the depth contours were also off.

Just have to share. I think this is kind of bizarre. Trying to buy a C Map chip. The Lowrance website does not work. The C Map website does not work (you can buy various regions around the globe but not US North Central)

I called Lowrance and they were very helpful on several questions but directed me to gofreeshop. com to purchase the chip. Thought it was weird but went to that website. It wants me to create an account just to buy the chip. How on earth do they sell these chips by making it so difficult?

Weird, right??