Below is Lowrance’s response to my inquiry.

“Due to old mapping file formats in the Gen1 units we can not get a good comparison between a Gen1 and Gen2 units. We no longer support Lakemaster cards in the Gen2 units and therefore cannot troubleshoot issues as there is no way to do a fair comparison. The Lakemaster cards are coded in an old format that we just can’t support any longer”.

Dan, looks like you are spot-on, unless I can reload a previous software.

John

Thanks for the guidance. Works slick. The area in question does show detailed contours. Do you know if the info is based on extensive survey work or computer extrapolation?

John

Are 1′ contours included for the north & east sections of Lake of the Wood (Sioux Narrows to Kenora)?

Separating the electronics from the rest of the boat is not absolutely necessary, but it may reduce some interference issues and makes for easy additions later. If someone told me in 2004 how much stuff I would put in my boat over a few years I would have told them they were nuts. You probably do have some unused fuses in the Lund fuse panel. The fuse panel can easily be removed for visual inspection.

The screw/nut fasteners are stainless steel and they hold the carpet covered aluminum panel at the back(stern)side of the storage area. The pictures show the location of the one screw in the storage area and one of the two screw/nut fasteners. If you lift your jump seat you will see the second screw/nut location. (I replaced my jump seats with a platform matching the pre-2002 deck.) If you have skinny arms you may be able to get your arm through the inspection port to the push the wire into the storage area. Removing the panel just makes it easier. You won’t do this if you choose not to run the 12 Ga. wire

I started my activites before the advent of the Lowrance ethernet connections and had an LMS 332c, an LCX 25c,a LG-2000 GPS antenna, a LMF-200 Gauge and a Lowrance Fuel Flow Sensor. All of these communicated over the NMEA network (aka Lowrance backbone). The NMEA network still handles the fuel flow sensor, LMF-200 Gauge, remote antenna (now LG-4000) and some functions of the current HDS units which are now on the boat. My two HDS (1 at bow, 1 at console) units are connected to the Structure Scan via the ethernet connections and also to the NMEA network. Data is shared via both systems but neither system conveys all the data. The HDS-7 at the bow is connected to the US2 on the Terrova and that unit can display trolling motor sonar, stern sonar or structure scan. Unfortunately, I really don’t remember if the sonar info is shared over the NMEA or the ethernet. Others will likely chime in on this issue. When at the bow, the info that comes from the back of the boat is not worth much unless you are backing up. It’s old news if you are moving forward.

I didn’t tackle the issue of trying to interface my 2002 115 Merc Four Stroke with the NMEA Network. Can’t remember if it could have been done! Anyway, the Fuel Flow Sensor provided all the info I really wanted, primarily fuel consumption and relative calculations.

The more you get into this the more questions you may have.
Fire away. Good Luck.

John

I have an 02 17′ Fisherman on which, over the last 10 years, I have installed LMS/LCX/HDS units (bow & console), LSS-1, Elite-5 DSI, NEMA network and marine radio. I suggest that you consider running dedicated Pos & Neg 12 ga marine wires from a fuse at the battery to a new fuse block, to be located in a convenient area near your console, and have all your electronics powered with that circuit. It may seem like overkill for your present need, but needs change.

If you have a NEMA network and have a separate antenna in addition to the internal antenna in the HDS-8 you will need to have a switch. Some people power the Structure Scan with the HDS while others have it switched separately. You could have the fuse block controlled with a master switch. The lower left toggle switch on your panel is probaly not being used. Makes for a clean installation. There is more than one way to power your stuff, so you have choices to make.

Wire can be fished through the back of the battery compartment to the bilge, through one of the two ribbed hoses that lead from the bilge to the starboard side, through the storage area to the console where it gets a bit more challenging cause of sharp bends. An extra set of hands is helpful. It helps to remove the aft panel in the storage area- only 1 screw & 2 nuts/bolts hold it in place. Attach a string to your wire and leave the string in place for when you need to fish a new transducer cable, etc. through the same area. Secure your wires so things don’t catch on them.

I started with a 6 fuse block under the console and a few years later changed it out for a 10 fuse holder cause of all the stuff I keep adding. Your needs will likely be different.

If it’s any consolation, there is no comfortable position when working in a boat. You may draw blood.

Enjoy.

John

With the 18P steel it would tach 5700RPM and do about 41 MPH with two people in the boat in November. Under warm water conditions it was down 100-150 RPM and a few MPH slower on the speed. Very rarely ran it wide open.

With the steel last summer 4200 RPM would generate about 27 MPH and a touch under 6 MPG. The 19P 4 blade Solas Aluminum at 4100 RPM would reach close to 29 MPH and get a bit over 6 MPG. It took longer to get going with the Solas and required more attention to the trim. Tried a 19P Solas 4 Blade Stainless Steel prop. Great cruising- 4000 RPM and over 30 MPH will nearly 6.5 MPG. However it would only turn 5000 max RPM and you needed a calander to time it out of the hole even with a light load. Definately too much prop for the boat/motor combination. All this stuff is from memory, but it should still be fairly accurate.

The motor was a 2002 model. Speed was taken from a Lowrance HDS-10. A Lowrance Fuel Flow Sensor provided the mileage.

My 17′ Fisherman had the Merc 115. It was really a nice motor, but lacking a bit when the boat was fully loaded. This winter I traded the 115 for the 150 Merc Four Stroke. Have not been on the water yet, so no reports for the new setup.

Over the last 8 years I’ve tried a bunch of different props on the 115-3 blade, 4 blade, alum, steel. Burned a lot of Canadian fuel last few years so my focus was mid-range cruising and fuel economy. I was pretty happy with the 18P Quicksilver Silverado 3 blade stainless steel prop. The Silverado did not provide quite as good economy as the cheaper 19P Solas 4 blade aluminum prop, but it held the water lots better in turns and the hole shot was acceptable for this old man.

The 115 is gone but the props are still in the garage. Propping is so much fun!

My arthritic thumbs really like the new version of the remote control, a lot. No pain when operating. Clearly worth the extra money for me. On a slight downside note, because the new buttons are easier to push, merely bumping them can shut off the motor or features.

A number of years ago I was told that there should be a minimum separation between the puck and the head, otherwise one could damage the other.

Is that still the case or was my information bogus?

John

Turns out I have a bit of an issue with the battery charger, but the charger was not involved in the interference problem.

The real problem was a blown fuse in the brown ground wire within the Terrova. Minn Kota TA suggested that if the unit did not have the Universal Sonar, I would need to run an additional ground from the motor. It does have the US2, so I checked the wiring diagram and saw a ground with a fuseholder. Checked the fuseholder and sure enough, blown fuse. Replaced it and now all is well in the world of Side Imaging and Down Imaging.

When I took delivery of the unit, it ran backwards because the black & red wires from the I-Pilot were reversed at the factory. I connected them correctly and it ran the right way. The brown ground wire fuse must have blown when the black & red wires were reversed.

Thanks to all who offered assistance.

John

A few years ago my friends snickered when I installed a manual windshield wiper on my Lund Fisherman. Just got in from a twenty mile ride in heavy rain on Lake of the Woods. The wiper was really nice. The other ideas are good ones,and very useful on the passenger side and center window but the wiper works better for the driver. I was suprised to find that the windshield glass actually had a cut out at the top to accommodate the simple wiper mechanism. The link has an example. Installation was a bit of chore, but worth it.

http://www.boatersworld.com/product/EP104686102.htm?bct=%3Bciwindshield-wipers

After a bit of experimenting, it appears that the interference is coming through the 3 bank battery charger. When I disconnected the charger leads to the starting battery, 95% of the interference went away.

Interestingly, the interference was worse at slow trolling motor speeds and barely perceivable at full speed.

When I get back to Wisconsin I’ll get material for in-line switching of the positive & negative charger leads for the starting battery. This will enable me to isolate the stating battery from the charger when needed. Think I’ll still get the ferrite choke, too.

Thanks for the ideas. I’ll give an update in July.

Sandmannd: Crawled around today and found one place where the 12 volt power & network cable to the stern mounted 332c cross the 24 volt trolling motor wiring. The 332c power wire runs back to the same fuse block that powers the bow mounted 332, the helm mounted HDS & LSS-1. The NMEA network is connected to everything and the network is powered through the same fuse block. I separated the wires as much as I could without surgery,about 5″, and went for a trial. No change. Is there a minimun separation? The boat is a 17′ Lund Fisherman. The fuses are located under the helm. It was easier to get to the port side stern by routing through the bow.

John

Wade: Thanks for the quick response. I used 6 gauge marine wire & a 60 amp Minn Kota breaker, so that should not be the issue. I will check the ground wire. Additionally, the Terrova is a factory reconditioned unit purchased this spring.

I’ll also get the RF kit when I get home. I have no experience with the RF kit-is it connected to the trolling motor wiring, the HDS, the LSS-1 or the circuit powering all my electronics? Is it connected to the positive or negative side?

John

Breathables with various layers of fleece underwear, selected for the conditions, are a nice approach. I use stocking foot waders and wading boots. I like being able to turn the waders inside out to dry and the breathables do dry quickly. Others swear by the boot foot version.

I got a pair of Hodgman Wadelites about 6 years ago and they have held up well, admittedly under light use. I have no regrets regarding the move from neoprenes.

Just updated my HDS-10. The favorite screen feature is really nice. The only challenging part was deciding which 6 screens to save. Set one up with the desired overlay data, hold the soft key for a few seconds and its saved. Move to the next one and do the same thing.

Overall speed has improved, too. Thanks to Lowrance for the upgrade.

Dan: So this afternoon I walked around the boat twice to the right, once to the left, connected the stern transducer as you suggested, powered up the units and………….they worked as hoped without even having to make any selections on the menu. Thanks for the guidance.

John

Dan. Thanks for the reply. I’ll connect the stern and try again. At which screen/page would the tranducer selection be made?

There is no Navico Expansion Port in line, just the ethernet cable connecting the two units. Is the Expansion port needed to make this work?

JWF

I have connected two 520C units with a 25′ ethernet cable so that both units can read the universal sonar transducer in the Minn Kota V2 at the bow. Both units received software updates today and they are also networked with a 25C via NMEA network which is working fine. However, the objective has not been met.

When the 520c units are operated individually(no ethernet connection)they each display depth and temperature. When the transducer is disconnected from the 520c at the stern and the ethernet connection is made between the two 520c units, the bow unit reads depth but looses temperature and their appears to be no signal to the stern.

So what am I missing or what have I done wrong? Thanks for any and all suggestions or pearls of wisdom?

John Florine

Brian: Just replaced my other VHF radio with a Lowrance LVR-880 US.
The Canadian weather broadcast covers a large area. It can be nasty in Kenora and beautiful in Sioux Narrows. I’ve been caught in some scary stuff and it sure would be nice to see the storms/lightning on the big screen.

My XM radio works up there, but the weather radar seems a bit more involved. The Sirius website says the service area is the 48 states and some maritime areas. Sioux Narrows is close to the border but sometimes electronic wizardry can be precise-like cell phone service.

John

Snowy Morning to all.

I’m new to the HDS-10 and Stucture Scan world and have not used them yet.

Is there an advantage/disadvantage to connecting the LSS-1 yellow wire to the yellow Accessory Wake Up wire coming from the HDS power cord versus running the LSS-1 yellow wire through a switch?

In other words, is there a ever need to turn off the LSS-1 when the HDS is on?

John

Thanks for the info. I spent a fair amont of time on Lowrance’s website, but could not answer my questions.

John

My current Lowrance units are working fine. However, I’m being tempted by the side/down imaging thing. The stuff’s not cheap, so I want to make the right call the first time.

Thanks for the input.